1820 Presidential Election

November 1 – December 6, 1820 · The Founding Era · 232 electoral votes, 117 to win

Monroe ran effectively unopposed at the height of the Era of Good Feelings, taking every electoral vote but one. The 16% recorded against him was cast for scattered Federalist electors with no candidate.

Elected

James Monroe

Democratic-Republican

Electoral vote

231 of 232

Popular vote

80.6%

87,343 votes

Turnout

10.1%

The result

James Monroe
Democratic-Republican · 80.60% of votes
231
electoral votes
John Quincy Adams
Democratic-Republican · 2.04% of votes
1
electoral votes
No candidate
Federalist · 16.12% of votes
—
electoral votes
DeWitt Clinton
Democratic-Republican · 1.75% of votes
—
electoral votes
Unpledged electors
Independent · 1.53% of votes
—
electoral votes

Before 1824 most electors were chosen by state legislatures, so popular-vote figures cover only a handful of states.

Results by state

Alabama
James Monroe
3
electoral votes
Connecticut
James Monroe
9
electoral votes
Delaware
James Monroe
4
electoral votes
Georgia
James Monroe
8
electoral votes
Illinois
James Monroe
3
electoral votes
Indiana
James Monroe
3
electoral votes
Kentucky
James Monroe
12
electoral votes
Louisiana
James Monroe
3
electoral votes
Maine
James Monroe
9
electoral votes
Maryland
James Monroe
11
electoral votes
Massachusetts
James Monroe
15
electoral votes
Mississippi
James Monroe
2
electoral votes

States marked without popular votes chose their electors in the legislature.

The Congress it seated

17th Congress

1821–1823

Unified government

Senate

44–4

Anti-Administration control · Anti-Administration–Pro-Administration

House

155–32

Anti-Administration control · Anti-Administration–Pro-Administration