Voting on a Tuesday in November isn’t as arbitrary as it seems. The month marked the end of harvest, and it offered mild weather for traveling voters. In 1845, Congress passed a law mandating that the presidential Election Day would be held every four years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in the month. Tuesday was chosen as Election Day so that voters could attend church on Sunday, travel to the polling location (usually in the county seat) on Monday, and vote before Wednesday, which was usually when farmers would sell their produce at the market. By 1792, federal law permitted each state to choose Presidential electors any time within a 34-day period before the first Wednesday in December. A November election was convenient because the harvest would have been completed but the most severe winter weather, impeding transportation, would not yet have arrived, while the new election results also would roughly conform to a new year.
Pick your own reason to celebrate what’s important to you, civic, religious or educational. Here are a few special days (and reasons) to chose from.
November 4th is Common Sense Day
November 8th National STEM/STEAM Day
November 9th World Freedom Day
November 10th U.S. Marine Corps Birthday
November 11th Veterans Day
November 15th National Philanthropy Day (prepare for GiveMiamiDay on November 18th!)
November 16th International Day for Tolerance
November 17th World Peace Day,
November 20th Family Volunteer Day (Saturday before Thanksgiving)
November 24th What Do You Love About America Day (day before Thanksgiving)
November 25th Thanksgiving Day (fourth Thursday)
November 26th Native American Heritage Day (day after Thanksgiving).
