Why is Election Day on a Tuesday in November?

Why do Americans vote on Tuesdays, when most of the world goes to the polls on Sundays? In the early republic, we didn't even have a single Election Day. States could hold presidential elections anytime within a broad window. Reformers worried that system invited fraud, so, in 1845, Congress chose one date for presidential elections. House elections followed in 1872. The date was built around the lives of 19th-century farmers. November came after the harvest but before winter. Sunday was out because of church, and Wednesday because that was the day many farmers sold their goods at market. And since getting to the polls could take a full day of travel, Tuesday was what was left. Should we change it? Actually, research on elections around the world finds little difference in turnout between weekday and weekend voting. And in 2024, most American voters didn't cast their ballot in person on Election Day at all. 📝 SCRIPT 📚 ADDITIONAL READING ✅ SOURCES AND MORE at https://kiteandkey.media/4zyZr4A The world is complicated … but the explanations don’t have to be. ⚡ New videos every Wednesday. SUBSCRIBE to Kite & Key on YouTube: https://bit.ly/YouTubeKiteAndKey FOLLOW Kite & Key on your favorite social channel: https://www.facebook.com/kiteandkeymedia https://www.twitter.com/kiteandkeymedia https://www.instagram.com/kiteandkeymedia/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/kite-and-key-media/ https://www.tiktok.com/@kiteandkeymedia https://www.threads.net/@kiteandkeymedia