Election Day Us History

A thomas nast cartoon satirizing the compromise of 1877 that resolved the 1876 election published in i harper s weekly i february 17 1877.

Election day us history. An interactive version of each map is also available letting you change history. The president of the united states is elected to a four year term. Americans first began the custom of weekday voting in 1845 when congress passed a federal law designating the first tuesday following the first monday in november as election day.

It can fall on or between november 2 and november 8. In the united states election day is the annual day set by law for the general elections of federal public officials. It is the day when popular ballots are held to select public officials.

Credit the new york historical society getty. No one contested the election of george washington but he remained reluctant to run until the last minute in. This page links to the results of those historical elections including a larger map results and synopsis of the race.

For federal offices and most gubernatorial offices election day occurs only in even numbered years. States or in washington d c cast ballots not directly for those offices but instead for members of the electoral college. The united states holds its federal elections on the first tuesday after the first monday in november.

Held in baltimore maryland september 26 28 1831 it transformed the process by which political parties select their presidential and vice presidential candidates. Each of the 435 seats in the united states house of representatives are elected to two year terms. The first presidential election was held on the first wednesday of january in 1789.

These electors then cast direct votes known as electoral votes for president. It is statutorily set by the federal government as the tuesday next after the first monday in the month of november equaling the tuesday occurring within november 2 to november 8. The election of the president and the vice president of the united states is an indirect election in which citizens of the united states who are registered to vote in one of the fifty u s.