Election Day

noun

1. (in the U.S.) the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November on which national elections are held for electors of the president and vice president in those years evenly divisible by four. On even years constituents elect members of the House of Representatives for two-year terms and one third of the Senate for six-year terms.
2. (often lowercase) any day designated for the election of public officials.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Election Day¹

First recorded in 1640–50

Example Sentences

Despite repeated claims from GOP corners that the United States gave Donald Trump a "mandate" on Election Day, the president-elect has still not secured a majority of the popular vote.

From Salon

On Election Day, Bolden and Thomas each won by more than 20 points, with backing from outside groups, including Planned Parenthood and the ACLU.

From Slate

There were, of course, also setbacks on Election Day for progressive judicial candidates.

From Slate

California law requires that ballots be counted as long as they are postmarked by election day and arrive at the registrar’s office within a week of the election.

From Los Angeles Times

The phenomenon occurs in districts where in-person voting on election day is skewed toward Republicans, while mail ballots counted later trend toward Democrats.

From Los Angeles Times

More About Election Day

What is Election Day?

Election Day (when capitalized this way) is the name used in the U.S. for the day on which national elections are held.

The lowercase election day is used as a general term for any day that an election is held.

In the U.S., national elections involve the election of the president (on years divisible by four) and members of the House of Representatives and Senate (on even years).

However, Election Day also usually involves state and local elections. Voters typically vote on national, state, and local elections using the same ballot. Voting on Election Day has traditionally been done in person at polling places, but many places also allow early and mail voting.

Election Day is a holiday in some states, and some voting advocates have called for Election Day to become a national holiday to make it easier for everyone to vote.

When is Election Day?

In the U.S., Election Day (for national elections) is held on the Tuesday immediately after the first Monday in November. It’s not necessarily the first Tuesday in November—if November started on a Tuesday, for example, Election Day would fall on the second Tuesday.

In 2023, Election Day falls on November 7. In 2024, it falls on November 5.

More information and context on Election Day

In the U.S., the tradition of holding Election Day on a Tuesday in November dates back to 1845, when it was codified by law. The day is thought to have been chosen to accommodate farmers, particularly by avoiding the harvest season, market days, winter weather, and the necessity of traveling to vote during the weekend (since many observed Sunday as a day of worship and rest).

Today, many people often point out that holding election day during a weekday is often prohibitive for those who have to work, especially those who cannot afford to miss work. Voting advocates often cite statistics showing that this disproportionately affects people of color. Some have proposed making Election Day a federal holiday to make it easier for people to vote and to increase voter turnout. In addition, many voting advocates support early voting opportunities and voting by mail, which would allow people to vote without needing to go to a polling place on Election Day.

What are some terms that often get used in discussing Election Day?

• election
• vote
• ballot
• polling place
• president
• Senate
• House of Representatives
• midterms

How is Election Day discussed in real life?

In the U.S., the capitalized term Election Day refers to the day that national elections are held—it’s always a Tuesday in November. The lowercase term election day can refer to any day on which an election is held.

Iowa Republicans passed a bill that would both shorten the state's early voting period and shave an hour off of Election Day voting. GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds just signed it into law, @sgrubermiller reports https://t.co/YcJeFA74gt

— Zach Montellaro (@ZachMontellaro) March 8, 2021

Breaking: House passes #HR1 220-210, most important democracy reform bill since Voting Rights Act. Includes big pro-voter policies like automatic & Election Day registration, 2 weeks early voting, no excuse absentee voting, independent redistricting & public financing elections

— Ari Berman (@AriBerman) March 4, 2021

Absolutely, and Election Day should be a National Day off. 😊 https://t.co/qfHCSyXNeI

— lucy 🇺🇸 🆘😊💙🇺🇦 (@LucyK123lucy) March 3, 2021

 

 

Try using Election Day!

True or False?

Elections on Election Day can involve both national, state, and local offices.