Ever wonder why Election Day in the United States is always set for the first Tuesday of November? The reason dates back to the 1800s and centers around the routines of the typical American farmer at the time. Originally, each state could hold elections on any day within 34 days before the first Wednesday in December.
However, early-voting states could influence opinions and impact voter turnout in later-voting states. To address this issue, Congress intervened in 1845 and decided to come up with a specific and uniform election date so that no one complains. Before deciding on a specific date for the election, lawmakers had several factors to think about.
Making the Process Unbiased
In the early 1800s, about 75 percent of Americans were farmers living in rural areas, often quite a distance from their polling locations. This setup is quite different from today's population, where only 14 percent of Americans live in rural counties.
Given how far most people lived from voting locations back then, lawmakers aimed to allow at least a day or two for travel to and from the polls.
Weekends weren't practical since religion played a major role in American life, with most people attending church on Sundays.
Similarly, Wednesday wasn't suitable either, as it was traditionally market day for farmers, when they went to town to sell produce, meat, and eggs.
Ultimately, Tuesday was chosen as the most practical day for elections, and in 1845, Congress established that the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November would be Election Day.
Why Settle for November
Why November? Once more, this decision was based on the needs of a largely agricultural workforce.
During spring and early summer, farmers were busy with planting, while late summer and early fall were dedicated to harvesting. Winter wasn't ideal for elections either, as traveling in the cold was far more challenging back then, with no cars or well-maintained roads.
Thus, November, right after the fall harvest, was selected as the best month for Election Day.
Now, 179 years and 44 presidential elections later, voters will head to the polls to cast their ballots for Donald Trump or Kamala Harris on the same November day set by Congress.
Since 1845, several major changes to American elections have taken place, especially through constitutional amendments. For example, the 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870, granted black men the right to vote, though Jim Crow laws in the South later suppressed African American voter turnout.
In 1920, the 19th Amendment secured women's voting rights. And before 1913, the public didn't vote for their senators; state legislatures chose them.
The 17th Amendment altered this, allowing direct election of senators and authorizing governors to appoint replacements if a senator died or left office mid-term.
