Election Day in the US falls on the first Tuesday in November, a tradition that has been in place for 170 years. This practice dates back to 1845 when Congress set this day for practical reasons.
Back in the 1800s, most people in the US were farmers. November was chosen because it came after the harvest but before winter made travel difficult. At that time, electors had to meet in December, so states needed to hold elections before then. November fits well with both farming schedules and the law.
Before the 1850s, states had different election dates, but this wasn’t a big issue since news travelled slowly. However, with the invention of the telegraph and railroads, election results spread quickly. To prevent people from voting in more than one state or being influenced by early results, Congress decided to have a uniform election date.
Tuesday was picked because many people had to travel to vote, often to a nearby county seat. Since travel on Sundays was discouraged, Monday became the travel day, making Tuesday the best day to cast votes.
Today, many people find Tuesday voting inconvenient because it falls on a workday. Although early voting and mail-in ballots help, there are still calls for elections to be held on weekends to make it easier for modern workers. Despite this, the tradition of voting on a Tuesday in November remains.
