On early decisions

A print in The Illustrated London News of Dec. 3, 1864, depicts Election Day in New York. From The Library of Congress.

When you’re building a business, a family, a career… or a country, early decisions tend to stick. Decide carefully. Inertia is powerful.

For example, Election Day for Americans is always a Tuesday in early November. Officially, it’s "the Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November.”

Why a Tuesday?

Voting in the middle of the week isn’t convenient.

Saturday would be better.

But in 1845, when Americans decided Election Day would fall on a Tuesday, we were a country of farmers. Farmers often worked and lived far from their polling place. They needed at least one day to travel and cast their vote. Sometimes two.

Weekends wouldn’t work, since most people spent Sundays in church. Wednesday was market day for farmers, so that was out too.

So in the mid-19th century, Tuesday was selected as the most convenient day of the week to hold elections.

And why November?

A spring or early summer election would interfere with planting season. A late summer or early fall election would interrupt the harvest. The best time was after the harvest was complete, but before the arrival of harsh winter weather.

So we vote on a Tuesday in early November.

And it hasn’t changed in 175 years.