LTuesday, November 5, is Jean-Pierre Papin’s birthday, but also theElection Day 2024 in the United States. Unlike the French, who elect their president in the spring, the Americans choose the tenant of the White House (and other representatives) in the middle of autumn.
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This tradition stems from an 1845 law setting the election of “electors”, those individuals responsible for appointing the president based on the popular vote in their respective states, to the Tuesday following the first Monday in November. Why this choice?
Like other aspects of the electoral system across the Atlantic, it is a relic of another time. During the first presidential elections at the end of the 18th centurye century, American society was rural and agrarian, and travel was long and sometimes dangerous. It was therefore necessary to find a time in the year when farmers could leave their farm and fields for at least one day.
“November seemed like a good option because the weather was relatively good and the harvest was over,” explains David Greenberg, professor of history at Rutgers University (New Jersey). It was a good window for making long trips to the city to vote. »
The telegraph revolution
Until the first half of the 19th centurye century, the federated states were free to set their own Election Day as long as it took place within the thirty-four days preceding the first Wednesday in December, the time when the electoral college was to assemble. Result: endless presidential elections. That of 1844 lasted from 1is November to December 4!
But the development of the telegraph will change the situation. “The places that voted last could instantly see the results in the rest of the country thanks to the rise of this technology,” continues David Greenberg. To avoid distorting the vote, Congress therefore decided to adopt the law of 1845 establishing a uniform date at the national level for the presidential election (a provision which would then be extended to other votes).
In addition to setting in stone the month of November, it dedicates Tuesday as election day. Here again, this choice owes nothing to chance. It could not be Sunday, a time of worship, or Wednesday, because of the market, which is unmissable for farmers. Monday was also out of the question, because voters would have had to sacrifice their Sunday to get to the polling booth. So Tuesday seemed the best option at the time.
The rush for “early voting”
This decision is being challenged today. During the week, it is sometimes difficult to take time off from work to go vote, especially when you have to wait in line for hours to fill your “ballot”. This reality partly explains the enthusiasm around “early voting” (early voting), which was developed during the pandemic to relieve congestion in offices.
During the 2020 elections, 70% of voters had fulfilled their civic duty before theElection Dayin person or by correspondence. In 2024, citizens of several states (Virginia, Minnesota, etc.) began voting in September. Some therefore no longer speak of election “day”, but of “season”.
