The reason why the US presidential election is always held on Tuesdays

The day is finally here, Tuesday, November 5, 2024, the day America decides on who will be the next US president.

If polls are to be believed, the 2024 races appears to be the closest battle for The White House ever, with Donald Trump and Kamala Harris battling for every single vote.

While the US election is taking place today (5 November), over half of Americans are believed to have already placed their vote.

As to when we can expect the president-elect to be formally confirmed, well, that could be as early as Wednesday morning, or we could even be waiting days.

Your guess is as good as mine.

But stepping away from Trump vs Harris for a moment, you may have clocked that the US presidential election is always held on Tuesdays.

In fact, elections in the US have been held on the Tuesday after the first Monday for decades - but why is that?

Elections used to vary by state, but a law that was passed in 1845 meant a single election day for the entirety of the United States was brought in.

Back then, farmers made up the majority of the labor work force in the US, with much of their year taken up by busy things on the farm.

November was seen as a good time to vote, because the harvest was over, meaning famers had time to go out and vote for their preferred candidate.

So, why Tuesday out of all the days?

Well, Sunday was traditionally seen as a rest day back then, with Christians seeing it as a day of worship.

For these farmers, Wednesday was often seen as a market day, with long travel days even required for famers to sell their crops.

This would eliminate Mondays and Thursdays from becoming a polling day, so it was Tuesday that was ultimately seen as the best option.

As for it being the 'after the first Monday' in November, that prevents a US presidential election happening on November 1.

The first day of the month was seen as a no-go because some Christians would celebrate All Saints' Day, while farmers would often use November 1 to settle the books.

But of course, the number of farmers in the US has decreased massively over the years, with less than two percent of Americans working in agriculture today.

Nonetheless, having the US presidential election on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November has remained a staple in American politics, and it probably won't change anytime soon.