1820 and 1821 United States House of Representatives elections
Elections to the United States House of Representatives for the 17th Congress were held at various dates in different states between July 1820 and August 1821 as President James Monroe won reelection unopposed.
The virtually nonpartisan Era of Good Feelings, a period of national political dominance by the Democratic-Republican Party, continued. Despite small gains, the Federalist Party remained relegated to limited state and local influence.
Election summaries
One seat was added during this Congress for the new State of MissouriSpecial elections
There were special elections in 1820 and 1821 to the 16th United States Congress and 17th United States Congress.Special elections are sorted by date then district.
16th Congress
17th Congress
Alabama
Alabama elected its member August 5–6, 1821, after the term began but before the new Congress convened.Connecticut
Connecticut elected its members April 2, 1821, after the term began but before the new Congress convened.Delaware
Delaware elected its members October 3, 1820.Georgia
Georgia elected its members October 2, 1820.Illinois
Illinois elected its member August 7, 1820.Indiana
Indiana elected its member August 7, 1820.Kentucky
Kentucky elected its members August 7, 1820.Louisiana
Louisiana elected its member July 3–5, 1820.Maine
This was the first election in Maine since its separation from Massachusetts. In the previous election, Massachusetts had had 20 representatives. Seven seats were reassigned from Massachusetts to Maine. In addition, under the terms of the law which admitted Maine to the union, any vacancies in the 16th Congress by Representatives elected to represent Massachusetts but residing in the new states of Maine would be filled by a resident of Maine. John Holmes, who had been elected to the House for the former was elected as one of the first two senators for Maine. The vacancy was filled in a special election by Joseph Dane. Dane was the only Representative officially considered as representing Maine in the 16th Congress. The Representatives from the 15th-20th districts were still classified as being from Massachusetts for the remainder of the 16th Congress.Maine elected its members on November 7, 1820. Maine law required a majority to win an election, necessitating additional ballots if a majority was not received, so additional ballots were held on January 22, 1821 and September 10, 1821, after the term began but before the new Congress convened.
Maryland
Maryland elected its members October 2, 1820.Massachusetts
This was the first election in Massachusetts after the separation of the former District of Maine as the new State of Maine, taking the old – districts with it.Massachusetts elected its members November 6, 1820. Massachusetts had a majority requirement for election, which was not met in the necessitating two additional elections on January 8, 1821 and April 16, 1821, after the term began but before the new Congress convened.
Mississippi
Mississippi elected its member August 7–8, 1820.Missouri
Missouri was admitted to the union on August 10, 1821, but elections had been held August 28, 1820.New Hampshire
New Hampshire elected its members August 18, 1820.New Jersey
New Jersey elected its members November 7, 1820. There were an unusually large number of candidates, 119 candidates according to one contemporary newspaper. Some candidates ran under an "Anti-Caucus" ticket. Only 1 of the 6 six incumbents would serve in the next term, as 4 retired and 1 died after re-election.New York
New York elected its members April 24–26, 1821, after the term began but before the new Congress convened. The, previously a plural district with two seats, was divided into two single-member districts for the 17th Congress, the 21st and.The Democratic-Republican party in New York was divided between "Bucktails" and "Clintonians". The Clintonians ran on a joint ticket with the remaining Federalists. In a few cases, marked as "Clintonian/Federalist" below, it is unclear whether a candidate on the joint ticket was Democratic-Republican or Federalist.
Only five of the twenty-seven incumbents were re-elected to the next term. Sixteen incumbents retired and five lost re-election. Despite this high turnover of membership, there was only a one-seat net gain for the Federalists.
North Carolina
North Carolina elected its members August 9, 1821, after the term began but before the new Congress convened.Ohio
Ohio elected its members October 10, 1820.Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania elected its members October 10, 1820.Rhode Island
Rhode Island elected its members August 29, 1820.South Carolina
South Carolina elected its members October 9–10, 1820.Tennessee
Tennessee elected its members August 9–10, 1821, after the term began but before the new Congress convened.Vermont
In 1820, Vermont returned to using districts. This would be the only election in which the would be used.Vermont elected its members September 5, 1820. A majority was required for election, which was not met in the 2nd or 3rd district, requiring additional ballots to achieve a majority. The 2nd district required 7 ballots. The 3rd district required two additional ballots. The additional ballots were held December 11, 1820, and February 19, May 1, July 2, September 4, and October 22, 1821.
Virginia
Virginia elected its members in April 1821, after the term began but before the new Congress convened.Non-voting delegates
There were four territories that had the right to send a delegate to at least part of the 17th Congress, only three of which actually sent delegates. Missouri Territory's seat remained vacant, as the territory was admitted as the State of Missouri early in the 17th Congress.| District | Incumbent | First elected | Result | Candidates |
| James Woodson Bates | 1819 | Incumbent re-elected. | ||
| Solomon Sibley | 1820 | Incumbent re-elected. |