1812 and 1813 United States House of Representatives elections
Elections to the United States House of Representatives for the 13th Congress were held at various dates in different states between April 1812 and August 1813 as James Madison was re-elected President.
Following the 1810 Census, Congress added 39 seats to the House. Most relative population growth was in the West.
After America's entry into the War of 1812 against Britain, the Democratic-Republican and Federalist parties maintained pro-war and anti-war positions, respectively. Democratic-Republican representatives supported by voters in agrarian regions and Southern and Western states promoted war, asserting that Britain had violated American sovereignty and that despite Britain's strength, war was a manageable risk. Federalists and their supporters in New England and more densely populated Eastern districts opposed the war, citing likely damage to American trade and infrastructure.
This election saw significant voter support shift to the declining Federalists for the last time, almost entirely in New England, New York, and New Jersey. Despite this shift, Federalists did not approach national political recovery, House control, or meaningful policy influence.
Election summaries
Following the 1810 Census, the House was reapportioned, adding 39 new seats.Special elections
There were special elections in 1812 and 1813 to the 12th United States Congress and 13th United States Congress.Special elections are sorted by date then district.
12th Congress
13th Congress
Connecticut
Connecticut elected its members September 21, 1812. Its apportionment was unchanged after the 1810 census.Delaware
Delaware gained a seat after the 1810 Census, and chose to elect both seats on a general ticket. The ten years between 1813 and 1823 were the only time when Delaware was represented by more than one Representative, and is one of only three states that have never been divided into districts.Delaware elected its members October 6, 1812.
Georgia
Georgia gained two seats after the 1810 Census.Georgia elected its members October 5, 1812.
Kentucky
Kentucky gained four seats after the 1810 Census.Georgia elected its members August 3, 1812.
Louisiana
Louisiana held its election for the 13th Congress September 28–30, 1812, at the same time as the [|election for the 12th Congress], with nearly-identical results.Maryland
Maryland's apportionment was unchanged. It elected its members October 12, 1812.Massachusetts
Massachusetts gained three seats after the 1810 Census, all of which were added to the District of Maine. Its elections were held November 5, 1812, but since Massachusetts law required a majority for election, which was not met in the, a second ballot was held there January 6, 1813.New Hampshire
New Hampshire gained one seat after the 1810 Census. Its elections were held August 31, 1812.New Jersey
New Jersey kept its delegation at six seats but changed from electing its Representatives on a statewide general ticket to using three plural districts of two seats each. These districts were used only for the 1812 election, and the state returned to using a single at-large district in 1814. This was only the second time that New Jersey used districts.There was a statewide at-large election held in November 1812, that was invalidated:
New York
Ten seats were added after the 1810 Census, bringing New York's representation to 27, the largest of any state at the time. New York would remain the state with the most members until surpassed by California in the 1970 Census. There were two separate House of Representatives elections in 1812. The first was held in April 1812 for an un-reapportioned 17 representatives. This election was subsequently declared void and a new election was held on December 15–17, 1812, in which only three incumbents ran and two of whom were re-elected. New York thereby lost 4 Democratic-Republicans and gained 14 Federalists.North Carolina
North Carolina gained one representative as a result of the Census of 1810. Its elections were held April 30, 1813, after the term began but before Congress's first meeting.Ohio
The 1810 Census revealed dramatic population growth in Ohio since 1800, resulting in its representation increasing from a single Representative to six, resulting in the State being broken up into 6 districts, abolishing the. Jeremiah Morrow, who had served since Ohio achieved statehood in 1803, retired to run for U.S. Senator, so that all six seats were open. Its elections were held October 13, 1812.There was aspecial election in the, held due to the death of Representative-elect John S. Edward before Congress met. That election was won by Reasin Beall.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania gained five seats in the House of Representatives as a result of the Census of 1810, which awarded it a total of 23 seats. Pennsylvania was re-districted into 15 districts, one with 4 seats, five with 2, and the remaining nine with 1 seat each. There were seven open seats for this election, five resulting from the increase in apportionment, and two resulting from the retirement of incumbents. Its elections were held October 13, 1812.Rhode Island
Rhode Island's apportionment was unchanged. Its elections were held August 25, 1812.South Carolina
South Carolina gained one representative as a result of the 1810 Census, increasing from 8 seats to 9. Its elections were held October 12–13, 1812.Tennessee
Tennessee's representation increased from 3 seats to 6 as a result of the 1810 Census.Its elections were held April 1–2, 1813, after the term began but before Congress's first meeting.
Vermont
Vermont gained two seats after the 1810 Census. Rather than re-district, however, Vermont replaced its districts with a single at-large district. It would continue to use an at-large district in 1814, 1816, and 1818, then one more time in 1822.Its elections were held September 1, 1812.
Virginia
Virginia gained one seat after the 1810 Census, bringing its representation in the House of Representatives to 23 seats, the largest number Virginia would ever have. Virginia went from having the most representatives to having the second-most tied with Pennsylvania. New York, with its 27 seats, surpassed Virginia and remained the most populous state until the late 1960s.Its elections were held in April 1813, after the term began but before Congress's first meeting.
Non-voting delegates
Four territories had delegates in the 13th Congress: Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, and Missouri. Illinois Territory and Missouri Territory elected their delegates in 1812 for both the end of the 12th and the start of the 13th Congresses.| District | Incumbent | First elected | Result | Candidates |
| Jonathan Jennings | 1809 | Incumbent re-elected. | √ Jonathan Jennings 63.4% Waller Taylor 36.6% | |
| George Poindexter | 1806 | Incumbent retired. New member elected. | √ William Lattimore 44.9% Cowles Mead 33.1% Thomas B. Reed 21.9% |