Presidential elections are held on the first Tuesday of November in the US, but this was not done before 1845.
According to US media, neither Donald Trump nor Kamala Harris is in clear leading position. Exit polls are showing almost equal trend.
Before 1845, there was no specific day fixed for the presidential elections as voting was held in different days in various states. The election process was used to complete in 34 days across the US. The affect of election results of the states where polling was held earlier is felt in the others cities where voting is held later. The daily life of voters was also affected due to the long process of elections.
Keeping in view the situation, it was decided to fix a day and date for the presidential elections across the US.
The Congress legislated it in 1845, and since then every presidential election has been held on the first Tuesday of November.
The question arises as to why this day (Tuesday) was chosen. The first reason was to keep the convenience of the voters in mind.
It is to be mentioned here that the population of majority of the US states until the 19th century was associated with agriculture. Peasants were used to visit markets to sell their crops on Wednesdays. Similarly, Sunday was an holiday and they go to the churches for services. On Fridays too, Christians and Muslims were used to visit churches and mosques, respectively. Saturday is also considered a day of worship.
Hence, Tuesday was chosen from Thursday and Tuesday for holding the presidential elections across the US.
