National Election Day | |
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Type | Day for the election of public officials in the United States |
Celebrations | Exercising civic duty, voting for elected officials, visiting polling precincts |
Date | The Tuesday after the first Monday of November |
2016 date | November 8 (Details) |
2017 date | November 7 (Details) |
2018 date | November 6 (Details) |
2019 date | November 5 (Details) |
Frequency | annual |
Related to | Super Tuesday |
In the United States, Election Day is the day set by law for the general elections of federal public officials. It is statutorily set as "the Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November" or "the first Tuesday after November 1". The earliest possible date is November 2, and the latest possible date is November 8 (as it was for the 2016 election).
For federal offices (President, Vice President, and United States Congress), Election Day occurs only in even-numbered years. Presidential elections are held every four years, in years divisible by four, in which electors for President and Vice President are chosen according to the method determined by each state. Elections to the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate are held every two years; all Representatives are elected to serve two-year terms and are up for election every two years, while Senators serve six-year terms, staggered so that one third of Senators are elected in any given general election. General elections in which presidential candidates are not on the ballot are referred to as midterm elections. Terms for those elected begin in January the following year; the President and Vice President are inaugurated ("sworn in") on Inauguration Day, which is usually on January 20.