United States presidential election 1856 — Results & electoral map
United States elections · 1856-11-04 · held
James Buchanan was elected president.
Electoral map — 1856
296 electors; 149 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 9 | James Buchanan 9 |
| Arkansas | 4 | James Buchanan 4 |
| California | 4 | James Buchanan 4 |
| Connecticut | 6 | John C. Frémont 6 |
| Delaware | 3 | James Buchanan 3 |
| Florida | 3 | James Buchanan 3 |
| Georgia | 10 | James Buchanan 10 |
| Illinois | 11 | James Buchanan 11 |
| Indiana | 13 | James Buchanan 13 |
| Iowa | 4 | John C. Frémont 4 |
| Kentucky | 12 | James Buchanan 12 |
| Louisiana | 6 | James Buchanan 6 |
| Maine | 8 | John C. Frémont 8 |
| Maryland | 8 | Millard Fillmore 8 |
| Massachusetts | 13 | John C. Frémont 13 |
| Michigan | 6 | John C. Frémont 6 |
| Mississippi | 7 | James Buchanan 7 |
| Missouri | 9 | James Buchanan 9 |
| New Hampshire | 5 | John C. Frémont 5 |
| New Jersey | 7 | James Buchanan 7 |
| New York | 35 | John C. Frémont 35 |
| North Carolina | 10 | James Buchanan 10 |
| Ohio | 23 | John C. Frémont 23 |
| Pennsylvania | 27 | James Buchanan 27 |
| Rhode Island | 4 | John C. Frémont 4 |
| South Carolina | 8 | James Buchanan 8 |
| Tennessee | 12 | James Buchanan 12 |
| Texas | 4 | James Buchanan 4 |
| Vermont | 5 | John C. Frémont 5 |
| Virginia | 15 | James Buchanan 15 |
| Wisconsin | 5 | John C. Frémont 5 |
Results: final · complete coverage · Counted Electoral College votes; recorded popular votes
| Party / candidate | Votes | Vote share | Seats | Electoral votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Buchanan | 1836072 | 45.283152886058886% | — | 174 |
| John C. Frémont | 1342345 | 33.1063345341777% | — | 114 |
| Millard Fillmore | 873053 | 21.532158039898416% | — | 8 |
| Other candidates / recorded votes | 3177 | 0.07835453986499935% | — | 0 |
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.
Sources & further reading
National Archives: 1856 electoral count and state allocations