Therefore, election day is the first Tuesday in November

Why Election day always on the first Tuesday of November?

Many people argue that voting is a “civic duty.” Election Day is one of the most important days of the year, especially in this election cycle with so many key offices up for grabs.

It may seem strange that one of the most important days of the year always falls on the same day of the week in the same month.

Who decided that this would be the case? When were the Election Day rules created? Here’s why Election Day is always the first Tuesday in November, and information about the uprising on that day.

When was the first election day?

The first federal election day This occurred in 1845. That same year, Congress passed a federal law designating the first Tuesday in November as Election Day, according to History.com.

Before 1845, the federal government allowed states to hold elections any time during the 34 days before the first Wednesday in December.

This system had significant flaws, however, because knowledge of early voting results could influence voter turnout and public opinion in states that held late elections, History.com said. If a state had a late election, voters in that area were more likely to be influenced by voting results in other states.

This meant that countries that postponed elections late could potentially determine the outcome of the entire election.

Hoping to level the playing field for all candidates, Congress set today’s Election Day as the deadline by which residents of all states had to vote.

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Why did Congress choose the first Tuesday in November?

Historians say the answer lies in agricultural culture.

Spring and summer elections were thought to disrupt farmers’ sowing season, and late summer and early fall elections coincided with the busiest harvests, as History.com points out.

Winter elections were not a wise decision because the onset of severe winter conditions could prevent farmers from traveling to polling stations. And then many citizens lived far from the polling stations.

This made November – after the harvest but before winter – the best month to hold elections.

Agrarian culture also explains why Tuesdays were considered the preferred day of the week for voting.

According to History.com, in 19th century America, many farmers spent Wednesdays organizing markets to sell their produce. However, most families also spent Sundays in church, so weekends were excluded. Thursday or Friday didn’t make sense because votes would be counted immediately after Election Day, but that would mean the weekend, often spent farming, would likely have to be devoted to counting votes.

This makes Tuesday the most practical day to hold an election because, historians say, states had a full day to prepare after the weekend.

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