Election Day 2023: Date, Background, Facts About Election

President Grant faced off against Horace Greeley in 1872; however, Greeley passed away during the course of the election.

Election Day 2023: Election Day is observed on the first Tuesday following the initial Monday of November, which this year falls on November 7. Voting is a civic duty that encompasses the selection of public officials at all levels, from the local to the national. In years divisible by four, presidential elections occur every four years; in contrast, elections to the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate occur every two years. There may be additional elections for state and local governments in any year that the relevant state specifies.

Election Day 2023: Background

The only thing that distinguishes a democracy from a dictatorship is elections, which grant citizens the ability to remove their leaders without resorting to revolution. This day is a great opportunity to show our appreciation for the rights that the democratic system has granted us.

On January 7, 1789, the electors for the inaugural presidential election of the United States were selected. Every state was granted the authority to select Presidential electors and forward them to the Electoral College for any period of 34 days, as mandated by federal law. This became a problem with the development of communications and transportation, as states that voted earlier could exert influence over states that voted later. In order to mitigate this, Congress enacted a law mandating a standardized national date for the selection of electors.

On January 23, 1845, the first Tuesday following the first Monday was designated as Election Day for future presidents. It was determined that this period was appropriate for elections, given that the harvest would have concluded. Voters could attend church on a Sunday and commute to their polling stations on a Monday, making Tuesday a more convenient day. This gave the farmers the opportunity to cast their votes prior to Wednesday, the customary day when farmers would vend their produce at the market.

Election Day was initially observed on November 7, 1848. The Whig Party candidate, Zachary Taylor, defeated the Democratic candidate, Lewis Cass, and the Free-Soil candidate and former president, Martin Van Buren. Millard Fillmore, the running companion of John Taylor, assumed the presidency of the United States on July 10, 1850, following the premature demise of Taylor.

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