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 8, the place of election was the house of Ingraham Baker, on the Santa Fe Road. 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 Eighth District follows: "Commencing at the mouth of Elm Creek, one of the branches of Osage River; thence up the same to the Santa Fe road; thence by a direct northerly line to the southwest corner of the Pottawatomie reservation; thence up the western line thereof to the Kansas River; thence up said river and the Smoky Hill Fork, beyond the most westerly settlements; thence due south to the line of the territory; thence by the same to the line of the Sixth District; thence due north to the head of the south branch of the Neosho River; thence down said river to the lines of the Seventh District; thence due north to the place of beginning."