January 7, 1789 First United States Presidential Election Begins

On January 7, 1789, you're looking at the birth of a voting system that's governed every U.S. presidential election since — one where 69 electors, not ordinary citizens, unanimously handed George Washington the presidency. Only 10 of the 13 original states participated, and each elector cast two undifferentiated votes with no formal distinction between president and vice president. The precedents set that day still shape how you elect a president today, and there's far more to uncover.

Key Takeaways

• On January 7, 1789, the first U.S. presidential election began using a newly established Electoral College system replacing hereditary succession or legislative appointment.
• Only 10 of the 13 original states participated; New York missed its deadline, while North Carolina and Rhode Island had not ratified the Constitution.
• Each elector cast two undifferentiated votes, with the top vote-getter becoming president and the runner-up becoming vice president.
• George Washington received all 69 cast electoral votes unanimously, while John Adams earned 34 votes, becoming vice president as runner-up.
• Decisions made during this first election established constitutional precedents that continue shaping American presidential elections today.

What Made the 1789 Presidential Election Unlike Any Before It

The 1789 presidential election wasn't just a first—it was a blueprint. You're looking at a constitutional novelty that had never existed anywhere in the world: a republic choosing its leader through an Electoral College rather than hereditary succession or legislative appointment.

Each elector cast two votes, with the top vote-getter becoming president and the runner-up serving as vice president. No direct popular vote existed, and only white male property owners could choose electors at all.

What you see in Washington's unanimous 69 electoral votes reflects a rare founding consensus—leaders across competing states trusted one man completely. That trust didn't just elect a president; it validated an entirely new system of government from the ground up. The groundwork for this unified national framework had been laid years earlier, when colonial delegates used Committees of Correspondence to coordinate resistance and build the communicative structures that made cross-colony cooperation possible.

Which States Voted in the First Presidential Election?

Only 10 of the original 13 states participated in the first presidential election. State participation fell short of a complete union for three distinct reasons. New York couldn't contribute because its legislature failed to choose electors on time, making it ineligible. North Carolina and Rhode Island hadn't yet ratified the Constitution, so they sat out entirely.

The 10 participating states were Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia. Together, they appointed 72 electors, though elector turnout reached only 69 cast ballots. Three electors didn't vote, yet the remaining 69 still delivered a unanimous result for George Washington. Despite the incomplete state participation, the election successfully launched the framework that would govern every presidential contest that followed.

How the Electoral College Actually Worked in 1789

Unlike today's system, the Electoral College in 1789 operated under rules that no longer exist. Each elector cast two votes on their original ballots, with no distinction between president and vice president. Whoever received the most votes became president, and the runner-up became vice president. You'd need at least 37 votes to win.

Elector coordination was minimal and informal, yet Washington still captured all 69 votes cast. John Adams secured the vice presidency with 34 votes, while the remaining 35 votes scattered across ten other candidates. Three electors didn't vote at all.

No popular vote decided the outcome. Instead, only white male property owners could choose electors, and state legislatures controlled much of that process. It's a system you'd barely recognize today.

How Were Electors Chosen Before Popular Voting Existed?

Before popular voting existed, state legislatures held most of the power in selecting electors. Through legislative appointment, each state's lawmakers directly chose who'd cast electoral votes, bypassing ordinary citizens almost entirely.

You'd find no national popular vote, no campaign rallies targeting everyday voters — just political insiders deciding among themselves.

This system reflected the Founders' deep skepticism toward direct democracy. They trusted educated, propertied men to make sound judgments rather than the general public.

Where limited popular voting did occur, only white male property owners could participate, meaning you'd need significant wealth just to have a voice.

Without established party formation yet guiding loyalties, electors exercised genuine individual discretion — which is precisely why Washington's unanimous 69-vote result carried such extraordinary symbolic weight. Similarly, early high-stakes decision-making among small groups of insiders shaped other American institutions, such as the 1970 WSOP champion being determined by a peer vote among just seven players rather than any formal competitive process.

Who Ran Against Washington in the 1789 Election?

Technically, no one ran against Washington — the 1789 election wasn't a contest for the presidency in any meaningful sense. Every elector cast one of their two votes for him, making his selection unanimous.

The second votes scattered across multiple candidates, most of whom were regional favorites rather than organized rivals.

John Adams received 34 votes, enough to secure the vice presidency. John Jay earned 9 votes, while John Rutledge and Robert H. Harrison each collected 6.

The remaining 35 votes spread across 10 other candidates, including Samuel Huntington and John Milton, each receiving just 2.

These secondary votes reflected each state's desire to assert electoral influence by supporting local figures. No one seriously challenged Washington — electors simply used their second vote strategically to shape the new government's supporting leadership.

Why Only Washington Could Win a Unanimous Electoral Vote

The scattered second votes reveal just how unique Washington's unanimous support actually was. While every elector cast one vote for Washington, their second votes scattered across ten different candidates. That fragmentation wasn't accidental — it was strategic. Electors used their second vote to position regional favorites like John Adams and John Jay for the vice presidency.

Washington's unanimous appeal stemmed from something no other candidate possessed: founding reverence built through years of military leadership and personal sacrifice. You can think of him as the only figure who transcended regional loyalties entirely. Electors from Virginia trusted him as much as electors from Massachusetts did.

No political machinery engineered his unanimous victory. His reputation simply made opposition unthinkable, creating a singular moment that's never been replicated in American electoral history. Centuries later, the challenge of achieving near-universal political consensus across deep regional and cultural divisions was echoed when Canada's House of Commons passed the Québécois nation motion 265–16, relying on broad multiparty support rather than unanimous agreement.

How Did John Adams Become Vice President Without Running for the Office?

Under the original Constitution, no one ran for vice president — the office went automatically to whoever finished second in the Electoral College. There was no formal vice selection process, no running mates, and no campaign declarations. Yet through implicit candidacy, Founders understood that certain figures carried enough national respect to attract second-place votes.

Adams emerged as that figure. Political etiquette discouraged open campaigning, so supporters quietly coordinated electoral strategy behind the scenes, steering second votes his way. He received 34 of the 69 cast ballots — enough to claim the vice presidency without ever officially seeking it.

You're watching a system that assumed gentlemen wouldn't chase power openly. Instead, reputation did the work. Adams didn't run for vice president; the office simply found him. Similarly, the amateur ideal dominated(link) early professional baseball, where openly paying players was considered a betrayal of gentlemanly values, just as openly seeking office would have been seen as ungentlemanly in the founding era.

The Electoral Precedents Set in 1789 That Still Govern Elections Today

What happened in 1789 didn't stay in 1789. The decisions made during that first election created Constitutional precedent that still shapes how you elect a president today.

Every four years, you're watching a system built on frameworks established before most nations had written constitutions.

Electoral continuity connects you directly to 1789 through several key mechanisms. Electors still cast votes as a body rather than through direct popular vote.

The winner-take-all dynamic that elevated Washington unanimously still influences how candidates campaign today. States still control how their electors are chosen.

Congress still certifies electoral votes in a formal joint session.

Canada's own founding legislature, established through a bicameral legislative structure, similarly embedded procedural precedents into its constitutional framework that continued shaping governance for generations.

Washington's unanimous election set an unrepeatable standard, but the machinery surrounding it became the permanent architecture of American democracy you participate in today.