University of Virginia · Department of Politics

The Virginia Elections and State Elected Officials Database Project

1776–2008 · Charles A. Kromkowski

Documentation

Sources, methods, and acknowledgments for the Database Project.

About the Project

Virginia has a special place in the history and ongoing development of an electoral and representative form of government in the United States. In 1619, the colony of Virginia elected and convened its first legislative assembly, a practice that was repeated throughout the colonial era. In 1776, Virginia upheld this democratic tradition, electing delegates to the 1776 state constitutional convention, which made regular elections of the Virginia General Assembly a constitutional requirement in the 1776 state constitution. Since then, Virginia has extended the practice of elections to several additional state offices: to Members of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1789; to Governors, Lieutenant Governors, and State Attorneys General in 1851; to U.S. Senators in 1916; and to members of all but one of the state’s constitutional conventions since 1776. The Virginia Supreme Court also was elected by popular vote from 1852 until the 1870 state constitution returned this power to the Virginia General Assembly. To be certain, throughout much of this electoral history the right to vote in state elections fell woefully short of the democratic ideal of a full recognition of Virginia’s population. Significant advancements in the legal guarantee of voting rights, however, were made in 1920 by the Nineteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which granted women’s suffrage; in 1964 by the Twenty-Fourth Amendment, which prohibited poll taxes; and by the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which barred various forms of registration and voter discrimination. Despite its shortcomings with regard to full voting rights, Virginia remained committed to the practice of regular and public elections, making it the oldest continuous electoral democracy in the United States and the world today.

For the general reader, students and teachers, and more specialized users, the Database Project offers two basic types of information. First, the Project offers a searchable, integrated, and expandable record of state election results, which include individual district and election attributes, candidate names and state electoral histories, vote tallies, and campaign expenditures. This site also offers various summary statistics related to these elections, including historical measures of reelection rates and of electoral competition. The Project presently includes the results of Virginia General Assembly elections since 1949, Virginia Gubernatorial election results since 1851, Virginia's U.S. Senate elections since 1916, and U.S. House election results since 1789. Periodically, the Project will update and extend the range of these election results. In the future, for example, General Assembly elections results will extend back to 1870, and other state election results and display formats will be added as records and resources become available.

The second type of information provided by this Project consists of the biographical and state political service records of, at present, almost 10,000 individuals who have served as or been a candidate for the office of Governor, State Delegate, State Senator, U.S. Representative, or U.S. Senator. These individuals and their respective state offices have participated in, contributed to, and are responsible for important and enduring parts of Virginia’s political history. A public record of the State’s elected officials and of their electoral opponents, therefore, offers an appropriately public starting point for recognizing their personal and institutional contributions to the State and American history. Academic researchers, state and local historians and archivists, teachers, students and other inquisitive users will find the summary statistics related to these records an especially useful resource for identifying and analyzing historical and geographical variations in Virginia politics across a range of indicators, including: legislative turnover rates; legislative and gubernatorial tenure rates; legislative leadership positions; electoral jurisdictions and district types; as well as the gender, ethnicity, age, and party affiliations of Virginia’s state elected officials. Most important, the Project’s database design makes possible future extensions of the content, audiences and contributors to the Database. In addition to the required updating necessitated by each new state election, the Database design permits the future inclusion of other state elected officials-- for example, Lieutenant Governors, State judges, and State Attorneys General as well as the addition of other types of campaign, election, and electoral district information.

Sources

  • Dodson, E. Griffith, 1939. The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia, 1919-1939. (Richmond: General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia).
  • Dodson, E. Griffith, 1961. The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia, 1940-1960. (Richmond: General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia).
  • Glashan, Roy. 1979, American Governors and Gubernatorial Elections, 1775-1978, (Westport, CT: Meckler Books).
  • Leonard, Cynthia Miller, comp. 1978. The General Assembly of Virginia, July 30, 1619-January 11, 1978. (Richmond: Virginia State Library for the General Assembly of Virginia).
  • Manual of the General Assembly of Virginia. 1945- . (Richmond: General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia).
  • Salmon, Emily J. and Edward D.C. Campbell, Jr. 1994. The Hornbook of Virginia History, 4th ed. (Richmond: The Library of Virginia).
  • The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia, 1962-1981. 1983. (Richmond: Commonwealth of Virginia).
  • The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia, 1982-1995. 1996. (Richmond: Commonwealth of Virginia).
  • Younger, Edward and James Tice Moore, eds.,1982. The Governors of Virginia, 1860-1978, (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press).
  • Broussard, James H. 1977. Party and Partisanship in American Legislatures: The South Atlantic States, 1800-1812, Journal of Southern History, 43(1): 39-58.
  • Dodson, E. Griffith, 1939. The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia, 1919-1939. (Richmond: General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia).
  • Dodson, E. Griffith, 1961. The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia, 1940-1960. (Richmond: General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia).
  • Manarin, Louis H. 1997. Officers of the Senate of Virginia, 1776-1996, (Richmond, VA: Commonwealth of Virginia).
  • Manual of the General Assembly of Virginia. 1945- . (Richmond: General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia).
  • Salmon, Emily J. and Edward D.C. Campbell, Jr. 1994. The Hornbook of Virginia History, 4th ed. (Richmond: The Library of Virginia).
  • Simms, Henry H. 1929. The Rise of the Whigs in Virginia, 1824-1840, (Richmond: Wiliam Byrd Press).
  • Pendleton, William C. 1920. History of Tazewell County and Southwest Virginia, 1748-1920. (Richmond: W.C. Hill Printing Co).
  • The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia, 1962-1981. 1983 Richmond: Commonwealth of Virginia.
  • The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia, 1982-1995. 1996 Richmond: Commonwealth of Virginia.
  • Crater, Flora, and Carolyn Brickey, Cathy Danford, Anne Donley, Pat Fishback, Jeanne O’Hara, Joanna Rubin, Muriel Smith, Meg Williams, Elizabeth Vantrease. 1977-1997. Almanac of Virginia Politics (The Woman’s Activist Fund, Inc.).
  • Warrocks Edition of Richardsons Almanack. 1870. The Warrock-Richardson Almanac. 1876.
  • Clemens, William Montgomery. 1921. Famous Virginias: Eminent Men of the Old Dominion with Date and Place of Birth and Death. (Pompton Lakes, NJ: William M. Clemens).
  • Gaines, William H. 1969. Biographical Register of Members of Virginia State Convention of 1861. (Richmond: Virginia State Library).
  • Grigsby, Hugh Blair. 1890-91. The History of the Virginia Federal Convention, Vol. II. (Richmond: Virginia Historical Society).
  • Grigsby, Hugh Blair. 1969 [1855]. The Virginia Convention of 1776. (New York: Da Capo Press).
  • Grigsby, Hugh Blair. 1969 [1854]. The Virginia Convention of 1829-30. (New York: Da Capo Press).
  • Jamerson, Bruce F., Speakers and Clerks of the Virginia House of Delegates, 1776-1996. 1996. (Richmond: Virginia House of Delegates).
  • Kneebone, John T., J. Jefferson Looney, Brent Tartar, and Sandra Gioia Treadway, eds. 1998. Dictionary of Virginia Biography, Vol. I. (Richmond: The Library of Virginia).
  • Manarin, Louis H. 1997. Officers of the Senate of Virginia, 1776-1996. (Richmond: Commonwealth of Virginia).
  • Manual of the General Assembly of Virginia. 1945- . (Richmond: General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia).
  • Moore, Louis. 1995. The Elusive Center: Virginia Politics and the General Assembly, 1869-1871, Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, 103(2): 207-236.
  • Pendleton, William C. 1920. History of Tazewell County and Southwest Virginia, 1748-1920. (Richmond: W.C. Hill Printing Co).
  • Salmon, Emily J. and Edward D.C. Campbell, Jr. 1994. The Hornbook of Virginia History, 4th ed. (Richmond: The Library of Virginia).
  • Summers, Lewis Preston. 1903. History of Southwest Virginia 1746-1786, Washington County, 1777-1870. (Richmond: J.L. Hill Printing Co).
  • The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia, 1962-1981. 1983 (Richmond: Commonwealth of Virginia).
  • The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia, 1982-1995. 1996. (Richmond: Commonwealth of Virginia).
  • Tyler, Lyon Gardiner, ed. 1915. Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography, (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company).
  • Weddell, Alexander W., ed., 1930. Virginia Historical Portraiture, 1585-1830, (Richmond: The William Byrd Press).
  • Crater, Flora, and Carolyn Brickey, Cathy Danford, Anne Donley, Pat Fishback, Jeanne O’Hara, Joanna Rubin, Muriel Smith, Meg Williams, Elizabeth Vantrease. 1977-1997. Almanac of Virginia Politics (The Woman’s Activist Fund, Inc.).
  • Cox, Elizabeth M. 1996. Women State and Territorial Legislators, 1895-1995, Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co.
  • Manual of the General Assembly of Virginia. 1945- . (Richmond: General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia).
  • The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia, 1962-1981. 1983 Richmond: Commonwealth of Virginia.
  • The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia, 1982-1995. 1996 Richmond: Commonwealth of Virginia.
  • Grigsby, Hugh Blair. 1890-91. The History of the Virginia Federal Convention, Vol. II. (Richmond: Virginia Historical Society).
  • Grigsby, Hugh Blair. 1969 [1855]. The Virginia Convention of 1776. (New York: Da Capo Press).
  • Grigsby, Hugh Blair. 1969 [1854]. The Virginia Convention of 1829-30. (New York: Da Capo Press).
  • Jackson, Luther Porter. 1945. Negro Office-Holder in Virginia, 1865-1895. ( Norfolk, VA: Guide Quality Press).
  • Manual of the General Assembly of Virginia. 1945- . (Richmond: General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia).
  • Moore, Louis. 1995. The Elusive Center: Virginia Politics and the General Assembly, 1869-1871, Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, 103(2): 207-236.
  • Pendleton, William C. 1920. History of Tazewell County and Southwest Virginia, 1748-1920. (Richmond: W.C. Hill Printing Co).
  • Tyler, Lyon Gardiner, ed. 1915. Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography, (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company).
  • Warrocks Edition of Richardsons Almanack. 1870. The Warrock-Richardson Almanac. 1876-1891.
  • Jamerson, Bruce H., ed., 1996. Speakers and Clerks of the Virginia House of Delegates, 1776-1996.
  • Manarin, Louis H. 1997. Officers of the Senate of Virginia, 1776-1996, (Richmond, VA: Commonwealth of Virgina).
  • Manual of the General Assembly of Virginia. 1945- . (Richmond: General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia).
  • Crater, Flora, and Carolyn Brickey, Cathy Danford, Anne Donley, Pat Fishback, Jeanne O’Hara, Joanna Rubin, Muriel Smith, Meg Williams, Elizabeth Vantrease. 1977-1997. Almanac of Virginia Politics (The Woman’s Activist Fund, Inc.).
  • Buchanan, William. 1970. Campaign Finance in Virginia: The Cost and the Laws (Charlottesville: Tayloe Murphy Institute, University of Virginia).
  • Carico, Melville. “Counting Money the Candidates Counted On,” Norfolk Virginia-Pilot, Feb.10, 1974, A14.
  • Hall-Sizemore, Richard W. 1980. Money in Politics: financing the 1977 statewide elections in Virginia, (Charlottesville: Institute of Government, University of Virginia).
  • Virginia Public Access Project, www.vpap.org/index.cfm.
  • Virginia State Board of Elections, www.sbe.state.va.us.
  • Kromkowski, C. (2005). Virginia Elections and State Elected Officials Database Project, 1776 - 2005. Retrieved [Date you accessed source], from the University of Virginia Library: http://vavh.electionstats.com/.

Acknowledgments

In truth, a project of this size can only be understood as a joint and developing product of numerous contributors. Foremost among these contributors are the benefactors and library and information technology staffs of the University of Virginia. These individuals, although indirect participants in this Project, are immediately responsible for creating and maintaining an environment that simultaneously makes possible the promotion of scholarly traditions, innovative research, and public education.

Technical and financial support for this project have generously been provided by the staffs and benefactors of the Geospatial and Statistical Data Center (GEOSTAT), Center for Politics, Department of Politics at the University of Virginia. Special recognition also is due to several individuals who made the timely completion of this Project possible. Mike Furlough, Christina Deane, Donna Tolson, Adam Soroka, Jean McSween, Holly Hom, and Chris Gist of the GEOSTAT Center and Peter Welch of Alderman Library assisted with the production and web delivery of the Project's summary statistics; they also created and aided the web-based data entry processes employed during several phases of this Project. Herman Schwartz of the Department of Politics, and Larry Sabato, Director of the Center for Politics, provided critical research assistance and financial support required to complete the present version of the Project.

Two additional sets of individuals also deserve public recognition for their contributions. Seyit Avcu, Dana Coelho, Joseph Harder, John Larkin, Gregg Lindskog, and Yasar Sari were able, eager and responsible research assistants without whom this Project could not have been completed. The second set of individuals consists of the equally capable University of Virginia students who have invested their time and coordinated their efforts to complete the much of the data entry required by this Project. They have made a lasting contribution to the University of Virginia and the State of Virginia, and for that they deserve both public recognition and this more direct and permanent acknowledgment of their work:

University of Virginia Student Contributors

Kromkowski, C. (2005). Virginia Elections and State Elected Officials Database Project, 1776 - 2005. Retrieved [Date you accessed source], from the University of Virginia Library: http://vavh.electionstats.com/.