We are going to go with a Professor named Robert J. Dinkin, of California State University, Fresno, who specializes in the history of U.S. election. Although Dinkin says he has never seen anything written on the subject, he does have an interesting conjecture. Hallowmas, also knows as All Saints’ Day, was celebrated in most locales on November 1. Although candy companies have now insured that Hallow’s Eve is the bigger holiday, All Saints’ Day was a major celebration in the past. Therefore, as Dinkin speculates: “By making elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday, no such scheduling conflict could occur.” We could only find one other conjecture, from Megan Gillispie, of the League of Women Voters, who claims that the contorted “first Tuesday after the first Monday’ language was simply an attempt to prevent elections from landing on the first day of month “because merchants were busy closing their accounting books and courthouses were often busy with beginning of the month business.” No one seems able to find any primary sources to bolster their arguments. Can any of you? Submitted by Barry Gluck of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
