The Tuesday following the first Monday in November is tomorrow, so that means it’s almost Election Day in the United States. Election Day occurs on even-numbered years with presidential elections every four years. But why is it in November, and why is it on a Tuesday? Let’s look into the history of Election Day.
Why November? In the late eighteenth century when voting began, people often had to travel long distances in order to cast their ballot. Travel would have been by foot or by horse, making travel slow. November was seen as a convenient month because the bulk of the harvest had been completed but harsh winter weather was yet to set in most of the country.
Why Tuesday? The earliest federal laws allowed states to decide when they held their elections but restricted it to any time within a 34-day period before the first Wednesday in December. But this caused issues with staggered elections that only increased with the invention of the telegraph. In 1845, a law was passed to set a single presidential election day for the entire country. Many people had to travel a day to reach their voting place. Weekends were impractical because so many people attended church services on Sundays. Tuesday was seen as a good alternative because it allowed Monday as a day of travel. The Tuesday after the first Monday of November was picked to avoid the Christian holiday of All Saint’s Day which happens on November 1st.
But will it stay on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November? Maybe not! Since many people have to work on Tuesday, it can make it hard to make it to the ballot box. Some people have suggested combining Election Day with Veterans Day (November 11th) so that it becomes a federal holiday, and more people would be off work and more available to vote.
Want to learn more about Election Day as well as other United States holidays? Check out American Holidays Unboxed Digital Magazine!
Want to learn about the Haudenosaunee influence on the formation of the U.S. government? Check out American Revolution Unboxed.
Rebecca McCormick is a writer and editor based in Fairfax, Virginia. She has a passion for history education and holds an MA in History of Decorative Arts. Rebecca believes that hands-on history and interacting with objects help learning come alive for children and adults.