ABSTRACT
The second votes cast in the Revolution were those in the cantonal elections of 1790 to create new district and departmental councils. The collapse of centralized administration made the establishment of these new administrations a matter of great urgency. Unlike the preceding municipal elections which were direct and took place in the commune itself, these elections were indirect and took place in a newly created electoral entity called the canton. The National Assembly explained that the establishment of administrative bodies worthy of public confidence was one of the new fruits that the nation was going to harvest from their representatives’ work.
