Elections in colonial Virginia were simple. First, to qualify as a voter you had to own property. Second, you were allowed to vote for a candidate in your county as Burgess, or member of the House of Burgesses, who enacted the laws for the colonies. Some exceptions were made to the rule of owning property for professionals who lived in an urban environment.
Elections occurred irregularly. A Burgess held his seat until the Governor dismissed the House and called for new elections. For example, the Burgesses elected in Spotsylvania County in 1727 held their seats until 1734. Many times, though, new elections were called in two or three years. If a seated member died, then a "by-election" was held to fill the vacancy.
There was one polling place in the county, so it took a determined effort to vote. This place was the court house, or, in good weather, the courthouse yard. At a table sat the Sheriff, the candidates, and the Clerks (one for each candidate). The voters came up one at a time to announce their choices, which were recorded like a game score where the public could see the results. If a candidate saw that he was trailing by a few votes, he could send out a supporter to look for more support.
Each voter declared his preference, and shouts of approval and boos would be heard. If the election were close, the odds by the wager-makers might change. The candidate who had been favored by the additional vote would stand, bow, and express his thanks for the vote. A written record was maintained of the votes.
The Sheriff was the manager of the elections. He decided the qualifications of the voters, he fixed the date of the election, and he fixed the hour for opening and closing the poll. Any appeal from his decision had to be taken to the House of Burgesses, which was reluctant to overturn the Sheriff’s decision. As the hour to close the polls approached, the Sheriff might wait until the man he favored was ahead, and, when he was, then he might declare the polls were closed. Or, if his man was behind, the Sheriff might keep the polls open, hoping that more supporters might appear.
Candidates seldom discussed the issues . Instead, a candidate seemed to be judged more by the entertainment and refreshments that he had proffered. George Washington’s expenses, when he stood for Burgess, were never less than £25. Therefore, the Burgesses tended to be from the class having money. One did not have to reside in a county to run for Burgess of that county; one only had to hold property in that county. Many of the great Virginians used their property holdings to advantage to select the county where their chances were the best. In the county of Spotsylvania in 1762, there was a Burgess who lived in Fredericksburg, but he was a Burgess for Hampshire County.
You could also vote in every county where you owned property. Remember that travel was difficult, but not all counties held their election on the same day.
Daniel J. Boorstin has written about the elections in "
The Americans: The Colonial Experience
".
(16 Dec 00)
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