The re-election system of the Football League, in use until 1986, was a process by which the worst-placed clubs in the League had to reapply for their place, while non-League clubs could apply for a place. It was the only way for a non-League side to enter the Football League until direct promotion and relegation was introduced from the 1986–87 season onwards. The clubs placed on a re-election rank at the end of a season had to face their Football League peers at the Annual General Meeting of the League. At the AGM the league members had the choice to either vote to retain the current league members, or allow entry to the League for non-League clubs which had applied.
Re-election existed as early as 1890 when Stoke City failed to retain their Football League status. During the first five seasons of the League, that is, until the season 1893–94, re-election process involved the clubs which finished in the bottom four of the League. From the 1894–95 season and until the 1920–21 season the re-election process was required of the clubs which finished in the bottom three of the league. From the 1921–22 season on, it was used for the two last-placed teams of each of the Third Division North and South. After the formation of the Fourth Division in 1958, it applied to the bottom four clubs of that division.
The club which had to undergo the largest number of re-election campaigns, Hartlepool United, with fourteen between 1924 and 1984, was never voted out of the league but a small number of other clubs were, the last of those being Workington in 1977 and Southport in 1978, who lost their league places to Wimbledon and Wigan Athletic respectively.
History
Third Division North and South
The southern group of the Third Division was established in 1920, with the northern group following the next year. The two regional third tier leagues existed in parallel until 1958 when the national Fourth Division was established.
In that era, Walsall faced the most re-election campaigns - seven. Clubs that lost their league place during that time were Aberdare Athletic (1927), Durham City (1928), Ashington (1929), Merthyr Town (1930), Newport County (1931), Nelson (1931), Gillingham (1938) and New Brighton (1951).
The following clubs had to face the re-election process during the Third Division North and South era:
The era of the North and South sections of the Third Division saw many clubs face the first of many threats to their league status which would continue in the days of the Fourth Division from 1958-59 onwards, while at the same time a number of clubs previously more familiar with higher territory were faced with the threat of losing their league status. One of the first examples of this was Bradford City, who had been FA Cup winners in 1911 and First Division members as late as 1922, but finished bottom of the Third Division North in 1949 and had to apply for re-election to the Football League.
Norwich City had to apply for re-election to the Football League four times between 1931 and 1957, but this was soon followed by an upturn in fortunes which included a run to the FA Cup semi-finals in 1959, promotion to the Second Division a year later, Football League Cup glory in 1962, and promotion to the First Division for the first time in 1972. Since then, the club has spent all but one of its seasons in the league's highest two divisions, winning a further League Cup in 1985, winning promotion to the top flight of English football a further six times and finishing in the top five of the English league three times, as well as competing in the UEFA Cup once. By 2016, Norwich had spent a total 22 seasons in the top flight.
Crystal Palace were another club who faced the threat of losing their league status during this era, only to retain their membership and go on to survive and prosper in the Football League. After having to apply for re-election three times between 1949 and 1956, Palace reached the First Division for the first time in 1969 and survived there for four seasons. Palace reached the First Division again in 1979 and survived for two seasons on this occasion. A third promotion to the top flight in 1989 was followed by an FA Cup final appearance the following season and a third place finish a year later. 2023-24 will be Palace's 25th season overall in the top flight of English football.
Fourth Division
The Fourth Division was established in 1958 out of the bottom clubs of the two groups of the Third Division. The bottom four of the Fourth Division had to face re-election on an annual basis.