Why is Election Day the First Tuesday After the First Monday in November?

With Election Day fast approaching, there is something very important to discuss. And no, it is not who to vote for. Yes, that is important, but what I want to discuss is something far less controversial that many people have likely wondered about in passing but never really looked into. Why is Election Day scheduled the way it is?

As I’m sure you are aware, Election Day is one of the most uniquely scheduled non-religious holidays (although it isn’t technically a federal holiday, which is a separate issue entirely). It is held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. The way Election Day is scheduled means it can fall on any date between November 2nd and November 8th. It is impossible for Election Day to be on November 1st because a Tuesday cannot be after the first Monday in November if it falls on the first day in November.

But why is it this way? Well, it wasn’t always. The current way Election Day is scheduled only dates back to 1845. Prior to then, states were allowed to hold their presidential elections anytime they wanted within a thirty-four-day time frame. However, this method had multiple flaws including the potential for election manipulation and fraud. Eventually it became clear that a single set day was needed. To that end, Congress passed a law that established the Tuesday after the first Monday in November as Election Day.

So, a fixed day was needed, but why Tuesday? Well, that dates back to America being a largely agricultural society at the time. Tuesday was selected because, according to History.com, back when the law was passed “people often traveled at least a day to vote, [so] lawmakers needed to allow a two-day window for Election Day. Weekends were impractical, since most people spent Sundays in church, and Wednesday was market day for farmers.” This made Tuesday a convenient day.

So Tuesday makes sense, but why November? Well, spring and summer are planting season, late summer and early fall are harvest season, and winter weather was too harsh. All of this meant that November was an ideal month for Election Day.

Ok, so a Tuesday in November was the ideal day to designate as Election Day, but why did it need to be the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November? Why isn’t it just something like the first Tuesday? Does it really matter if Election Day falls on November 1st? Well, much like Election Day being scheduled on a Tuesday in November, this too is a result of how society looked and functioned at the time the date was set.

You see, at the time a lot of merchants used the first day of the month in order to tally up their books from the month prior. It would therefore be inconvenient to have Election Day on the first of the month. Especially because, as mentioned earlier, voting back then usually involved a lot more traveling than it does today. This appears to be at least one reason that Congress made it so that Election Day could never fall on the first of the month. Additionally, November 1st is All Saints’ Day.

In short, the way Election Day is scheduled is a product of the time. It is likely that if the date were to be set today, it would be a completely different day based off of today’s society. (Or possibly even multiple days like some states now allow for - although even in those states the votes aren’t counted until Election Day to avoid some of the issues that led to Election Day being a single day in the first place). Indeed, many people argue that our currently scheduled Election Day is inconvenient and should be changed, and it is possible that it one day will be changed. But, at the time the current law was enacted, the ideal date to hold Election Day was on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, so that was the date that was chosen!

There you have it, the story of why Election Day is scheduled for the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Regardless of who you choose to vote for this Election Day, at least now you know why you are casting your vote in early November!!