Katie Couric's Notebook: Why We Vote Today
Video: It's finally here: election day.
All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up, a third of the Senate, and 36 governorships. Clearly, a lot is at stake.
But have you ever thought about why our elections have to be held now…"the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November?"
Congress picked November because--back in 1845, when more than 60% of the country lived on farms--November was when harvest work was done.
Tuesday was chosen because many people had to travel a day or longer to get to a polling place…and most Americans wouldn't travel on a Sunday.
Why not just "the first Tuesday in November?" Because November 1st is All Saints Day,a Christian holy day. Another reason for avoiding the first of the month may have been because that was when many shopkeepers did their books.
With all the trouble that went into picking a convenient election day, the least we can do today is go out and vote.
That's a page from my notebook.