ELECTION TICKETS - Historical Albion Michigan

The month of November is traditionally the time for elections in this county, and voters across the country elect and reelect their favorite candidates. I’ve often wondered if all of the money that has been spent on electing candidates for office could be tallied, would that be enough to pay off our national debt? Just a thought next time you are asked for a donation.

On phrase that is often used during the election time is the “Democratic ticket,” or the “Republican ticket.” This usually means a list of names of people of the same political party that are running for various offices.

What do they mean by “ticket?” Back in the 19th century, small pieces of paper resembling large theater or railroad tickets were printed listing the names of candidates running for a particular party. Hence the name, “ticket.” A person could take this “ticket” with them to the voting booth so they would have a handy reference from which to choose the “correct” candidates.

From our Historical Notebook this week we present two 19th century election “tickets” from Albion Township of the Democratic and Republican parties. It appears these could be from the 1870s. Notice the Republican party candidate for School Inspector is a woman.

	Frank Passic — Albion Historian An Albion native and 1971 graduate of Albion High School, Frank Passic has been researching and writing Albion history since 1976. He is the creator of the Albion Historical Notebook, with hundreds of articles appearing weekly in the Morning Star and The Recorder. Frank maintains an extensive personal archive including Riverside Cemetery records, family surname files, genealogies, photographs, city directories, and high school yearbooks. Support his 2026 research at the Historic Albion Michigan Facebook page. Historical Notebook \| From the Archives \| Subject List \| 100 Years Ago \| Alphabetical Index \| Frank Passic Home Page \| Albion History Books \| Contact Frank
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