This census was taken in order to determine eligible voters for elections to be held as proclaimed by Governor Andrew Reeder on November 10, 1854. The categories for information in the census were name, occupation, age, gender, emigrated from, native of United States, naturalized citizen, declarant (intention to become a citizen), Negro, slave, and voter. Only white males over twenty-one were eligible to vote. The districts used for the census were the same as the election districts. A statistical summary of the census followed the enumeration pages. For District 4, the place of election was the house of Dr. Chapman. The boundaries of each district were described in Governor Reeder's proclamation, and it is difficult to determine what counties were in each district. The description of the Fourth District follows: "Commencing at the Missouri State line, in the middle of the Santa Fe road; thence along the middle of said road to Rock Creek, near the sixty-fifth mile of said road; thence south to the line of the late Shawnee reservation ceded by the treaty of 1854; thence due east along the south line of said reservation and the north line of the existing reservations of the Sacs and Foxes, the existing reservations of the Chippewas and Ottawas and the late reservations of the Piankesaws, Weas, Peorias and Kaskaskias to the Missouri State line; thence up the Missouri State line to the place of beginning."