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Trivia answer
What was the first presidential election held on the same day in every state?
a. 1792
b. 1824
c. 1848
d. 1912
The first presidential election which took place on the same day in each state was the 1848 election.
Under the initial framework for presidential elections established by Congress in 1792, states were free to hold elections to determine who they would send to the Electoral College at any time during a 34-day window before the first Wednesday in December. As the speed of communication increased following the introduction of the railroad and telegraph, the results of elections in states which voted earlier influenced voters in states voting later. In 1845, Congress passed a law which established Election Day, requiring that states which hold a popular vote to determine their presidential electors do so on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November. The act was amended to include congressional elections in 1872.[1][2]
Tuesday was selected as Election Day owing to the primarily agrarian nature of American society at the time. Tuesday elections allowed voters to attend Sunday church services and still have a full day to travel to their polling places while also avoiding conflict with market day, traditionally a Wednesday.[3]
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