1916 United States presidential election in North Carolina

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All 12North Carolina votes to theElectoral College
Nominee Woodrow Wilson Charles Evans Hughes Party Democratic Republican Home state New Jersey New York Running mate Thomas R. Marshall Charles W. Fairbanks Electoral vote 12 0 Popular vote 168,383 120,890 Percentage 58.10% 41.71%
County Results Wilson   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90%   90–100% Hughes   50–60%   60–70%   70–80% Tie   <50%
President before election Woodrow Wilson Democratic Elected President Woodrow Wilson Democratic

The1916 United States presidential election in North Carolina took place on November 7, 1916, as part of the1916 United States presidential election, which was held throughout all contemporary forty-eight states. Voters chose twelve representatives, or electors to theElectoral College, who voted forpresident andvice president.

Like all former Confederate states, North Carolina would during its "Redemption" develop a politics based uponJim Crow laws,disfranchisement of itsAfrican-American population and dominance of the Democratic Party. Unlike the Deep South, the Republican Party possessed sufficienthistoric Unionist white support from the mountains and northwestern Piedmont to gain a stable one-third of the statewide vote total in general elections even after blacks lost the right to vote.^[1] A rapid move following disenfranchisement to a completely "lily-white" state GOP also helped maintain Republican support amongst the state's voters.^[2] LikeTennessee andOklahoma, the relative strength of Republican opposition meant that North Carolina did not have statewideWhite primaries, although certain counties did use the White primary.^[3] Although with disfranchisement of blacks the state introduceda poll tax, it was less severe than any other former Confederate state.^[4]

Since the tail end of the 1900s, proposals to reform what was recognized as an inefficient and regressive tax system^[5] had become the major issue in North Carolina,^[6] especially afterthe Sixteenth Amendment was ratified.^[5]

Neither candidate campaigned in the state, which had voted Democratic at every election since 1876. At no point was there any serious question of Wilson carrying the state.^[7] On election day projections were for a majority for Wilson of between forty-five thousand and fifty thousand,^[8] which closely approximated the final result. Nonetheless, North Carolina was one of only three states where Wilson failed to improve upon his 1912 percentage, and indeed his 16.39 point win was three points smaller than conservative DemocratAlton B. Parker managed in 1904. Hughes, in fact, was the first Republican to ever carryCarteret andClay Counties, suggesting latent opposition to Wilson in theOuter Banks andAppalachia.^[9]

• 1916 United States presidential election by state
• United States presidential elections in North Carolina
• 1916 North Carolina elections

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