Final answer:
Congress decided to hold Congressional elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November for several reasons related to agricultural practices, religious observance, and business practices.
Step-by-step explanation:
The decision to hold Congressional elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November was made for several reasons. Firstly, the United States was primarily an agricultural country during the time of this decision, and November allowed time for the fall harvest to be brought in and the farming season to end. Secondly, many states restricted voting to property-owning males over twenty-one, and farmers made up a significant portion of voters. Lastly, the decision to hold elections on a Tuesday ensured that voters were not impeded by a weekend religious observance and allowed businesses to close their books on the first day of the month without interfering with voting.
Congress chose the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November for federal general elections to accommodate farmers' schedules post-harvest, avoid religious observances, and bypass early month business accounting practices. This date has been used for presidential elections since the mid-1800s and for Congress since 1872, reflecting the agricultural nature of the country at the time and functioning as a linking institution for citizens to express their policy preferences.
Since its establishment, Congress has the authority to set the date for presidential elections. This tradition began in the mid-1800s, with elections taking place on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November. The decision to hold elections on a Tuesday in November was influenced by a variety of factors.
Farmers, who made up the majority of voters at the time, were busy with the harvest in early November. By scheduling elections after this period, it allowed them ample time to vote. Additionally, to avoid conflicts with religious observance typically associated with the weekend, a Tuesday was chosen. Furthermore, since many businesses conducted monthly accounting at the beginning of each month, holding elections after the first Monday avoided interference with these activities, hence ensuring that Election Day fell between the second and eighth of the month.
In the United States, the general elections serve as a linking institution between the government and the citizens' preferences. The results of these elections indicate to elected officials the public policy desires of the electorate, as per John Locke's Social Contract theory.
Per the Constitution's Clause 4 Section 1, while states organize congressional elections, Congress standardized these elections across the country by establishing a common Election Day. Thus, the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November became a uniform date for voting in federal general elections, including for congressmen, senators, and the presidency on a staggered schedule.