EXPLAINER
Individuals are heading to the polls on November 5 as a part of an Election Day custom relationship again to the mid-1800s.
Throughout Latin America, it normally falls on a Sunday. In India, it could possibly span weeks given the nation’s huge territory. And within the Center East, Saturday is continuously the pivotal day.
However in the USA, each 4 years, votes for president are forged on the primary Tuesday after the primary Monday within the month of November.
That’s proper, we’re speaking about Election Day.
And this yr isn’t any completely different: Thousands and thousands of Individuals will head to the polls on November 5 to vote for both Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris or her Republican rival, Donald Trump.
But, regardless of the nation’s lengthy historical past of holding presidential contests in early November, what’s much less broadly recognized is why or how that custom obtained began.
Based on historians, it’s all tied to American farmers. Sure, actually.
However earlier than we get into that, you first have to know what system was in place earlier than US presidential elections have been held on a single date nationwide.
Up till the mid-1800s, election dates assorted by US state, as long as they have been scheduled within the weeks earlier than the Electoral College met in December.
In 1844, for instance, the presidential election was held over a one-month interval between early November and early December.
Some critics stated the system was inefficient and apprehensive that holding votes on completely different dates might additionally affect the outcomes, in line with Historical past.com.
If Individuals noticed {that a} presidential hopeful did effectively in an early-voting space, for instance, that would result in a greater consequence for the candidate in different elements of the nation that voted later.
So in 1845, the US Congress handed an act (PDF) to ascertain a uniform date to elect the president and vp in all of the states of the Union.
That date, the act states, must be “on the Tuesday subsequent after the primary Monday within the month of November”.
However why a Tuesday, and why in November? Right here’s the place the farmers are available in.
On the time, many Individuals within the fledgling nation — then lower than 100 years outdated — have been concerned in agriculture.
Merely put, November was chosen as a result of it didn’t coincide with the busy spring planting season or the autumn harvest, and it got here earlier than chilly winter temperatures set in.
Many of those early American farmers additionally lived in rural areas removed from bigger inhabitants centres the place ballots have been sometimes forged. This meant that it might take a day of journey to achieve their polling place.
The day of the week for the election was additionally chosen by a strategy of elimination. Sunday was out of the query as a result of that is when Christians attend church.
And Wednesday was sometimes “market day”, when farmers bought produce and different items.
For those self same causes, Sunday and Wednesday couldn’t be thought-about for journey days both — so the thought of holding the election on Monday or Thursday was nixed too.
Due to this fact, Tuesday was the only option.
So there you might have it. “The Tuesday subsequent after the primary Monday within the month of November”, defined.
