US elections were previously held on different days in different states, leading to corruption and multiple voting. In 1845, Congress declared the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November to be election day due to agricultural and travel considerations. Tuesday was chosen as it allowed farmers to travel and return for market day. Congressional elections have been held on the same Tuesday since 1872.
American elections weren’t always held on Tuesdays. Due to rampant corruption, Congress needed to choose a standard date for presidential and vice-presidential elections uniformly across the country. Tuesday was chosen as that day in 1845 due to the agricultural lifestyle and travel problems people faced in those times.
From 1792 to 1844, Congress allowed states to hold U.S. elections for president and vice president any day between the first Wednesday in December and 34 days before that day. The first Wednesday in December was the day the Electoral College met and all votes had to be cast and counted before then. During those years, US elections were held on various days, depending on the state.
Having elections on different days in different states has led to corruption. Politicians and political parties would send people from state to state to vote which resulted in people voting numerous times. This was done to influence tight elections as the December deadline approached. Holding US elections on different days also meant that states that had their elections last were often influenced by the results of previous states.
In 1845 Congress declared the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November to be U.S. election day for president and vice president. They had opted for early November because that still allowed enough time for the votes to be counted before the Electoral College convened in December. November was after the harvest which kept most farmers too busy at the start of the year. Early November also meant less likelihood of snow causing travel burdens.
Tuesday was chosen because of the long journey, at least a day, faced by many American farmers trying to get to the county seat to vote. Congress could not choose the days surrounding Sunday for US elections as people were at church to honor the Sabbath and could not travel on those days. This meant that Saturday, Sunday and Monday weren’t all options.
In many cities, Wednesdays were market days, so voters had to return to their hometowns on those days so they could buy and sell goods. So Wednesday and Thursday wouldn’t work. Tuesdays were an option because a voter could travel on Monday, vote first thing Tuesday, and return for market on Wednesday. In 1872 Congress mandated that all congressional elections be held on the same Tuesday, and that hasn’t changed Election Day in the United States since.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
