His seat was at first declared for his opponent,  John Hungerford, but after a lengthy investigation and official rulings as to the legitimacy of the election, Taliaferro was eventually awarded the seat. The initial House committee ruled in Hungerford’s favor, but upon review the House itself decided that many ineligible voters had voted, which resulted in Hungerford’s removal from office, as the resulting vote tally from the election gave Taliferro a majority of 121 votes.
Initially, John Hungerford was declared the winner, but after an extensive investigation and official rulings on the election's legitimacy, Taliaferro was eventually granted the seat. The initial House committee initially sided with Hungerford, but upon re-examining the evidence, the full House determined that numerous ineligible voters had participated in the election, resulting in Hungerford's ouster from office, as Taliferro secured a decisive 121-vote majority.