The following elections occurred in the year 1872.
America
Canada
United States
- 1872 New York state election
- 1872 South Carolina gubernatorial election
- United States House of Representatives elections in California, 1872
- United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 1872
- 1872 and 1873 United States House of Representatives elections
- 1872 United States presidential election
- 1872 and 1873 United States Senate elections
Colombia
Europe
- 1872 Belgian general election
- 1872 Danish Folketing election
- 1872 Greek legislative election
- 1872 Swedish general election
- 1872 Swiss federal election
- United Kingdom:
- 1872 Aberdeen by-election
- 1872 Bedfordshire by-election
- 1872 Cork City by-election
- 1872 Flint Boroughs by-election
- 1872 Flintshire by-election
- 1872 East Gloucestershire by-election
- 1872 Galway County by-election
- 1872 Kerry by-election
- 1872 Kincardineshire by-election
- 1872 Londonderry City by-election
- 1872 Mallow by-election
- 1872 North Nottinghamshire by-election
- 1872 Northern West Riding of Yorkshire by-election
- 1872 Oldham by-election
- 1872 Pontefract by-election
- 1872 Preston by-election
- 1872 Richmond (Yorks) by-election
- 1872 Southern West Riding of Yorkshire by-election
- 1872 Tamworth by-election
- 1872 Tiverton by-election
- 1872 Wallingford by-election
- 1872 West Cheshire by-election
- 1872 West Cumberland by-election
- 1872 Wexford Borough by-election
- 1872 Wick Burghs by-election
Australia
- 1872 Mudgee colonial by-election
- 1872 New South Wales colonial election
- 1872 Parramatta colonial by-election
New Zealand
- 1872 City of Nelson by-election
- 1872 Coleridge by-election
- 1872 Rodney by-election
- 1872 Waikato by-election
- 1872 Waikouaiti by-election
- 1872 Wakatipu by-election
- 1872 Caversham by-election
- 1872 Egmont by-election
- 1872 Heathcote by-election
- 1872 Wairau by-election