Did the Founders Intentionally make it hard for regular people to vote?

[EMNofSeattle]

No.

It was merely the sign of the times.

200+ years ago, voting on Sunday was not possible because everyone was a religious bigot and it was the „Day of the Lord“ and you should rest on that day.

Later, with the immigration of Jews, Saturday and therefore Sabbat, was also not possible because you shall not vote on that day either.

Therefore, no weekend or Sunday voting like in most European countries.

Today, you can easily vote on all days though by requesting a mail ballot, so it’s not an issue any longer.

Requesting one is fairly easy here in Austria, so saying „I had no time to vote“ etc. is just a lame excuse.

But the outdated US constitution just shows how out of step it is with today’s needs and problems.

Increases in mobility at lower cost means it is actually easier to vote on Tuesday and thus less need for accommodation

 

[KingLeo]

Yes.
The Founders set the system up so only the wealthy, white men who were land owners were allowed to vote

 

[Perotista]

By Constitutional decree, US elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Why the ****? Seriously, why Tuesday?

I suspect it was done to prevent the average working man from participating.

What say you?

Tuesday was chosen as Election Day so that voters could attend church on Sunday, travel to the polling location (usually in the county seat) on Monday, and vote before Wednesday, which was usually when farmers would sell their produce at the market.[

Election Day (United States) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Fishking]

By Constitutional decree, US elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Why the ****? Seriously, why Tuesday?

I suspect it was done to prevent the average working man from participating.

What say you?

I think there were a decent amount of problems/barriers to voting originally. There was a lot of still trying to figure things out back then. I think for a bit you had to be a landowner to vote, and also only white men could vote.

 

[HIP56948]

Why don't we just issue cards like bank/credit cards. When you vote, you'll be facing a camera with face recognition.

 

[Rumpel]

By Constitutional decree, US elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Why the ****? Seriously, why Tuesday?

I suspect it was done to prevent the average working man from participating.

What say you?

Good question!

And why not Sunday - as in many other countries?

 

[NewfieMom]

I think there were a decent amount of problems/barriers to voting originally. There was a lot of still trying to figure things out back then. I think for a bit you had to be a landowner to vote, and also only white men could vote.

[number}

 

[Patriotic Voter]

By Constitutional decree, US elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Seriously, why Tuesday?

I suspect it was done to prevent the average working man from participating.

I always wondered why Election Day is on Tuesday too, but what does that have to do with who votes? It could be Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday and we would be asking the same question.

 

[Deuce]

How hard is it to stop by the poll in the morning on the way to work, or in the evening on the way home?

The level of privilege it requires to ask a question like this, yeesh.

 

[smarcescens]

Good question!

And why not Sunday - as in many other countries?

Sunday in November, are you out of your mind ? With this country's devotion to the NFL (almost religious-like) there would be the lowest voter turn out ever.

 

[smarcescens]

Yes.
The Founders set the system up so only the wealthy, white men who were land owners were allowed to vote

Actually, I saw this history show and the founders had nothing to do with current voting day. Wasn't until 1840 something that congress codified this day. Mainly because of our farming centered society at the time. I guess it could be changed now, but what's the problem. Polls are open 12 or 13 hours, absentee ballots, early voting, etc.

 

[Captain Adverse]

No.

It was merely the sign of the times.

200+ years ago, voting on Sunday was not possible because everyone was a religious bigot and it was the „Day of the Lord“ and you should rest on that day.

Later, with the immigration of Jews, Saturday and therefore Sabbat, was also not possible because you shall not vote on that day either.

Therefore, no weekend or Sunday voting like in most European countries.

Today, you can easily vote on all days though by requesting a mail ballot, so it’s not an issue any longer.

Requesting one is fairly easy here in Austria, so saying „I had no time to vote“ etc. is just a lame excuse.

But the outdated US constitution just shows how out of step it is with today’s needs and problems.

A pure Democracy almost never works, except in small groups with similar goals and ideals. Perhaps (as with Greece) the size of a City-State.

But even in Greek City-States, it often became a "tyranny of the majority" controlled by demagogues.

The "Founding Fathers" recognized this when creating our "Republic."

Full Definition of republic:

1a(1): a government having a chief of state who is not a monarch and who in modern times is usually a president
(2): a political unit (such as a nation) having such a form of government
b(1): a government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to law
(2): a political unit (such as a nation) having such a form of government

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/republic

We are already seeing how mob rule works in several States over the last 2 years. The Democrats are currently seeking to make this a "One Party Rule" system.

Notable places One-Party rule exists?

Peoples Republic of China,
North Korea,
Islamic Republic of Iran,
Venezuela,
The old Soviet Union, and seemingly now the current Russian Republic

So yes, the Founding Fathers preferred a Republican form over a purely Democratic one.

 

[ALiberalModerate]

I fail to see how voting on Tuesday or any other day for that manner could keep anyone from voting. We have absentee voting, early voting and on election day the time allotted for voting far exceeds any normal working shift.

The absentee voting and early voting are pretty new in most states.

 

[ALiberalModerate]

We are already seeing how mob rule works in several States over the last 2 years. The Democrats are currently seeking to make this a "One Party Rule" system.

This is utter nonsense. The Republicans don't even accept the legitimacy of democratic elections that don't go their way as evidenced by the fact that even today, we have Trump and most of his followers asserting the 2020 election was stolen with no more evidence than they lost it. A party that will not accept the results of an election is a party that wants a "One Party Rule" system, even if that means governing with the support of a minority of voters.

 

[RealityNow]

Let me give you some historical background here: I have studied all of the U.S elections and U.S presidents.

In the beginning, only wealthy(landowning/politically connected), white males could vote. It was the original intention for "sophisticated people" to vote. The 1824 presidential election between Adams, Jackson, Crawford, and Clay, were when the rules were slightly relaxed. You had to be white and male.

The other big thing is that elections didn't start on the first Tuesday of November. It used to be that elections occurred over a months time period (34 day window) anywhere between late October and early December. Each state decided when their elections took place. It was changed after the 1844 presidential election between James K. Polk and Henry Clay. The changed happened for two reasons: States influenced how other states would vote (Think how our primaries are today), and they needed to accommodate the farmers. Sunday was church day, so they couldn't work. Wednesday was market day. Tuesday was the compromised because it gave the farmers enough time to travel to their polling location and get home on time.

The only reason we have a Two Party system is because of the wealthy vs the working class and the poor. it began as the wealthy claiming democracy for themselves, and considering the working class as its servants and subjects. They started that madness when white nationalist first said, that only the wealthy, the industrialist, the business owners and land owners could vote. They only accepted the poor white man to vote, because they could control his vote and direct it to themselves. They created counting slave at 3/5 of a person only for the sake of slave holder to increase their voter number, when slaves did not have a choice to be not be counted by the slave holder, the slaves were not allowed to vote. They would not have given their vote to the slave holder.

The Preamble has laid out our Principles and Values, and NOTHING has ever been included in the Declaration of Independence, The Preamble, or The Constitution that says American has to have a Two Party System.

• We have a Congress composed of a Senate and House of Representatives as the checks and balances.

It is up to THE PEOPLE to be informed and knowledgeable of the Civics of Representative Democracy, which gives each person ONE VOTE, and one can only vote for or against something. That means, there is no need for two parties.

The governing systems established and create Public Schools, at no cost to the Citizens, so it could develop and Educated Society, who could and would advance "America's Representative Democracy" as knowledgeable person who could cast a vote based on information and knowledge of what accords with the Principles and Values of The Preamble.

Representative Democracy was not designed for an Uneducated Society.

__________________________________________________​

Early America, the majority of the general public were uneducated, they could not read nor write, they came here looking for riches, and some came looking for work, many had no idea of what Representative Democracy was or is. They did not understand that Freedom, did not mean, do anything, any way, at any time by any means, against and upon anyone or anything. Freedom is a responsibly, granted by the powers of the Governance System. It manages that through Regulatory Principles and Policy, which sums to be Regulatory Governing. The Federal Government stands above State Governance in establishing and administering Regulatory policy and Regulatory standards. We have branches within Governance, The Executive, The Legislative and The Judicial. All to ensure that we meet the principles and values laid out in The Preamble, and the Constitution is designed with Articles to address the necessity of system and process of how we adhere to the Principles and Values of The Preamble.

The Declaration of Independence gave us the right of Nation to Govern yourself as a Sovereign Nation. They chose a Republic Format of Representative Governance, to facilitate the principle of a Government By The People, and For The People.

 

[RealityNow]

Yes.
The Founders set the system up so only the wealthy, white men who were land owners were allowed to vote

Simply because they were considered as "the educated" who were thought to understand the principles and value of "Representative Democracy"
Representative Democracy was not designed by or for an Uneducated Society to Administer, nor select those who Administer.

• Early America, the majority of the general public were uneducated, they could not read nor write

 

[JMR]

How hard is it to stop by the poll in the morning on the way to work, or in the evening on the way home?

That might depend on your working hours, and how many hours long the waiting time is at the poll.

 

[Rumpel]

Sunday in November, are you out of your mind ? With this country's devotion to the NFL (almost religious-like) there would be the lowest voter turn out ever.

I did not speak of November specially.
Just of Sundays.

 

[EMNofSeattle]

The level of privilege it requires to ask a question like this, yeesh.

It takes privilege to wonder how someone can’t cast a ballot literally once every four years when you can predict the exact date the election will occur for literally a million years from now?

If you want to know, Election Day in AD 3030 is November 2nd.

This is far as I scrolled down my iPhone calendar before I stopped caring

 

[Rumpel]

If you want to know, Election Day in AD 3030 is November 2nd.

Interesting!
And is it always on a Tuesday?

 

[The Mark]

By Constitutional decree, US elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Why the ****? Seriously, why Tuesday?

I suspect it was done to prevent the average working man from participating.

What say you?

That's only been a thing since the 1840s though - before that each state set it's own election day, which was limited by a 1792 law that elections had to be no more than 34 days before the first Wednesday of December, when the Electoral College was to meet.

There's probably a bunch of other changes that took place.

 

[Deuce]

It takes privilege to wonder how someone can’t cast a ballot literally once every four years when you can predict the exact date the election will occur for literally a million years from now?

Yes.

Someone with a complete inability to imagine that taking up several hours during a work day could be a burden for some. Someone so insulated from the struggles of millions of working Americans that it just hasn't occurred to them that someone might have more important priorities due to the situation they are in.

Why am I even bothering? You don't think those people should be allowed to vote at all.

 

[Bullseye]

By Constitutional decree, US elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Why the ****? Seriously, why Tuesday?

I suspect it was done to prevent the average working man from participating.
r
What say you?

Or maybe since the country was mostly agraian back then they scheduled it to occur after harvests so MORE people could vote?

 

[danielpalos]

By Constitutional decree, US elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Why the ****? Seriously, why Tuesday?

I suspect it was done to prevent the average working man from participating.

What say you?

It was a work in progress based on the Articles of Confederation. Equality and equal protection of the laws started to matter more for any natural born person in the US after 1808.

 

[Bullseye]

No.

It was merely the sign of the times.

200+ years ago, voting on Sunday was not possible because everyone was a religious bigot and it was the „Day of the Lord“ and you should rest on that day.

Later, with the immigration of Jews, Saturday and therefore Sabbat, was also not possible because you shall not vote on that day either.

Therefore, no weekend or Sunday voting like in most European countries.

Today, you can easily vote on all days though by requesting a mail ballot, so it’s not an issue any longer.

Requesting one is fairly easy here in Austria, so saying „I had no time to vote“ etc. is just a lame excuse.

But the outdated US constitution just shows how out of step it is with today’s needs and problems.

Or maybe they had to decide on a day, and Tuesday was as good as any?