Reading Comprehension · Social Studies
Election Day
A reading lesson exploring the history of Election Day and why voting is an important part of American democracy.
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Subject
Reading Comprehension
Grade Level
Grades 4–8
Format
Lesson + Printable PDF
Access
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A Day for Voting
As you can probably tell by the name, Election Day is a day for voting. On Election Day in the United States, people go to polls to elect public officials. The biggest election is, of course, the presidential election that takes place every four years. We also elect governors, congressmen, mayors, and other state and local officials in different years.
Election Day is on the Tuesday following the first Monday of November. It may seem like a strange choice, but there is a reason for it. When the law was made, many Americans were farmers, and the farming season was usually over by November. Also, there were no cars, and people had to travel long distances to the polls. Tuesday was chosen to give people enough time to reach the polls, even when they needed to leave the day before to get there.
Why the Tuesday after the first Monday? This rule was set to prevent Election Day from ever falling on November 1st. One reason is that November 1st is All Saints Day, a holy day for Catholics. Second, many merchants were in the habit of doing their bookkeeping on the first of the month, so they would not be able to take time off to vote.
The History of Election Day
Election Day is always between November 2 and November 8. In some states, it is a legal holiday. Banks and post offices are closed. Other states allow workers to take time off on Election Day so they can vote. Some people believe that because Election Day is a workday for many Americans, many do not vote.
Election Day was not always on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. In 1792, the law stated that elections could be held on any day within a 34-day period before the first Wednesday in December. The problem was that some states voted before others. As a result, those who voted later tended to choose candidates who seemed to be ahead. In 1845, Congress chose the Tuesday after the first Monday in November as a uniform Election Day for everyone.
Voting on Election Day is an important part of being an American. Our founding fathers believed in government of the people, by the people, and for the people. To put it simply, that means we should choose our own leaders. Election Day is set aside to give everyone a fair opportunity to have a say in who our president, governors, and other leaders will be.
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