About This Collection
Images of certificates, lists of voters, precepts, returns, warrants and writs concerning elections held and results of elections held throughout Pennsylvania from 1776-1790. All papers are signed and dated, bearing official seals and containing strict instruction as to the proper methods of carrying out procedure. The documents are a representation of the process of elections in this period, who authorized the elections, who was given power to run elections, and how votes were tallied and results relayed to state government. Types of documents present in this record include, lists of voters in each county from separate polling places throughout the county, certificates certifying that returns submitted to state government were originals, who the pool of voters was comprised of and which office was in question, precepts sent from an official of the county to authorize and command an election of a named vacated office, announce candidates and set the date and time of election, indentures that were agreements of men to assist judges and officers in general elections and to bear witness to the legal election of named candidates, writs of mandated direction from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to county officials to announce the resignation of an office, a commandment and authorization for elections to elect a new official (details to be decided by county officials according to official government), orders for returns of person(s) chosen and elected to go to the President of the Supreme Executive Council, petitions sent by county members to the Council to remove incompetent office holders and replace them, warrants from County officials ordering elections to be held at an agreed time, place and date, giving authority to a particular official to issue public notice of the election and to be the governing authority, and charts of election results giving data in statistical format or written out.
