1788–89 United States presidential election
Sixty-nine electors voted out of a possible 91: Two electors from Maryland and two from Virginia did not vote, the New York government was divided and the state's 8 electors were not appointed (see below), and North Carolina with 7 votes and Rhode Island with 3 votes hadn't recognized the Constitution. As the Constitution before 1804 says, each elector was allowed to make two votes for president, with a majority of "the whole number of electors appointed" (the total amount of voters) needed to elect a president. Out of the 69 electors, everyone voted for Washington who became president. Of the other candidates, only Adams, Jay, and Hancock received votes from more than one state. With 34 votes, Adams finished second behind just Washington, and because of that he was elected vice president.