Unlike many countries where elections are tied to Sunday, the United States used to hold its elections on Tuesday, a tradition dating back to the 19th century.
What do we know about this tradition and what are its origins?
According to the American network NBC, this tradition dates back to 1845. At that time, the majority of the United States population lived in rural areas, and transportation conditions were radically different from what they are today, which made moving from rural areas to polling stations take hours or days sometimes.
In addition, each state could hold its presidential elections on different dates over several weeks. This created a problem; The results of states that vote early could have affected voters in states that have not yet gone to the polls.
As a result, Congress decided to organize this process, so it issued a law on January 23, 1845 setting a unified date for the election: the Tuesday following the first Monday of November.
This rule still applies today.
Why Tuesday in November specifically?
The month of November was chosen for economic and climatic considerations. In the nineteenth century, agriculture was the backbone of the economy, and many voters lived on farms far from urban centers. So, lawmakers had to choose a date that would allow people to cast ballots without significantly impacting their farm businesses.
November provided a convenient advantage; In most parts of the country, the fall harvest had ended by this month, while the harshness of winter had not yet begun, making this a relatively good time for travel.
As for the choice of Tuesday, it came as a result of religious, social and economic considerations. Sunday was designated for rest and religious practices among a large segment of the Christian population, which made travel on that day inconvenient, while Monday was not appropriate because voters needed a day to travel and reach the polling stations. Wednesday was also often “market day” in many agricultural communities, where farmers sold their crops, making Tuesday the most appropriate choice.
Also, the first day of November was avoided, due to the possibility that it coincided with “All Saints’ Day” in America, in addition to its connection with the dates of commercial accounts held by merchants.
Demands to change the election date
Although choosing Tuesday was appropriate for the circumstances of the nineteenth century, this date has become a challenge for some voters today, especially those who work long hours or have jobs during which it is difficult for them to take time off, in addition to people who have family responsibilities or face difficulties in transporting to polling stations.
Some members of the Latino community face these difficulties in particular, given that many of them work in the restaurants, hotels, construction, cleaning, transportation, and health care sectors, areas where it may sometimes be difficult to obtain permission to be absent for a few hours.
On various occasions, proposals were raised to move the elections to the weekend, or to consider polling day as an official federal holiday, but none of these proposals changed the general date of the federal elections.
US President Donald Trump re-published a controversial, composite image that merges half of his face with half of the face of rock and roll legend Elvis Presley on the Truth Social platform, a few days before the US midterm elections.
Trump posted the photo - in which the right half of his face appears next to the left half of the "King of Rock and Roll"'s face - late Sunday night. On the same day, he told a crowd at an election rally that he would have needed only one week to resolve the Vietnam War, which had lasted nearly twenty years.
The president - whose party is going through a potentially difficult election cycle in the midterm elections - did not attach any comment to the photo of Elvis when it was published on the “Truth Social” platform, nor did he explain the reason for publishing it.
However, Trump often expressed his admiration for the legendary singer, and even awarded him - posthumously - the Presidential Medal of Freedom during his first term. Earlier this year, Trump visited Graceland - the famous mansion that was once home to Elvis - while he was in Memphis to talk about deploying federal law enforcement forces to combat crime rates, according to what the British newspaper “The Independent” reported.
“Elvis would be very happy about that,” Trump joked, referring to the decline in crime rates, then added: “I love Elvis.” During the visit, Trump also said: “All my life I have heard about (Graceland). “I lived with Elvis during a period when he was at least close to his peak, right?”
Trump's post comes just two days before millions of Americans head to the polls to participate in the midterm elections.
American voters are expected to issue their verdict on the first two years of President Trump's second term during the midterm elections today (Tuesday), and opinion polls and non-partisan analysts suggest that the Democrats will be able to seize control of the House of Representatives from the Republicans, while the fate of the Senate remains uncertain.
Donald Trump's second term was eventful, but the last two years of his term may witness more severe fluctuations if Republicans lose control of Congress in the midterm elections on Tuesday.
From resuming strikes on Iran to election challenges and fending off Democratic investigations, Trump's post-election strategy may include creating unrest on all fronts.
Analysts warn that Trump, in the “lame duck” phase of his presidency, may be more vindictive than ever before.
Peter Logue, director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University, told Agence France-Presse: “I doubt that President Trump will quietly withdraw from the scene,” and explained: “There is no indication in history that he will say, ‘I am defeated, my time is up.’” Every time Trump was backed into a corner, he raised his voice louder and came out more aggressive.
“Veto” and revenge
Trump has always seen himself as a fighter, and he made it clear that he would adopt the same approach if the Democrats won one or both chambers of Congress.
He told the New York Post podcast: “I think our performance will be great, but if we don’t win, I will veto everything.” “Then they will come to us, and we will likely make deals.”
The White House says it is also prepared to address any investigations or impeachment measures that Democrats may bring against him.
Trump said in an interview with Time magazine: “They will probably go after me, and I will go after them, too.” Trump may also direct the Department of Justice to investigate Democrats who are investigating him.
Likewise, Trump, who baselessly contested his loss in the 2020 presidential election, may interfere in the midterm elections as well, by objecting to ballot counting operations or delaying the certification of the results of disputed electoral races.
Iran war
Foreign policy is the only area in which late-term US presidents still have broad powers.
Trump may resume large-scale military operations against Iran, although he appeared to indicate on election eve that new talks could lead to an agreement with Tehran.
“I don’t think he wants to be remembered in his legacy as a warmonger,” Ryan Haass of the Brookings Institute told Agence France-Presse. He wants to leave behind a stronger America.”
Speculation has been raised that Trump may dismiss Defense Minister Pete Hegseth as the war with Iran continues, a familiar move from a president who does not like to take responsibility for failures, according to an Agence France-Presse report.
Ukraine war
Trump likes to be seen as an expert at concluding peace deals, and will likely continue to pressure Ukraine to agree to a settlement with Russia. A new round of trilateral talks (between the United States, Russia and Ukraine) is scheduled for next week.
At the same time, Trump will continue to seek a breakthrough in relations with two presidents whom he sees as his great power rivals, the Chinese Xi Jinping and the Russian Vladimir Putin. The three are likely to meet at a summit in China later this month.
Haass believed that it is also likely that the United States will continue to reduce its engagement with some of its NATO allies and other Western allies, and that it may even work to accelerate this process.
As for trade, Trump is likely to remain “relentlessly active,” as evidenced by his recent hostility toward Canada, according to Haass.
The focus of attention
Trump likes to be in the spotlight, and he is unlikely to like the shift in attention toward potential successors in the 2028 US presidential election.
Trump has taken a very ambiguous position about supporting either his Vice President, J.D. Vance, or Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, for the position, but Trump has largely stopped hinting at the possibility of running for a third term, which is prohibited by the Constitution.
Lincoln Monument
Like other people preparing for retirement, Trump may choose to focus on restoration projects and repairs.
In his closing midterm election speech, Trump barely talked about politics and instead touched on the renovation of the “Reflecting Pool” adjacent to the Lincoln Memorial and other plans to beautify Washington. Trump openly expressed his desire to leave his own mark on Washington for fear that others would not do so. “We have a lot of great things planned for Washington,” he said Monday at the Reflecting Pool.
