The US presidential election is being held on November 5. That day is Tuesday. Since 1845, US presidential elections have been held on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November. But why is this poll held in November, and why – or the Tuesday after the first Monday! There is history behind it.
Prior to 1840, there was no separate day for voting in the United States. At that time the states decided the date of the election. In this, voting was held on a separate day in each state. But most of the states chose the month of November for polling. It would create various types of crisis. In 1845, to overcome these crises, a law was passed on a specific day in the country. In the beginning only the fixed date was observed for the presidential election, but later this law was applied to all types of elections.
The reason to vote in November is quite simple. Initially under federal law the Electoral College electors met in individual states on the first Wednesday of December. Federal law of 1792 required states to hold elections (votes by electors who formally elect the president and vice president) within 34 days before that date.
According to Encyclopedia Britannica, when the new Act was passed in 1845, the United States was an agrarian society. Because of this, the economic activities of farmers, the largest part of the country's labor force, play a major role in determining the day of polling. Farmers are busy with farming during most of the year. But at the beginning of November, the crops are grown in the farmer's house. Time is leisure for farmers. And the weather is also quite favorable. For this reason November was chosen for the presidential election taking into account the issue of farmers.
Before this new law, elections were held on different days in the state. Communication system was not so advanced then. One had to wait days or weeks for the election results. People voting in New Jersey could not be swayed by who won the vote in Maine or Georgia. But around 1840 everything began to change. The construction of railroads made the transportation of mail and newspapers much faster. But what really changed society was the telegraph. It became possible to get any news of the city within minutes. As a result, the election results of one state began to influence the votes of other states.
This creates a problem. Voters began traveling from state to state to participate in multiple elections. The fear of election rigging increases. So in the early 1840s, Congress set a single day in November for presidential elections across the country.
In 1845, Congress passed a law requiring presidential elections to be held every four years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
Holding the election on the first Tuesday after the first Monday means that the vote will never be held on November 1. Because Christians observe 'All Saints Day' on November 1. It is a holy day for Catholic followers. In addition, on that day the businessmen work to reconcile the accounts of the previous month. The day is very busy and important for traders. Voting on this day was ruled out because it would harm business. Under this new law, the first presidential election in the United States was held on November 7, 1848.
Encyclopaedia Britannica notes that it was proposed to set aside two days for presidential elections. But it was canceled at the beginning. Because most Americans set Sunday aside as a day of worship. Wednesday was market day in many places. On this day, farmers go to the city to sell their crops. Also, in rural areas, the nearest polling station was several miles away. It would take a long time to reach there. Therefore, Sunday and Wednesday are avoided for travel and done on Monday. So that they can vote on Tuesday smoothly.
Since then, the tradition of voting day for the presidential election on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November every four years has continued uninterrupted since 1848.
