Liberian elections: 1822 to present
1822–1839 Colonial Administration and Early Civil Government
Archive status: Foundational context record — this period predates Liberia’s sovereign national elections.Settlement and colonial authoritySurviving settlers from Sherbro Island reached Cape Mesurado in April 1822. The American Colonization Society…
Read record and sources1839–1847 Commonwealth Governance and the Road to Elections
Archive status: Pre-independence context record — Liberia was governed as a Commonwealth under the American Colonization Society, not yet as a sovereign republic holding national presidential elections. The Commonwealth framework…
Read record and sources1846 Independence Referendum
LIBERIA CIVIC FOUNDING-ERA RECORD On 27 October 1846, voters in the Commonwealth of Liberia were asked whether to pursue independence and convene a constitutional convention. The decision opened the final…
Read record and sources1847 General Election and Constitutional Referendum
Liberia Civic verified historical record Liberia’s first general election as an independent republic was held on 27 September 1847, alongside a vote on the new Constitution. Presidential election Joseph Jenkins…
Read record and sources1849 General Election and Constitutional Referendum
Liberia Civic verified historical record Liberia held a general election on 1 May 1849, together with a constitutional referendum concerning Sinoe County’s representation in the House of Representatives. Presidential election…
Read record and sources1851 Presidential Election
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia held a presidential election in 1851 under the two-year election cycle established by the original Constitution. Presidential election Incumbent President Joseph Jenkins Roberts of the…
Read record and sources1853 Presidential Election
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia held a presidential election in 1853 during the final years of Joseph Jenkins Roberts’ first period in office. Presidential election Incumbent President Joseph Jenkins Roberts…
Read record and sources1855 General Election
Liberia Civic verified historical record Liberia’s 1855 general election produced the first presidential succession since independence. Presidential contest President Joseph Jenkins Roberts declined to seek another term. Vice President Stephen…
Read record and sources1857 Presidential Election
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia held a presidential election in May 1857 during Stephen Allen Benson’s first term. Presidential election Incumbent President Stephen Allen Benson of the True Liberian Party…
Read record and sources1859 Presidential Election
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia held its regular presidential election in May 1859. Presidential election Incumbent President Stephen Allen Benson was the only identified presidential candidate and was returned to…
Read record and sources1861 General Election
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia held a general election on 7 May 1861 within the republic’s biennial constitutional election cycle. Presidential election Incumbent President Stephen Allen Benson was the only…
Read record and sources1863 General Election
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia held a general election on 5 May 1863 to choose a successor to President Stephen Allen Benson. Presidential election Daniel Bashiel Warner of the Republican…
Read record and sources1865 Presidential Election
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia held a presidential election in May 1865 during Daniel Bashiel Warner’s first term. Presidential election Incumbent President Daniel Bashiel Warner of the Republican Party was…
Read record and sources1867 General Election
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia held a closely contested general election on 7 May 1867 to choose a successor to President Daniel Bashiel Warner. Presidential election James Spriggs Payne of…
Read record and sources1869 General Election and Term Referendum
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia held a general election and a constitutional term-of-office referendum on 4 May 1869. Presidential election Edward James Roye, associated with the emerging True Whig Party,…
Read record and sources1870 Constitutional Term Referendum
LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD · DISPUTED REFERENDUM Liberia held a constitutional referendum on 3 May 1870, resubmitting a proposal to lengthen the terms of the president and national legislators. The…
Read record and sources1871 General Election and Constitutional Crisis
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia’s May 1871 election unfolded during a fundamental dispute over presidential term limits and the authority to conduct the vote. Disputed election President Edward James Roye…
Read record and sources1873 General Election
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia held a general election on 6 May 1873 during Joseph Jenkins Roberts’s restored presidency. Presidential election Incumbent President Joseph Jenkins Roberts of the Republican Party…
Read record and sources1875 General Election
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia held its regular nationwide general election on 4 May 1875 for president, vice president, and members of the national legislature. Presidential election Former President James…
Read record and sources1877 General Election and Constitutional Referendum
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia held a nationwide general election on 1 May 1877, together with voting on proposed constitutional amendments. Presidential election President James Spriggs Payne and former Vice…
Read record and sources1879 General Election
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia held a general election in May 1879 during Anthony W. Gardiner’s first presidential term. Presidential election Incumbent President Anthony W. Gardiner of the True Whig…
Read record and sources1881 General Election
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia held a contested general election in May 1881 during Anthony W. Gardiner’s presidency. Presidential election Incumbent President Anthony W. Gardiner of the True Whig Party…
Read record and sources1883 General Election
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia held a general election in May 1883 after President Anthony W. Gardiner resigned and Vice President Alfred F. Russell assumed the presidency. Presidential election Hilary…
Read record and sources1885 General Election
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia held a contested general election on 5 May 1885 during Hilary R. W. Johnson’s presidency. Presidential results Incumbent President Hilary Richard Wright Johnson of the…
Read record and sources1887 General Election
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia held a general election on 10 May 1887. Contemporary diplomatic reporting recorded another victory for the governing Whigs. National result Hilary R. W. Johnson was…
Read record and sources1889 General Election
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia held a general election in 1889 during the final years of Hilary R. W. Johnson’s presidency. Presidential result Hilary Richard Wright Johnson of the True…
Read record and sources1891 General Election
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia held a general election on 5 May 1891, producing the first presidential transition since Hilary R. W. Johnson took office in 1884. Presidential result Joseph…
Read record and sources1893 General Election
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia held a general election in 1893 during Joseph James Cheeseman’s first presidential term. Presidential result Incumbent President Joseph James Cheeseman of the True Whig Party…
Read record and sources1895 General Election
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia held a general election in 1895 during Joseph James Cheeseman’s presidency. Presidential result Incumbent President Joseph James Cheeseman of the True Whig Party was re-elected…
Read record and sources1897 General Election
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia held a general election in May 1897 after William David Coleman had succeeded to the presidency. Presidential result President William D. Coleman of the True…
Read record and sources1899 General Election
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia held a contested general election in May 1899 during William David Coleman’s presidency. Presidential result Incumbent President William D. Coleman of the True Whig Party…
Read record and sources1901 General Election
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia held a contested general election in 1901 after Garretson W. Gibson had succeeded to the presidency following William D. Coleman’s resignation. Presidential result President Garretson…
Read record and sources1903 General Election
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia held a contested general election in 1903, producing the first presidential victory of Arthur Barclay. Presidential result Arthur Barclay of the True Whig Party defeated…
Read record and sources1905 General Election
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia’s 1905 election returned President Arthur Barclay to office and became closely connected to a rare vice-presidential succession problem. Presidential result Arthur Barclay of the True…
Read record and sources1907 General Election and Constitutional Referendum
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia voted on 7 May 1907 in an uncontested national election held alongside major constitutional amendments. Executive election President Arthur Barclay and Vice President James Jenkins…
Read record and sources1911 General Election
Liberia Civic historical record Liberia held a contested general election in 1911, choosing Daniel Edward Howard to succeed President Arthur Barclay. Presidential election Daniel Edward Howard of the True Whig…
Read record and sources1915 General Election
LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD Liberia held a general election in May 1915 while the country was navigating the economic and diplomatic pressures created by the First World War. Presidential election…
Read record and sources1919 General Election
LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD Liberia held a general election in May 1919, selecting the administration that would govern the country after the First World War. Presidential election Charles Dunbar Burgess…
Read record and sources1923 General Election
LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD Liberia’s 1923 general election returned President Charles D. B. King to office amid a renewed opposition challenge and serious questions about the reported totals. Presidential election…
Read record and sources1927 Constitutional Referendum
LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD · CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM A constitutional referendum was held on 3 May 1927, alongside Liberia’s presidential and legislative elections. Voters were presented with amendments concerning eligibility for…
Read record and sources1927 General Election
LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD The 3 May 1927 general election returned President Charles D. B. King to office in a contest widely remembered for impossible reported totals and systematic fraud.…
Read record and sources1931 General Election
LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD Liberia’s May 1931 general election took place during an exceptional political and international crisis, months after President Charles D. B. King resigned amid the forced-labor inquiry.…
Read record and sources1935 General Election
LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD Liberia held a general election on 7 May 1935 while the country was emerging from years of diplomatic isolation and debate over international reform proposals. Presidential…
Read record and sources1939 General Election — Chronology Under Review
LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD · CHRONOLOGY UNDER REVIEW Later election chronologies identify a Liberian presidential election in 1939 and report that President Edwin Barclay of the True Whig Party was…
Read record and sources1943 General Election
LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD Liberia’s general election of 4 May 1943 selected a successor to Edwin Barclay during the Second World War and after the presidential term had been extended…
Read record and sources1945 Constitutional Referendum
LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD · CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM A constitutional referendum was held on 1 May 1945 as Liberia debated the political incorporation of citizens living in the hinterland and broader…
Read record and sources1946 Women’s Suffrage Referendum
LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD · CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM On 7 May 1946, Liberian voters considered a constitutional amendment extending the franchise to women, a major milestone in the country’s political and…
Read record and sources1949 Presidential Reelection Referendum
LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD · CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM A constitutional referendum held on 3 May 1949 changed Liberia’s rules for presidential reelection and reshaped the balance between continuity in office and…
Read record and sources1951 General Election
LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD The general election of 1 May 1951 returned President William V. S. Tubman to office unopposed and marked a major, though incomplete, expansion of political participation.…
Read record and sources1955 General Election
LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD Liberia’s May 1955 general election brought renewed presidential competition but unfolded amid intimidation, disputed returns, and serious political violence. Presidential election Incumbent William V. S. Tubman…
Read record and sources1955 Women’s Rights and Impeachment Referendum
LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD · CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM A constitutional referendum held on 3 May 1955 addressed women’s political rights in Liberia’s hinterland provinces, eligibility for legislative office and the procedure…
Read record and sources1959 General Election
LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD Liberia held general elections on 5 May 1959, the last presidential contest of the First Republic to feature more than one candidate. Presidential election President William…
Read record and sources1963 General Election
LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD Liberia’s general election of 7 May 1963 returned President William V. S. Tubman without a contesting presidential candidate. Presidential election William V. S. Tubman of the…
Read record and sources1967 General Election
LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD The general election of 2 May 1967 returned William V. S. Tubman and William R. Tolbert Jr. to Liberia’s highest offices without presidential opposition. Presidential election…
Read record and sources1971 General Election
LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD Liberia held general elections on 4 May 1971, returning the Tubman–Tolbert ticket unopposed only weeks before a major constitutional succession. Presidential election William V. S. Tubman…
Read record and sources1972 Voting Age Referendum
LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD · CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM On 4 April 1972, Liberians voted on a constitutional amendment lowering the voting age from twenty-one to eighteen. Question before voters The proposal…
Read record and sources1975 Presidential Term Referendum
LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD · CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM On 7 October 1975, Liberians voted on a presidential-term amendment alongside the general election. Question before voters The proposed constitutional change would limit…
Read record and sources1975 General Election
LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD Liberia’s general election of 7 October 1975 returned President William R. Tolbert Jr. and an entirely True Whig legislature without opposition candidates. Presidential election William R.…
Read record and sources1980–1985 Military Rule and Electoral Transition
Archive status: Context record — no regular nationwide election took place between the April 1980 coup and the October 1985 elections. Why the election timeline pauses On 12 April 1980,…
Read record and sources1984 Constitutional Referendum
LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD · CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM On 3 July 1984, Liberians voted on a new constitution intended to restore civilian constitutional government after the 1980 coup. The proposed constitutional…
Read record and sources1985 Presidential and Legislative Elections
LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD The elections of 15 October 1985 were Liberia’s first national polls after the 1980 coup and the adoption of the 1986 Constitution, but their outcome remains…
Read record and sources1989–1997 Electoral Interruption and Postwar Transition
Archive status: Context record — no regular nationwide election took place during this period. Why the election timeline pauses Liberia’s civil war began in December 1989. The elected legislature ceased…
Read record and sources1997 Presidential and Legislative Elections
LIBERIA CIVIC HISTORICAL RECORD Liberia’s 19 July 1997 elections restored an elected presidency and legislature after years of civil war and transitional government. Presidential election Charles Ghankay Taylor of the…
Read record and sources1997–2005 Electoral Breakdown, Peace Agreement and Transition
Archive status: Context record — the elected order created in 1997 broke down during renewed conflict, and the 2003 presidential and legislative elections did not proceed. From the 1997 election…
Read record and sources2005 General and Presidential Runoff Election
Liberia’s 2005 General and Presidential Runoff Elections Liberians voted in presidential and legislative elections on 11 October 2005, followed by a presidential runoff on 8 November 2005. These were the…
Read record and sources2005 Senate and House of Representatives Elections
FOUNDATIONAL ELECTION ARCHIVE Liberia’s first postwar legislature On 11 October 2005, Liberians elected all 30 senators and all 64 members of the House of Representatives alongside the presidential election. These…
Read record and sources2005 Elected Senators of Liberia
SENATE ELECTION ARCHIVE Thirty senators elected across 15 counties On 11 October 2005, voters elected two senators from every county as Liberia restored its constitutional legislature after the civil-war transition.…
Read record and sources2005 Elected Representatives of Liberia
HOUSE ELECTION ARCHIVE Liberia’s 64 elected representatives in 2005 On 11 October 2005, voters elected one representative in each of 64 electoral districts. This county-by-county directory records the winning candidate,…
Read record and sources2006 River Cess County District 1 Rerun Election
RERUN AND BY-ELECTION ARCHIVE An overturned 2005 House result The National Elections Commission voided the 2005 House election result for River Cess County Electoral District 1 after determining that the…
Read record and sources2006 Margibi County District 2 By-Election
BY-ELECTION ARCHIVE A House vacancy in Margibi County Margibi County Electoral District 2 held a representative by-election after the death of Unity Party Representative Ansu Washington Lackie. The first round…
Read record and sources2007 Grand Bassa County District 3 By-Election
BY-ELECTION ARCHIVE A House vacancy in Grand Bassa County Grand Bassa County Electoral District 3 held a representative by-election after the death of Liberty Party Representative Edward Bueh Sundaygar. The…
Read record and sources2007 Gbarpolu County Senatorial By-Election
BY-ELECTION ARCHIVE A Senate vacancy in Gbarpolu County Gbarpolu County held a senatorial by-election after the death of Senator Samuel Sumo Tormetie of the National Reformation Party. The first round…
Read record and sources2007 Nimba County District 6 By-Election
BY-ELECTION ARCHIVE A House vacancy in Nimba County Nimba County Electoral District 6 held a representative by-election after the death of Representative David Saye Maneh of the Unity Party on…
Read record and sources2008 Margibi County District 4 By-Election
BY-ELECTION ARCHIVE A vacant House seat in Margibi County Margibi County Electoral District 4 held a representative by-election in mid-February 2008 after the death of Representative Flasher Garjuan Chideryou, an…
Read record and sources2009 River Gee and Montserrado Senatorial By-Elections
BY-ELECTION ARCHIVE Two Senate vacancies decided through runoffs Liberia held senatorial by-elections in River Gee and Montserrado counties in 2009. Both vacancies followed the deaths of sitting senators, and neither…
Read record and sources2010 River Gee County District 3 By-Election
BY-ELECTION ARCHIVE A two-round representative contest River Gee County Electoral District 3 held a House by-election on 20 July 2010 after the death of Representative Albert S. Toe on 14…
Read record and sources2011 Presidential and Legislative Elections
NATIONAL ELECTION ARCHIVE Liberia’s 2011 presidential and legislative elections Liberia held presidential, House of Representatives and Senate elections on 11 October 2011. The presidential contest proceeded to a runoff on…
Read record and sources2011 Constitutional Referendum
LIBERIA CIVIC VERIFIED RECORD · CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM Liberia held a national constitutional referendum on 23 August 2011. Voters considered four separate amendments concerning presidential residency, judicial retirement, the election date…
Read record and sources2011 Elected Senators of Liberia
SENATE ELECTION ARCHIVE Fifteen county seats elected in 2011 On 11 October 2011, Liberia renewed one Senate seat in each of its 15 counties. These were the seats held on…
Read record and sources2011 Elected Representatives of Liberia
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ARCHIVE The 73 district winners of 2011 Liberians elected all 73 members of the House of Representatives on 11 October 2011. The roster below records the winner…
Read record and sources2012 Sinoe and Montserrado Representative By-Elections
BY-ELECTION ARCHIVE Two vacancies in the House of Representatives Liberia held two representative by-elections in 2012, both following the deaths of sitting lawmakers: Sinoe County Electoral District 3 on 3…
Read record and sources2013 Grand Bassa County Senatorial By-Election
BY-ELECTION ARCHIVE Grand Bassa elects a new senator A senatorial by-election was held across Grand Bassa County on 7 May 2013 after the death of Senator John Francis Whitfield of…
Read record and sources2014 Elected Senators of Liberia
National Legislature · verified roster Senators elected in 2014 County winners from Liberia’s 20 December 2014 Special Senatorial Election, held during the Ebola public-health emergency. Election overview One Senate seat…
Read record and sources2014 Special Senatorial Election
Liberia’s 2014 Special Senatorial Election Liberia held a special senatorial election on 20 December 2014 to fill one of the two Senate seats in each of the country’s 15 counties.…
Read record and sources2015 River Cess and Lofa Legislative By-Elections
BY-ELECTION ARCHIVE Two House vacancies, two county contests Liberia held two House of Representatives by-elections in 2015: River Cess County Electoral District 2 on 21 April and Lofa County Electoral…
Read record and sources2017 Lofa County District 1 By-Election
BY-ELECTION ARCHIVE A vacancy in the House of Representatives Liberia held a representative by-election in Lofa County Electoral District 1 on 28 February 2017. The poll filled the vacancy created…
Read record and sources2017 Presidential and Representative Elections
Liberia’s 2017 Presidential and Representative Elections Liberians voted on 10 October 2017 to elect a president and all 73 members of the House of Representatives. With no presidential candidate receiving…
Read record and sources2018 Bong, Montserrado and Sinoe By-Elections
BY-ELECTION ARCHIVE Four legislative contests in two phases Liberia held four legislative by-elections in 2018 to fill vacancies in the Senate and House of Representatives. Senate contests in Bong and…
Read record and sources2019 Montserrado and Grand Cape Mount By-Elections
LIBERIA CIVIC VERIFIED HISTORICAL RECORD · SENATE AND HOUSE BY-ELECTIONS Liberia conducted three major legislative by-election contests in 2019: simultaneous Montserrado County Senate and District 15 House races beginning on…
Read record and sources2020 Special Senatorial Election and Constitutional Referendum
Liberia’s 2020 Special Senatorial Election and Constitutional Referendum On 8 December 2020, Liberians voted for one senator in each of the country’s 15 counties and considered eight constitutional amendment propositions.…
Read record and sources2020 Montserrado and Sinoe House By-Elections
LIBERIA CIVIC VERIFIED HISTORICAL RECORD · HOUSE BY-ELECTIONS Two House of Representatives by-elections were held on 8 December 2020 in Montserrado County Electoral District 9 and Sinoe County Electoral District…
Read record and sources2021 House of Representatives By-Elections
LIBERIA CIVIC VERIFIED HISTORICAL RECORD · HOUSE BY-ELECTIONS Four House of Representatives by-elections were held on 16 November 2021 in Bomi County District 1, Bong County District 2, Grand Gedeh…
Read record and sources2022 Lofa County Senatorial By-Election
LIBERIA CIVIC VERIFIED HISTORICAL RECORD · SENATORIAL BY-ELECTION Lofa County held a senatorial by-election on 28 June 2022 to fill its seat in the Liberian Senate. Final result Independent candidate…
Read record and sources2023 Presidential and Legislative Elections
Liberia’s 2023 Presidential and Legislative Elections Liberians voted on 10 October 2023 to elect the president, all 73 members of the House of Representatives and one senator from each of…
Read record and sources2024 Nimba Senate and Grand Gedeh District 1 By-Elections
LIBERIA CIVIC VERIFIED HISTORICAL RECORD · LEGISLATIVE BY-ELECTIONS Liberia held two legislative by-elections on 23 April 2024: a senatorial contest in Nimba County and a House of Representatives contest in…
Read record and sources2025 Nimba County District 5 House of Representatives By-Election
Verified election record · Nimba County 2025 District 5 Representative By-Election Voters in Nimba County Electoral District 5 elected a new member of the House of Representatives on 12 August…
Read record and sources2025 Nimba County Senatorial By-Election
Verified election record · Nimba County 2025 Senatorial By-Election Nimba County voters elected a senator on 22 April 2025. The National Elections Commission reported complete results from all 736 polling…
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