Full-siblings to Election include the colt Prodigal and the fillies Bribery and the Gohanna Mare (the grandam of Frederick and Cedric). Election was trained by F. Neale at Newmarket. Election's first and only start as a three-year-old was for the Derby Stakes held on 14 May at Epsom Downs. Thirteen horses participated in the running out of the original 38 subscribers to the race. At the start, Mr. Wilson's colt Sir Solomon took the lead and was the pace-setter for much of the race until the final stretch. Sir Solomon was passed by Mr. Lake's colt Coriolanus near the finish with Election "immediately after" taking the lead and winning the race by a length. The running was described as a "very fine race." Sir Solomon finished second and Mr. Lake's colt Coriolanus (also sired by Gohanna) was third. Election was ridden "with masterly style" by John Arnold of Newmarket, who was an older gentleman, as he died at an "advanced age" four years later. In his first start of 1808, Election won the 60-guinea Ladies' Plate held at Goodwood in May, winning two two-mile heats and beating the colt Epsom. Another horse, an aged gelding named Tom Pipes, also participated but was disqualified after his jockey "mistook" or ran the wrong course during the first heat of the race. On 22 June at Ascot, Election won the Swinley Stakes, beating Mr. Fermor's colt Stripling with betting odds of 2 to 1 and 5 to 2 against Election. Election won the 100-guinea His Majesty's Plate at Lewes in August, beating Mr. Daly's colt Bob Booty in a set of two-mile heats. Election won the first heat and ran a dead heat with Bob Booty in the final heat. The next day at the same meeting, Election ran against Bob Booty for a second time in the 60-guinea Ladies' Plate, beating him in the four-mile race. At the First October Meeting at Newmarket, Election won the 100-guinea His Majesty's Plate, beating the colts Rambler and Snug. At the Second October Meeting, Election started in the first class of the Oatlands Stakes against five other horses, including the horse Hambletonian. He finished first, with Lord Foley's colt Weaver second and Hambletonian third.