Presidents’ Day (aka Washington’s Birthday) is always the third Monday of February. Labor Day is always the first Monday of September. And Election Day is always the first Tuesday in November.  

But what is it about that day and that month that led to it being chosen for one of the most important traditions of our democracy? Let’s take a quick trip back to the mid-19th century to find out before reframing Election Day in a 20th-century context. 

Selling Crops and Attending Church Services 

As was common in the decades following the founding of the United States, different states set their own rules, including when to hold elections. In 1845, Congress decided to bring some order to the process by establishing one voting day for all states—initially just for presidential elections. Most employed people were farmers, so the date needed to be one that worked best for their needs.  

November was an ideal choice, since farmers were no longer harvesting but were instead selling their crops at markets, and the harshness of winter had usually not yet set in for most areas of the country. Based on typical work and worship schedules, and the need for many remote farmers to travel for as much as an entire day to their polling place, Tuesday was chosen as the best day of the week. The first Tuesday was chosen because it was early in the month and the weather was more likely to be favorable. 

Why Not Make Election Day a Saturday or a Holiday? 

While agriculture will always be important to the American economy and diet, the United States is no longer an agrarian society. This and other factors have led some to question the continuing tradition of holding Election Day on the first Tuesday in November. Data from the nonpartisan Pew Research Center puts the United States in the minority among industrialized democracies that hold national elections on a weekday.  

Many registered voters work or attend school on weekdays, and those activities typically fall somewhere between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. This is also the window during which polls are open for voting, potentially posing difficulties for those who are trying to fulfill that civic duty. Prominent members of both major political parties have suggested that Election Day should be made a national holiday. This would enable a greater number of voters to reach the polls without concern about interfering with regular weekday commitments.  

Any changes to when we vote remain controversial, however, as political parties and special interest groups suspect one another of implementing such changes to influence the outcome of elections. Others still prefer to honor historical tradition. As a result, little progress has been made toward creating a new national holiday or changing Election Day to another day of the week. Like daylight savings time, an idea that originated with Benjamin Franklin, voting on Tuesday has its roots in a bygone era of our country, and for the time being at least, those roots remain firmly planted in the ground. 

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Discover how the branches of our government work; how local, state, and federal agencies interact with one another; and how our political system compares to those of other countries in The University of Texas Permian Basin’s online Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. You’ll explore the election process and policymaking roles at different levels of government through illuminating courses including: 

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