Common Sense Reasons Election Day is on Tuesday and in November

Many things our forefathers did were not only brilliant but also common sense answers to problems. The choice of holding elections on a Tuesday in November is one of those solutions.

In 1845 Congress was attempting to find a day where as many eligible voters would be able to get to the polls, they had several factors to consider.

First, farming and ranching were the primary occupation of many Americans. That meant they would have to travel up to a day -- via horse and buggy -- to their county seat to vote. Congress decided, in an effort not to disrupt those who attended church, to have the election on Tuesday giving these voters Monday to travel.

Also, keeping in mind the agrarian society of the time, Congress had to select a day that fell after harvest and before the weather in some parts of the country made it difficult to travel, thus the month of November.

Election Day was selected as the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November because many businesses spent the first day of the month reconciling their books from the previous month.

Based on the calendar, the earliest Election Day would be November 2 and the latest would be November 8. Want to know more election trivia? Click Here.

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