Election Day Coverage 2008

All About Election Day in the United States
by: Stephanie Golubski

Date of 2008 US Presidential Election: Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Recent Past Dates of US Elections Observed:

• 2003: Tues, Nov 4

• 2004: Tues, Nov 2

• 2005: Tues, Nov 8

• 2006: Tues, Nov 7

• 2007: Tues, Nov 6

Congressional Elections:

The United States has a bicameral legislation, meaning two chambers or houses. The Congress is made up of elected people to the House of Representatives and the US Senate. United States Senators have 6-year terms and people elected to the House have two-year terms. There are two Senators per state and the number of elected House of Representatives is proportional to the state population.

A Short History on Election Day:

How Election Began
The Election of 1848 marked the very first Election Day. Prior to this time, voters would cast their ballots from October 31 through November 13 and the Electoral College would then meet on December 3 to determine Presidency. As political parties became a stronger presence in elections and the United States grew larger and focused more on democracy and political policies, a date was set so every eligible voter could get to the polls on the same day. November was chosen because the majority of voters were farmers and November was after the crops had been harvested and voters were able to leave their homes. A Tuesday was chosen, because elections were held in the “county seat” of each major city, and most voters had to travel to reach the polls. This insured voters never having to travel on a Sunday. Also, the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November was chosen for Election Day because it guaranteed never to fall on All Saint’s Day, an observed Catholic Holiday.

When Are Elections?
Presidential Elections are held every four years, while the Senate and the House of Representatives are elected every two years. While a Senator has 6-year terms, the elections are staggered so that every two years, one-third of the Senate has to either be re-elected or give their seat to a new Senator. This ensures both seats per state is never vacant or has 2 completely new elected officials.

Did you know..?
In the history of elections in the US, the person with the largest number of votes in the Electoral College won the Presidency and the person with the second highest number of votes won the Vice Presidency However, in 1800, the Presidential Candidates, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr were tied at 73 Electoral College votes apiece and the final decision was left in the hands of the outgoing party. Thomas Jefferson was named President. This flaw in the Constitution led to the generation of the 12th Amendment. This amendment states that electors must now distinctively choose, in their voting, for President and Vice President respectively.