Us Presidential Election Day History

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.

Us presidential election day history. No one contested the election of george washington but he remained reluctant to run until the last minute in. These electors then cast direct votes known as electoral votes for president. States or in washington d c cast ballots not directly for those offices but instead for members of the electoral college.

The 2020 united states presidential election is scheduled for tuesday november 3 2020. Voters will select presidential electors who in turn will vote on december 14 2020 to either elect a new president and vice president or reelect the incumbents donald trump and mike pence respectively. The election of 1804 was the first one in which the electors voted for president and vice president on separate ballots.

The united states holds its federal elections on the first tuesday after the first monday in november. Through 2016 there have been 58 presidential elections. The president of the united states is elected to a four year term.

For the original method of electing the president and the vice president elections of 1789 1792 1796 and 1800 see article ii section 1 of the constitution. In the united states election day is the annual day set by law for the general elections of federal public officials. The first presidential election was held on the first wednesday of january in 1789.

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 will be the 59th quadrennial presidential election. In a united states presidential election the popular vote is the total number or percentage of votes cast for a candidate by voters in the 50 states and washington d c.

The candidate who gets the most votes nationwide is said to have won the popular vote however the popular vote is not used to determine who is elected as the nation s president or vice president. 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. An interactive version of each map is also available letting you change history.