Ever question why Americans always vote in federalelections(and many country , and local elections [ PDF ] ) on Tuesdays ? There are a few reasons — including a little something to do with the horse cavalry and buggy .
Between 1788 and 1845 , states decided their own balloting dates . In 2012 , Senate historian Don Ritchietold NPRthat strategy lead in pandemonium , a “ crazy quilt of election ” held all across the country at different time to pluck the elector — the ashen , manful place owner who would barf their votes for president on the first Wednesday of December .
In 1792 , a jurisprudence was passed mandating that state election be oblige within a 34 - Clarence Shepard Day Jr. period before that day , so most elections took place in November . ( Society was mostly agrarian ; in November , the harvest home was finished but winter had n’t yet hit , making it the perfect time to vote . )
The glacial step of presidential elections was n’t a Brobdingnagian issuing in the previous 18th and former 19th centuries — communicating was slow , so results took week to announce anyway — but with the advent of the railroad and telegraph , Congress decided it was clock time to standardize a date .
Monday was out , because it would require people to move to the polls by kooky on the Sunday Sabbath . Wednesday was also not an option , because it was market day , and farmers would n’t be capable to make it to the poll . So it was adjudicate that Tuesday would be the Clarence Day that Americans would vote in election , andin 1845 , Congress elapse a police that presidential elections would be held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November .
Now that you know why elections are hold on Tuesdays , witness out what to do if you’rein linewhen the poll fold , learn how the “ I vote ” stickercame to be , and brush up on someelection factsfrom around the world .
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A version of this story originally ran in 2018 ; it has been updated for 2023 .
