1802 and 1803 United States House of Representatives elections
Elections to the United States House of Representatives for the 8th Congress were held at various dates in each state, from April 26, 1802 to December 14, 1803 during Thomas Jefferson's first term in office. It was common in the early years of the United Congress for some states to elect representatives to a Congress after it had already convened. In the case of the 8th Congress, the representatives from [|New Jersey] were only elected after its first meeting on October 17, 1803.
The membership of the House increased significantly as a result of population gains revealed in the United States Census of 1800. The greatest growth was in territories that constituted the western regions of the country at the time, a tremendous boost for Democratic-Republican candidates. Nearly all of the new seats created in reapportionment after the 1800 census went to Democratic-Republicans, closely aligned as they were with the agrarian interests of Western farmers. As a result, the Democratic-Republicans won the largest proportion of seats that either they or the competing Federalists had ever been able to secure in any earlier Congress, a supermajority greater than two-thirds of the total number.
Election summaries
These elections were the first following reapportionment after the 1800 Census. Thirty-five new seats were added in reapportionment, with three states having no change in apportionment, and thirteen states gaining between 1 and 7 seats. One further seat was added for the new state of Ohio, which is included in this table below.Special elections
There were special elections in 1802 and 1803 during the 7th United States Congress and 8th United States Congress.Elections are sorted here by date then district.
7th Congress
8th Congress
Connecticut
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected | Result | Candidates |
| John Cotton Smith | Federalist | 1800 | Incumbent re-elected. | ||
| Benjamin Tallmadge | Federalist | 1801 | Incumbent re-elected. | ||
| Samuel W. Dana | Federalist | 1796 | Incumbent re-elected. | ||
| Elias Perkins | Federalist | 1800 | Incumbent re-elected but declined to serve, leading to a special election. | ||
| Calvin Goddard | Federalist | 1801 | Incumbent re-elected. | ||
| Roger Griswold | Federalist | 1794 | Incumbent re-elected. | ||
| John Davenport | Federalist | 1798 | Incumbent re-elected. |
Delaware
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected | Result | Candidates |
| James A. Bayard | Federalist | 1796 | Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic-Republican gain. |
Georgia
Georgia gained 2 seats in reapportionment after the 1800 census. It elected its representatives October 4, 1802 at-large on a general ticket.Kentucky
Kentucky gained 4 seats to 6 in reapportionment after the 1800 census.Maryland
Maryland gained 1 seat in reapportionment after the 1800 census. Rather than increasing the number of districts, however, Maryland made the a plural district with 2 seats.Massachusetts
Massachusetts increased 3 seats to 17 in reapportionment after the 1800 census. Massachusetts law at the time required a majority for election to an office, which requirement was not met in the, requiring two additional ballots.New Hampshire
New Hampshire increased its apportionment from 4 seats to 5 after the 1800 census.New Jersey
New Jersey increased its apportionment from 5 seats to 6 after the 1800 census.The Federalists did not run any official candidates in 1802, but a few Federalists did receive scattered votes.
New York
New York's apportionment increased from 10 seats to 17 seats after the 1800 census. The state was subsequently redistricted. 11 open seats were available due to the increase in apportionment and retirement of incumbents.North Carolina
North Carolina increased its apportionment from 10 to 12 seats after the 1800 census.[|Ohio]
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania increased its apportionment from 13 to 18 seats after the 1800 census. The state was re-districted from 12 into 11 districts, four of which were plural districts.Rhode Island
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected | Result | Candidates |
| Thomas Tillinghast | Democratic-Republican | 1800 | Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic-Republican hold. | ||
| Joseph Stanton Jr. | Democratic-Republican | 1800 | Incumbent re-elected. |