The election day is observed every year on 2 November. Tuesday is chosen as election day so that voters can go to church on Sunday, go to the polling place on Monday, and vote before Wednesday, which is usually the time when farmers sell their products in the market. This is the day when we vote for public officials-from local to the national government. Other state and local government elections can be held in any year designated by the state.
History of Election Day
Elections are what separates democracy from dictatorship. It gives people the right to control their leaders and oust them without the need for revolution. This day is a great way to express our gratitude for these rights granted to us through the concept of democracy. The electors were elected in the first U.S. presidential election held on January 7, 1789. Federal law allows each state to select presidential electors at any time within 34 days and send their electors to the electoral college. With the development of communications and transportation, this becomes a problem because states that vote earlier may affect states that vote later. To prevent this from happening, Congress responded by mandating a unified national election date.
January 23, 1845, the first Tuesday after the first Monday was chosen as the election day of the future president. Since the harvest is over, this time is considered suitable for elections. Tuesday is convenient because voters can go to church on Sunday and polling stations on Monday. This allows farmers to vote before Wednesday, which is usually the time when farmers sell their products in the market. On November 7, 1848, the first election day was held. Whig Party candidate Zachary Taylor defeated Liberty Soil candidate and former President Martin Van Buren and Democratic candidate Lewis Cass. Taylor’s running mate, Millard Fillmore, became the 13th President of the United States on July 10, 1850 after Taylor’s untimely death.
Celebration of Election Day
Go out to vote
Every ticket is important. Election is very essential for the changes we want. Unless we make an effort, we cannot expect things to get better, and this effort starts with a simple vote. So be sure to vote on this election day.
Let others join
Encourage others to vote too. Start with your friends, family, or colleagues and explain to them the importance of voting and why every vote is important.
Take people to vote
Provide ride service to public opinion polls. This is a good way to ensure that people vote. Before election day, inform people that you will provide a ride to the polling station. Let them board the plane and take them to the polling station.
Interesting Facts about Election and Vote
In most places, elections are held on Sundays.
Voters in the United States may go to polling stations on Tuesday, but voters in other parts of the world prefer to keep their votes until Sunday. In Canada, citizens vote on Monday, while the British vote on Thursday, and Australians and New Zealanders vote on Saturday.
India is so big that its elections may take weeks.
India has more than 800 million qualified voters, which makes it the largest democracy in the world. In order to accommodate such a large number of voters, the government will hold elections within a few weeks or even months.
Voters in Sweden and France are automatically registered.
People in France and Sweden do not need to worry about taking time to register before election day. The government automatically registers voters when they meet the conditions-in France, as long as people are 18 years of age or older.
Voting in Australia is mandatory.
The law requires every Australian over the age of 18 to register to vote and participate in federal elections.
In Estonia, you can vote online.
Since 2005, Estonians have been able to vote online without having to wait in line at the local polling station. Although in-person voting is still more popular, in 2015, more than 30% of Estonian voters used the online voting system.
In Chile, until 2012, men and women voted separately.
Beginning in 1930—when Chile gave women the right to vote in local elections for the first time—men and women went to different voting locations. That year, a separate registry was established to accommodate newly registered female voters, who are still prohibited from voting in national elections. Even after the right to vote in the 1949 national elections, the custom of separating men and women on election day still exists.
The Queen of England is eligible to vote.
There is no law in the UK that prohibits Queen Elizabeth II from participating in elections. But in order to be as objective as possible, she usually does not use creativity where literacy is a problem.
Astronauts can vote.
Astronauts on the International Space Station have had the right to vote since 1997, when Texas lawmakers passed a measure to allow the Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas to send secure ballots to space.
