Talk:Election Day (United States)

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A fact from this article was featured on Wikipedia's Main Page in the On this day section on November 2, 2004, November 7, 2006, November 6, 2007, November 4, 2008, November 3, 2009, November 2, 2010, November 6, 2012, and November 3, 2020.

November 8

Since 1845, Election Day was on November 8 (the second, rather than the first, Tuesday) in the following years: 1853, 1859, 1864, 1870, 1881, 1887, 1892, 1898, 1904, 1910, 1921, 1927, 1932, 1938, 1949, 1955, 1960, 1966, 1977, 1983, 1988, 1994, 2005, and 2011. In the next 100 years, Election Day will fall on November 8 in 2016, 2022, 2033, 2039, 2044, 2050, 2061, 2067, 2072, 2078, 2089, 2095, 2101, 2107, and 2112. GeoffreyT2000 (talk) 19:20, 21 February 2015 (UTC)[reply]

A method of calculating the "period between Election Day and the first Wednesday in December"

The first Wednesday in December occurs on the 1st thru the 7th; for calculation purposes, they may be thought of as November 31st thru 37th. The first Tuesday after the first Monday in November (Election Day) occurs on the 2nd thru the 8th. The set of differences between the two sets of dates is { (31 - 8 = 23) thru (37 - 2 = 35) }. The difference between a date on a Wednesday in December and a date on a Tuesday in November must be a multiple of 7, plus one (7a + 1). The only difference in the set {23 thru 35} meeting this criterion is 29; hence, the period between Election Day and the first Wednesday in December is always 29 days. Login54321 (talk) 06:15, 3 April 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Another method of calculating the "period between Election Day and the first Wednesday in December": The difference between the two sets of dates above is (31 - 2) thru (37 - 8) = 29 .  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 27.154.63.66 (talk) 03:03, 22 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

The date of election day

A formula for determining the date of election day in any year will be added to the article. In doing so, it needs your kind help.

The formula is ED ＝ 8 -（[y/4] x 5 + y mod 4 + c）mod 7,

where ED stands for Election Day,

y is the last two digits of the year (i.e. if the year is 1984, y = 84 and if y > 28, take the result of y mod 28),
c is 1 for century years mod 400 = 000, 6 for those = 100, 4 for those = 200, and 2 for those = 300.

For the year of 2016 (y is 16 and c is 1),

ED = 8 - ([16/4] x 5 + 16 mod 4 + 1) mod 7 = 8 - (20 + 0 + 1) mod 7 = 8 - 0 = 8.
The date was November 8.

For the year of 1987 (y is 87 mod 28 = 3 and c is 2),

ED = 8 - ([3/4] x 5 + 3 mod 4 + 2) mod 7 = 8 - (0 + 3 + 2) mod 7 = 8 - 5 = 3.
The date was November 3.

For the year of 1853 (y is 53 mod 28 = 25 and c is 4),

ED = 8 - ([25/4] x 5 + 25 mod 4 + 4) mod 7 = 8 - (30 + 1 + 4) mod 7 = 8 - 0 = 8.
The date was November 8.

For the year of 2112 (y is 12 and c is 6),

ED = 8 - ([12/4] x 5 + 12 mod 4 + 6) mod 7 = 8 - (15 + 0 + 6) mod 7 = 8 - 0 = 8.
The date will be November 8.

For the date of presidential election, the formula can be as ED = 8 -（y/4 x 5 + c）mod 7.

27.154.63.66 (talk) 03:20, 27 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

The first paragraph lacks clarity of how the date is calculated for odd numbered years. If as you have shown it is the same formula for both odd and even numbered years, then this needs to be clearly stated in the first paragraph. TheeFactChecker (talk) 12:32, 28 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Updating the table of election dates

The table shows 2000 to 2020. As we are now in 2017 it would seem more appropriate to move the table on by a decade so that the past 7 years could be verified and the next 10 or more viewed.

This could be coupled with the addition of the calculation formula as also mentioned on this talk page.

Sound reasonable? — Preceding unsigned comment added by TafThorne (talk • contribs) 09:06, 7 November 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Election Day is not a civic holiday in New York

Election Day is not a true civic holiday in New York! Schools are open, banks are open. I believe it only applies to state workers, or maybe just NYC workers whose unions have not bargained it away. What IS a "civic holiday"? Mwanner | Talk 22:05, 19 November 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Veterans Day ALWAYS falls on 11 November

Veterans Day does not "typically" fall on 11 November 11. It is ALWAYS on 11 November. That is the date when remembrance ceremonies and parades honouring veterans are held. Whoever wrote that it "typically falls" on 11 November is thinking of the day off that federal employees get.

When 11 November falls on Saturday, federal employees take the holiday on Friday, 10 November - because they already get Saturday off. When 11 November falls on Sunday, federal employees take the holiday on Monday, 12 November - because they already get Sunday off.

Likewise, when 25 December falls on Saturday, federal employees take the holiday on Friday, 24 November - because they already get Saturday off. When 25 December falls on Sunday, federal employees take the holiday on Monday, 26 December - because they already get Sunday off. And yet no one says that "Christmas typically falls on 25 December." Christmas ALWAYS falls on 25 December; and 25 December is ALWAYS the official date on the federal holiday. But when that official date falls on the weekend, the day off that federal employees get is shifted to the nearest weekday.

NOTA BENE; For most of the United States ONLY federal, state and local government employees get the day off on Veterans Day. For the vast majority of Americans, 11 November is an ordinary working day like any other ordinary working day - unless it falls on the weekend.

Also FYI, the Monday Holiday Bill attempted to move Veterans Day from 11 November to the last Monday in October. That did not last because it put us out of sync with the rest of the world, which observes Remembrance Day (which we call Veterans Day or Armistice Day) on 11 November; and because the Veterans strongly disliked it. They felt treating the day like any other public holiday trivialised the sacrifices they made. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:645:C300:1648:20B2:CBD5:33E0:AB6C (talk) 21:42, 12 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Statutes at Large are not Accurate Citations

Many of the sources reference are cited as "Statutes at Large." After an Act is enacted it temporarily becomes a Statute at Large until it is placed into the United States Code. To cite to the Statute at Large instead of the US Code is not an accurate way of citing the law in the American legal system. Unless there's a valid reason to cite to the temporary Statutes at Large, we should amend those references to refer to the more permanent/accurate US Code.CarlsonC (talk) 18:58, 27 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

illogical explanation of why Tuesday

Our source is actually better than our deficient quote of it, but it only explains why Sundays and Wednesdays couldn't be used for traveling and why thus also the following Mondays and Thursdays couldn't be election days. I wasn't able to find any source that explains why Fridays or Saturdays weren't chosen (both of which in fact seem better than Tuesdays sandwiched between traveling to church and market). --Espoo (talk) 02:18, 15 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

You're right, I'm researching this stuff for my thesis and I can't find any logical explanation as for why Fridays weren't chosen, they're the perfect day since they're a travel day away from both Wednesdays and Sundays. I get that it's a "compromise", but there clearly was a better choice, right? --Merckill95 (talk) 10:20, 27 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

You are forgetting that they would still be going to town on Wednesday for market day. By putting election day on Tuesday they would be travelling on Monday, voting on Tuesday, doing market on Wednesday, and travelling on Thursday. If you put the election day on Friday, people would be travelling on Tuesday, doing their buying and selling on Wednesday, doing nothing on Thursday, voting on Friday, and travelling on Saturday. With possibly not enough time to prepare for Sunday when they got home. Putting election day on Friday thus uses 5 days instead of 4. --Khajidha (talk) 12:21, 15 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Friday and Saturday are religious sabbath days according to some. Perhaps that is the reason. — $Q$ uantling (talk | contribs) 23:04, 28 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]