This is the Certificate of Ascertainment from the state of New Hampshire for the 1792 presidential election. A Certificate of Ascertainment confirms which electors were appointed in the state based on the election results. (When a person votes for a presidential and vice presidential candidate, they’re actually voting for the slate of electors representing their choice for president and vice president.)
The Governor of a state prepares Certificates of Ascertainment as soon as the election results in the state are certified. They are paired with Certificates of Vote after the electors meet and vote, and send them to the President of the United States Senate.
This certificate was signed by Josiah Bartlett as the “President” (Governor) of the State of New Hampshire. It certifies that Bartlett himself, John Pickering, Benjamin Bellows, Ebenezer Thompson, Jonathan Freeman, and John Gilman were duly appointed Electors for President and Vice President in New Hampshire.
The 1792 election was the country’s second presidential election. President George Washington was elected to a second term and John Adams was re-elected as vice president.
