Election Day 2016

Election Day

Election Day in the United States takes place after every four year. It takes place in November and is held on the Tuesday right after the first Monday. November 2 is the earliest possible date, while November 8 is the last possible date.

On Election Day, popular ballots are held to select public officials. Apart from the President, the Vice President and other national, state and local government representatives are elected on this day.

Voting is held in various states in different ways. In the majority of the states, people vote at the voting stations and stand in long lines for their turn. However, Oregon is an elections-by-mail state. Here people cast their votes by post. All posts have to be received at a given time on Election Day. In the state of Washington too, nearly all people vote by post. The envelopes comprising the voting papers have to be postmarked with the date of the Election Day.

Election Day is not a holiday for most Americans; however, it is a civic holiday in some states such as New York, Delaware, Ohio, Montana, West Virginia, Kentucky, Hawaii and New Jersey. Election Day is a holiday in the territory of Puerto Rico. Some other states require that workers should take some time off without loss of pay so that they vote on Election Day. According to the California Elections Code Section 14000, workers who are otherwise unable to vote must be permitted to take two hours off without pay. This can be done at the beginning or the end of their shift.

Prior to 1845, there was no uniform date on which elections were to be held. In 1792, the federal law allowed each state to conduct presidential elections in the state on any day in a 34-day period. This was to be done before the first Wednesday of December. However, in 1845, a uniform date was instituted by the Congress for choosing presidential electors.

Election Day in 2016 falls on November 8 when the country would choose its next president, Vice President and other officials. In 2020, Election Day would be held on Tuesday, November 3.