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.[1]
Re-election existed as early as 1890 when Stoke City failed to retain their Football League status.[2] 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.[3] 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[1][4] 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.
Four was invoked but never defined (see the help page).