1868 United States elections
The 1868 United States elections was held on November 3, electing the members of the 41st United States Congress. The election took place during the Reconstruction Era, and many Southerners were barred from voting. However, Congress's various Reconstruction Acts required southern states to allow Black men to vote, and their voting power was significant to the elections results.
| ← 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 → Presidential election year | |
| Election day | November 3 |
|---|---|
| Incumbent president | Andrew Johnson (Independent) |
| Next Congress | 41st |
| Presidential election | |
| Partisan control | Republican gain |
| Popular vote margin | Republican +5.4% |
| Electoral vote | |
| Ulysses S. Grant (R) | 214 |
| Horatio Seymour (D) | 80 |
| 1868 presidential election results. Red denotes states won by Grant, blue denotes states won by Seymour, and green denotes states that had not yet been restored to the Union. Numbers indicate the electoral votes won by each candidate. | |
| Senate elections | |
| Overall control | Republican hold |
| Seats contested | 25 of 66 seats |
| Net seat change | None |
| House elections | |
| Overall control | Republican hold |
| Seats contested | All 243 voting members |
| Net seat change | Democratic +20 |
| 1868 House of Representatives election results
Democratic seat | |
In the presidential election, Republican General Ulysses S. Grant defeated Democratic former governor Horatio Seymour of New York. Incumbent President Andrew Johnson sought the 1868 Democratic nomination, but Seymour took the nomination after twenty two ballots.
Democrats gained several seats in the House elections, but Republicans continued to maintain a commanding majority. In the Senate elections, Republicans and Democrats both won seats, but Republicans maintained a huge majority in the chamber.