United States presidential election 1788–89 — Results & electoral map
United States elections · 1789 · held
George Washington was elected president. The first presidential election selected electors during 1788–89. George Washington received a vote from every elector who voted. New York did not appoint electors; North Carolina and Rhode Island had not yet ratified the Constitution.
Electoral map — 1788–89
69 electors; 35 votes required for an electoral majority. Modern state outlines are a geographic reference, not historical borders. The interactive map shows actual counted electoral votes, including split and faithless votes.
| State | Electors | Electoral vote recipients |
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | 7 | George Washington 7; John Adams 5; Samuel Huntington 2 |
| Delaware | 3 | George Washington 3; John Jay 3 |
| Georgia | 5 | George Washington 5; John Milton 2; James Armstrong 1; Edward Telfair 1; Benjamin Lincoln 1 |
| Maryland | 6 | George Washington 6; Robert H. Harrison 6 |
| Massachusetts | 10 | George Washington 10; John Adams 10 |
| New Hampshire | 5 | George Washington 5; John Adams 5 |
| New Jersey | 6 | George Washington 6; John Adams 1; John Jay 5 |
| Pennsylvania | 10 | George Washington 10; John Adams 8; John Hancock 2 |
| South Carolina | 7 | George Washington 7; John Hancock 1; John Rutledge 6 |
| Virginia | 10 | George Washington 10; John Adams 5; John Jay 1; John Hancock 1; George Clinton 3 |
Results: final · complete coverage · Counted Electoral College votes; nationwide popular vote unavailable
| Party / candidate | Votes | Vote share | Seats | Electoral votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Washington | — | — | — | 69 |
| John Adams | — | — | — | 34 |
| John Jay | — | — | — | 9 |
| John Rutledge | — | — | — | 6 |
| Robert H. Harrison | — | — | — | 6 |
| John Hancock | — | — | — | 4 |
| George Clinton | — | — | — | 3 |
| John Milton | — | — | — | 2 |
| Samuel Huntington | — | — | — | 2 |
| Benjamin Lincoln | — | — | — | 1 |
| Edward Telfair | — | — | — | 1 |
| James Armstrong | — | — | — | 1 |
Electoral votes are the presidential votes actually recorded in the National Archives count, including split and faithless votes. The map uses modern state outlines as a geographic reference; these are not historical boundaries.
Minor popular-vote candidates not separately tabulated by the source are grouped as other recorded votes. Historical popular-vote figures and definitions can vary between compilations.
Before the Twelfth Amendment, each elector cast two undifferentiated votes. The table includes both votes, so candidate totals add to twice the number of electors. These are not modern separate presidential and vice-presidential ballots.
A comparable nationwide popular-vote total is not provided. Electors were chosen under varying state rules, including appointment by legislatures; missing popular figures are not zero votes.
States selected electors on different schedules; the archive records the election year rather than inventing a single national election day.
The first presidential election selected electors during 1788–89. George Washington received a vote from every elector who voted. New York did not appoint electors; North Carolina and Rhode Island had not yet ratified the Constitution.
Sources & further reading
National Archives: 1789 electoral count and state allocations