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Chapter Ten
Statehood Referendum
October 24, 1861
| On October 24, 1861, voters from the thirty-nine counties of the proposed state of Kanawha (plus the voters of Hampshire and Hardy) went to the polls to determine the fate of the new state. Considering the importance of the vote, turnout was surprisingly low, only 34%. When the ballots were counted, they showed that 18,408 had voted in favor of the new state, while only 781 opposed. At this election, voters also elected delegates to represent them in a constitutional convention, held to design the framework of government for the new state of Kanawha. |  Proposed State of Kanawha Frank Leslie's Pictorial History of the American Civil War, 1862 (Ma61- 25) |
Primary Documents:
Statehood Referendum in Marshall County
"The Election To-Day"
Other Sources:
First Statehood Referendum