1916 United States presidential election in Virginia explained

See main article: 1916 United States presidential election.

Election Name:	1916 United States presidential election in Virginia
Country:	Virginia
Flag Year:	1861
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	1912 United States presidential election in Virginia
Previous Year:	1912
Next Election:	1920 United States presidential election in Virginia
Next Year:	1920
Election Date:	November 7, 1916
Image1:	Thomas Woodrow Wilson, Harris & Ewing bw photo portrait, 1919 (cropped 3x4).jpg
Nominee1:	Woodrow Wilson
Party1:	Democratic Party (United States)
Home State1:	New Jersey
Running Mate1:	Thomas R. Marshall
Electoral Vote1:	12
Popular Vote1:	102,824
Percentage1:	66.77%
Nominee2:	Charles Evans Hughes
Party2:	Republican Party (United States)
Home State2:	New York
Running Mate2:	Charles W. Fairbanks
Electoral Vote2:	0
Popular Vote2:	49,356
Percentage2:	32.05%
President
Before Election:	Woodrow Wilson
Before Party:	Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:	Woodrow Wilson
After Party:	Democratic Party (United States)
Map Size:	435px

The 1916 United States presidential election in Virginia took place on November 7, 1916. Voters chose 12 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

The 1900s had seen Virginia, like all former Confederate States, almost completely disenfranchise its black and poor white populations through the use of a cumulative poll tax and literacy tests.^[1] So severe was the disenfranchising effect of the new 1902 Constitution that the electorate for the 1904 presidential election was halved compared to that of previous elections, and it has been calculated that a third of those who voted were state employees and officeholders.^[1]

This limited electorate meant Virginian politics was controlled by political machines based in Southside Virginia — firstly one led by Thomas Staples Martin and after he died the Byrd Organization. Progressive “antiorganization” factions were rendered impotent by the inability of almost all of their potential electorate to vote.^[2] Unlike the Deep South, historical fusion with the “Readjuster” Democrats,^[3] defection of substantial proportions of the Northeast-aligned white electorate of the Shenandoah Valley and Southwest Virginia over free silver,^[4] and an early move towards a “lily white” Jim Crow party^[3] meant that in general elections the Republicans retained around one-third of the small statewide electorate,^[5] with the majority of GOP support located in the western part of the state. However, in many parts of the state — like in Tennessee during the same period — the parties avoided competition by an agreed division over local offices.^[2]

Unlike in 1908, neither major party campaigned in the state — which had voted Democratic in every election since 1876 — during the fall. A straw ballot taken early in September saw Democratic nominee and incumbent President Woodrow Wilson gaining seventy-nine votes to the Republican nominee, former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Charles E. Hughes’ six.^[6] Later straw polls in October did not even include the state, and ultimate Virginia voted for Wilson by a slightly greater majority than he had won four years previously. Wilson ultimately won the national election with 49.24 percent of the vote.

Results

1916 United States presidential election in Virginia^[7]
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage	Electoral votes
	Democratic	Woodrow Wilson (inc.)	102,824	66.77%	12
	Republican	Charles E. Hughes	49,356	32.05%	0
	Socialist	Allan L. Benson	1,062	0.69%	0
	Prohibition	Frank Hanly	683	0.45%	0
	Socialist Labor	Arthur E. Reimer	67	0.04%	0
Totals			153,992	100.00%	12

Results by county

1916 United States presidential election in Virginia by counties and independent cities^[8]
County or Independent City	Thomas Woodrow Wilson Democratic		Charles Evans Hughes Republican		Allan Louis Benson Socialist		James Franklin Hanly Prohibition		Arthur Elmer Reimer Socialist Labor		Margin		Total votes cast
	data-sort-type="number"		data-sort-type="number"	%	data-sort-type="number"		data-sort-type="number"	%		%		%			%	data-sort-type="number"		data-sort-type="number"	%
	Accomack County		1,745		84.30%		299		14.44%		0		0.00%		26		1.26%		0		0.00%		1,446		69.86%		2,070
	Albemarle County		1,376		86.05%		223		13.95%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		1,153		72.11%		1,599
	Alexandria County		515		54.21%		412		43.37%		14		1.47%		8		0.84%		1		0.11%		103		10.84%		950
	Alleghany County		544		54.78%		432		43.50%		3		0.30%		14		1.41%		0		0.00%		112		11.28%		993
	Amelia County		403		82.58%		80		16.39%		1		0.20%		3		0.61%		1		0.20%		323		66.19%		488
	Amherst County		1,142		91.58%		93		7.46%		10		0.80%		1		0.08%		1		0.08%		1,049		84.12%		1,247
	Appomattox County		700		83.73%		133		15.91%		2		0.24%		0		0.00%		1		0.12%		567		67.82%		836
	Augusta County		1,751		66.23%		845		31.96%		8		0.30%		40		1.51%		0		0.00%		906		34.27%		2,644
	Bath County		387		63.24%		219		35.78%		0		0.00%		6		0.98%		0		0.00%		168		27.45%		612
	Bedford County		1,628		84.05%		298		15.38%		7		0.36%		4		0.21%		0		0.00%		1,330		68.66%		1,937
	Bland County		356		45.64%		420		53.85%		0		0.00%		4		0.51%		0		0.00%		-64		-8.21%		780
	Botetourt County		900		53.22%		775		45.83%		2		0.12%		13		0.77%		1		0.06%		125		7.39%		1,691
	Brunswick County		772		90.40%		82		9.60%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		690		80.80%		854
	Buchanan County		720		46.33%		827		53.22%		1		0.06%		3		0.19%		3		0.19%		-107		-6.89%		1,554
	Buckingham County		625		76.78%		181		22.24%		7		0.86%		1		0.12%		0		0.00%		444		54.55%		814
	Campbell County		1,007		79.60%		185		14.62%		67		5.30%		6		0.47%		0		0.00%		822		64.98%		1,265
	Caroline County		637		75.83%		198		23.57%		0		0.00%		4		0.48%		1		0.12%		439		52.26%		840
	Carroll County		858		37.60%		1,424		62.40%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		-566		-24.80%		2,282
	Charles City County		139		70.56%		57		28.93%		0		0.00%		1		0.51%		0		0.00%		82		41.62%		197
	Charlotte County		856		78.39%		227		20.79%		9		0.82%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		629		57.60%		1,092
	Chesterfield County		699		81.47%		141		16.43%		10		1.17%		8		0.93%		0		0.00%		558		65.03%		858
	Clarke County		590		92.19%		49		7.66%		0		0.00%		1		0.16%		0		0.00%		541		84.53%		640
	Craig County		369		64.62%		200		35.03%		2		0.35%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		169		29.60%		571
	Culpeper County		849		81.79%		184		17.73%		1		0.10%		4		0.39%		0		0.00%		665		64.07%		1,038
	Cumberland County		446		85.93%		73		14.07%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		373		71.87%		519
	Dickenson County		650		45.42%		753		52.62%		27		1.89%		1		0.07%		0		0.00%		-103		-7.20%		1,431
	Dinwiddie County		592		87.32%		85		12.54%		0		0.00%		1		0.15%		0		0.00%		507		74.78%		678
	Elizabeth City County		411		73.39%		132		23.57%		10		1.79%		5		0.89%		2		0.36%		279		49.82%		560
	Essex County		302		79.68%		77		20.32%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		225		59.37%		379
	Fairfax County		1,179		70.77%		472		28.33%		5		0.30%		10		0.60%		0		0.00%		707		42.44%		1,666
	Fauquier County		1,204		76.49%		367		23.32%		2		0.13%		1		0.06%		0		0.00%		837		53.18%		1,574
	Floyd County		472		34.58%		893		65.42%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		-421		-30.84%		1,365
	Fluvanna County		513		86.36%		81		13.64%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		432		72.73%		594
	Franklin County		1,481		57.36%		1,094		42.37%		6		0.23%		1		0.04%		0		0.00%		387		14.99%		2,582
	Frederick County		1,194		75.52%		366		23.15%		11		0.70%		10		0.63%		0		0.00%		828		52.37%		1,581
	Giles County		839		58.26%		596		41.39%		2		0.14%		2		0.14%		1		0.07%		243		16.88%		1,440
	Gloucester County		582		80.17%		142		19.56%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		2		0.28%		440		60.61%		726
	Goochland County		413		67.59%		193		31.59%		5		0.82%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		220		36.01%		611
	Grayson County		967		43.66%		1,244		56.16%		2		0.09%		1		0.05%		1		0.05%		-277		-12.51%		2,215
	Greene County		221		48.04%		239		51.96%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		-18		-3.91%		460
	Greensville County		392		83.40%		76		16.17%		0		0.00%		2		0.43%		0		0.00%		316		67.23%		470
	Halifax County		1,781		77.74%		493		21.52%		15		0.65%		2		0.09%		0		0.00%		1,288		56.22%		2,291
	Hanover County		760		86.96%		102		11.67%		7		0.80%		5		0.57%		0		0.00%		658		75.29%		874
	Henrico County		690		81.18%		140		16.47%		15		1.76%		1		0.12%		4		0.47%		550		64.71%		850
	Henry County		851		59.55%		567		39.68%		6		0.42%		5		0.35%		0		0.00%		284		19.87%		1,429
	Highland County		370		54.17%		310		45.39%		0		0.00%		3		0.44%		0		0.00%		60		8.78%		683
	Isle of Wight County		679		82.80%		140		17.07%		0		0.00%		1		0.12%		0		0.00%		539		65.73%		820
	James City County		127		77.91%		34		20.86%		0		0.00%		2		1.23%		0		0.00%		93		57.06%		163
	King and Queen County		271		68.09%		127		31.91%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		144		36.18%		398
	King George County		223		50.34%		217		48.98%		1		0.23%		2		0.45%		0		0.00%		6		1.35%		443
	King William County		342		74.19%		119		25.81%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		223		48.37%		461
	Lancaster County		461		88.31%		58		11.11%		0		0.00%		3		0.57%		0		0.00%		403		77.20%		522
	Lee County		1,287		44.86%		1,569		54.69%		11		0.38%		1		0.03%		1		0.03%		-282		-9.83%		2,869
	Loudoun County		1,490		77.52%		404		21.02%		2		0.10%		26		1.35%		0		0.00%		1,086		56.50%		1,922
	Louisa County		710		72.08%		263		26.70%		8		0.81%		4		0.41%		0		0.00%		447		45.38%		985
	Lunenburg County		814		86.87%		110		11.74%		12		1.28%		0		0.00%		1		0.11%		704		75.13%		937
	Madison County		572		61.64%		348		37.50%		0		0.00%		7		0.75%		1		0.11%		224		24.14%		928
	Mathews County		549		83.94%		90		13.76%		0		0.00%		15		2.29%		0		0.00%		459		70.18%		654
	Mecklenburg County		1,317		85.30%		222		14.38%		0		0.00%		5		0.32%		0		0.00%		1,095		70.92%		1,544
	Middlesex County		373		70.64%		155		29.36%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		218		41.29%		528
	Montgomery County		765		45.89%		891		53.45%		1		0.06%		10		0.60%		0		0.00%		-126		-7.56%		1,667
	Nansemond County		663		90.45%		70		9.55%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		593		80.90%		733
	Nelson County		1,063		81.02%		249		18.98%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		814		62.04%		1,312
	New Kent County		192		72.73%		69		26.14%		1		0.38%		2		0.76%		0		0.00%		123		46.59%		264
	Norfolk County		1,612		68.98%		684		29.27%		19		0.81%		8		0.34%		14		0.60%		928		39.71%		2,337
	Northampton County		802		87.17%		109		11.85%		0		0.00%		9		0.98%		0		0.00%		693		75.33%		920
	Northumberland County		503		81.52%		111		17.99%		0		0.00%		3		0.49%		0		0.00%		392		63.53%		617
	Nottoway County		608		85.88%		91		12.85%		4		0.56%		5		0.71%		0		0.00%		517		73.02%		708
	Orange County		608		79.58%		153		20.03%		1		0.13%		1		0.13%		1		0.13%		455		59.55%		764
	Page County		842		57.01%		613		41.50%		4		0.27%		17		1.15%		1		0.07%		229		15.50%		1,477
	Patrick County		872		51.60%		815		48.22%		1		0.06%		2		0.12%		0		0.00%		57		3.37%		1,690
	Pittsylvania County		2,012		70.52%		801		28.08%		30		1.05%		10		0.35%		0		0.00%		1,211		42.45%		2,853
	Powhatan County		233		67.34%		112		32.37%		1		0.29%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		121		34.97%		346
	Prince Edward County		668		86.08%		108		13.92%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		560		72.16%		776
	Prince George County		258		77.95%		72		21.75%		1		0.30%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		186		56.19%		331
	Prince William County		754		79.37%		192		20.21%		2		0.21%		2		0.21%		0		0.00%		562		59.16%		950
	Princess Anne County		515		88.34%		67		11.49%		0		0.00%		1		0.17%		0		0.00%		448		76.84%		583
	Pulaski County		1,057		56.71%		721		38.68%		0		0.00%		86		4.61%		0		0.00%		336		18.03%		1,864
	Rappahannock County		401		81.50%		84		17.07%		7		1.42%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		317		64.43%		492
	Richmond County		329		64.64%		180		35.36%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		149		29.27%		509
	Roanoke County		850		63.24%		460		34.23%		26		1.93%		8		0.60%		0		0.00%		390		29.02%		1,344
	Rockbridge County		1,049		63.15%		601		36.18%		6		0.36%		5		0.30%		0		0.00%		448		26.97%		1,661
	Rockingham County		1,650		54.78%		1,322		43.89%		15		0.50%		25		0.83%		0		0.00%		328		10.89%		3,012
	Russell County		1,570		52.49%		1,410		47.14%		4		0.13%		4		0.13%		3		0.10%		160		5.35%		2,991
	Scott County		1,319		42.87%		1,743		56.65%		13		0.42%		1		0.03%		1		0.03%		-424		-13.78%		3,077
	Shenandoah County		1,440		49.21%		1,425		48.70%		37		1.26%		24		0.82%		0		0.00%		15		0.51%		2,926
	Smyth County		1,134		46.04%		1,321		53.63%		5		0.20%		2		0.08%		1		0.04%		-187		-7.59%		2,463
	Southampton County		1,045		89.09%		128		10.91%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		917		78.18%		1,173
	Spotsylvania County		398		61.33%		249		38.37%		0		0.00%		2		0.31%		0		0.00%		149		22.96%		649
	Stafford County		444		51.15%		422		48.62%		0		0.00%		2		0.23%		0		0.00%		22		2.53%		868
	Surry County		430		81.59%		90		17.08%		4		0.76%		3		0.57%		0		0.00%		340		64.52%		527
	Sussex County		486		82.79%		96		16.35%		2		0.34%		3		0.51%		0		0.00%		390		66.44%		587
	Tazewell County		1,108		40.74%		1,591		58.49%		11		0.40%		10		0.37%		0		0.00%		-483		-17.76%		2,720
	Warren County		583		72.24%		214		26.52%		0		0.00%		10		1.24%		0		0.00%		369		45.72%		807
	Warwick County		97		64.67%		53		35.33%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		44		29.33%		150
	Washington County		1,863		51.91%		1,717		47.84%		2		0.06%		7		0.20%		0		0.00%		146		4.07%		3,589
	Westmoreland County		338		72.69%		126		27.10%		1		0.22%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		212		45.59%		465
	Wise County		1,468		43.63%		1,862		55.33%		33		0.98%		1		0.03%		1		0.03%		-394		-11.71%		3,365
	Wythe County		1,334		49.23%		1,370		50.55%		2		0.07%		2		0.07%		2		0.07%		-36		-1.33%		2,710
	York County		247		82.89%		51		17.11%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		196		65.77%		298
	Alexandria City		1,038		73.51%		364		25.78%		6		0.42%		3		0.00%		1		0.07%		674		47.73%		1,412
	Bristol City		489		72.23%		184		27.18%		3		0.44%		1		0.60%		0		0.00%		305		45.05%		677
	Buena Vista City		158		62.70%		92		36.51%		0		0.00%		2		0.30%		0		0.00%		66		26.19%		252
	Charlottesville City		618		83.63%		117		15.83%		3		0.41%		1		0.83%		0		0.00%		501		67.79%		739
	Clifton Forge City		455		74.35%		104		16.99%		48		7.84%		5		0.13%		0		0.00%		351		57.35%		612
	Danville City		1,151		76.99%		229		15.32%		107		7.16%		7		0.03%		1		0.07%		922		61.67%		1,495
	Fredericksburg City		380		68.59%		173		31.23%		0		0.00%		1		0.82%		0		0.00%		207		37.36%		554
	Hampton City		350		85.37%		56		13.66%		3		0.73%		1		0.08%		0		0.00%		294		71.71%		410
	Harrisonburg City		346		51.64%		319		47.61%		4		0.60%		1		0.00%		0		0.00%		27		4.03%		670
	Hopewell City		24		85.71%		3		10.71%		1		3.57%		0		0.31%		0		0.00%		21		75.00%		28
	Lynchburg City		1,465		79.53%		353		19.16%		16		0.87%		8		0.23%		0		0.00%		1,112		60.37%		1,842
	Newport News City		939		64.10%		465		31.74%		52		3.55%		5		0.57%		4		0.27%		474		32.35%		1,465
	Norfolk City		3,234		75.35%		963		22.44%		72		1.68%		23		0.51%		0		0.00%		2,271		52.91%		4,292
	Petersburg City		1,155		87.04%		161		12.13%		3		0.23%		7		0.37%		1		0.08%		994		74.91%		1,327
	Portsmouth City		1,368		75.54%		376		20.76%		52		2.87%		13		1.24%		2		0.11%		992		54.78%		1,811
	Radford City		206		63.00%		115		35.17%		5		1.53%		1		0.00%		0		0.00%		91		27.83%		327
	Richmond City		6,987		84.15%		1,210		14.57%		76		0.92%		24		0.20%		6		0.07%		5,777		69.58%		8,303
	Roanoke City		2,246		76.14%		610		20.68%		78		2.64%		10		0.00%		6		0.20%		1,636		55.46%		2,950
	Staunton City		511		61.34%		311		37.33%		0		0.00%		11		0.03%		0		0.00%		200		24.01%		833
	Suffolk City		437		72.35%		158		26.16%		1		0.17%		8		0.07%		0		0.00%		279		46.19%		604
	Williamsburg City		97		82.20%		21		17.80%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		0		0.00%		76		64.41%		118
	Winchester City		468		68.42%		196		28.65%		2		0.29%		18		2.63%		0		0.00%		272		39.77%		684
Totals	102,825	66.78%	49,358	32.05%	1,062	0.69%	683	0.44%	67	0.04%	53,467	34.72%	153,984

Notes and References

1. Book: Kousser, J. Morgan. The Shaping of Southern Politics: Suffrage Restriction and the Establishment of the One-Party South, 1880-1910. Yale University Press. 178–181. 0-300-01696-4.
2. Book: Key, Valdimer Orlando. Southern Politics in State and Nation. 1949. 20–25.
3. Book: Heersink. Boris. Jenkins. Jeffrey A.. Republican Party Politics and the American South, 1865-1968. 217–221. 1107158435.
4. Moger. Allen. The Rift in Virginia Democracy in 1896. The Journal of Southern History. 4. 3. 295–317.
5. [Kevin Phillips (political commentator)|Phillips, Kevin P.]
6. News: Will Win Without Vote of Solid South. The Carson City Daily Appeal. Carson City, Nevada. September 6, 1916. 2.
7. Web site: Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas. 1916 Presidential General Election Results — Virginia.
8. Robinson, Edgar Eugene; The Presidential Vote 1896-1932, pp. 354-361