On Tuesday, November 6 will be held the U.S. presidential election, one of the largest events that capture worldwide attention. However, the explanation of why they chose this date is unknown to many, even to the U.S. Congress.
Why, then, will be the election date? In 1792, federal law stipulated that the elections should be conducted in any of the 34 days preceding the first Wednesday in December, the day the Electoral College elects the president.
Since then, different states had autonomy to regulate elections within their respective jurisdictions provided they respect this rule.
However, in 1845, Congress determined that the election takes place the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, as you can read in the minutes of the 28th Congress. This to prevent the results from different states could influence others, as in the primaries.
Date was determined, too, because if the first of November was Tuesday between this day and the first Wednesday in December would be more than 34 days, which leaves out the deadline.
This situation is considered a negative point for participation in the elections, which is voluntary. Being a business day, participation is limited to the U.S., which has led to various groups such as “Why Tuesday?“ Undertake campaigns to change this date and set a weekend and so promoting participation in elections .
