Why Is Election Day on a Tuesday in the U.S., and How Many Other Countries Have Weekday Elections?

Voters pose with props outside a polling location in Austin, Texas in 2026. (Mikala Compton/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images) Note: Ahead of Election Day on Nov. 3, this analysis examines why elections take place on Tuesdays in the United States and how many other countries also have weekday elections. It’s an excerpt from a broader July 2026 analysis about the ways that American democracy stands out internationally. Since the mid-19th century, Tuesday has been the standard day for U.S. elections (with certain exceptions). Back when the nation was primarily rural and all voting was in person, getting to and from a polling place often required long round-trip journeys. Sunday was out because many people were in church, and Wednesday was farmers market day. Tuesday seemed like the best fit. About this research Ahead of Election Day on Nov. 3, this analysis examines why elections take place on Tuesdays in the United States and how many other democratic countries also have weekday elections. It’s an excerpt from a broader July 2026 analysis about ways that American democracy stands out internationally. We categorized countries as democracies by combining ratings from three leading research organizations. For more information, visit the larger analysis. More recently, some lawmakers have proposed moving Election Day to a weekend or making it a national holiday. Supporters say the current schedule often forces people to take time off work to vote, and making Election Day a day off for everyone would boost turnout. (As of 2023, 12 states and Puerto Rico already make Election Day a paid day off for state employees; Kentucky also does so, but only in presidential election years.) Election Day around the world Democracies that typically hold national elections on … Note: The Czech Republic and Suriname are not shown because they have different election procedures. Data is based on 106 countries classified as democracies and includes some fully self-governing territories whose sovereign status is disputed. Source: Pew Research Center analysis. PEW RESEARCH CENTER Election Day around the world Democracies that typically hold national elections on … DemocracyElection dayRegionAlbaniaSaturday or SundayEuropeAndorraSaturday or SundayEuropeAntigua and BarbudaOrdinary weekdayAmericasArgentinaSaturday or SundayAmericasArmeniaSaturday or SundayEuropeAustraliaSaturday or SundayAsia-PacificAustriaSaturday or SundayEuropeBahamasOrdinary weekdayAmericasBarbadosOrdinary weekdayAmericasBelgiumSaturday or SundayEuropeBelizeOrdinary weekdayAmericasBhutanOrdinary weekdayAsia-PacificBoliviaSaturday or SundayAmericasBotswanaWeekday designated as national holidayAfricaBrazilSaturday or SundayAmericasBulgariaSaturday or SundayEuropeCanadaOrdinary weekdayAmericasCape VerdeSaturday or SundayAfricaChileSaturday or SundayAmericasColombiaSaturday or SundayAmericasCosta RicaSaturday or SundayAmericasCroatiaSaturday or SundayEuropeCyprusSaturday or SundayEuropeCzech Republic*OtherEuropeDenmarkOrdinary weekdayEuropeDominicaOrdinary weekdayAmericasDominican RepublicSaturday or SundayAmericasEast TimorSaturday or SundayAsia-PacificEcuadorSaturday or SundayAmericasEstoniaSaturday or SundayEuropeFijiWeekday designated as national holidayAsia-PacificFinlandSaturday or SundayEuropeFranceSaturday or SundayEuropeGermanySaturday or SundayEuropeGhanaSaturday or SundayAfricaGreeceSaturday or SundayEuropeGrenadaOrdinary weekdayAmericasGuyanaWeekday designated as national holidayAmericasHungarySaturday or SundayEuropeIcelandSaturday or SundayEuropeIndiaOrdinary weekdayAsia-PacificIrelandOrdinary weekdayEuropeIsraelWeekday designated as national holidayMiddle EastItalySaturday or SundayEuropeJamaicaOrdinary weekdayAmericasJapanSaturday or SundayAsia-PacificKiribatiOrdinary weekdayAsia-PacificKosovoSaturday or SundayEuropeLatviaSaturday or SundayEuropeLesothoWeekday designated as national holidayAfricaLiberiaOrdinary weekdayAfricaLiechtensteinSaturday or SundayEuropeLithuaniaSaturday or SundayEuropeLuxembourgSaturday or SundayEuropeMalawiWeekday designated as national holidayAfricaMalaysiaSaturday or SundayAsia-PacificMaltaSaturday or SundayEuropeMarshall IslandsOrdinary weekdayAsia-PacificMauritiusSaturday or SundayAfricaMicronesia, Federated StatesOrdinary weekdayAsia-PacificMoldovaSaturday or SundayEuropeMonacoSaturday or SundayEuropeMongoliaWeekday designated as national holidayAsia-PacificMontenegroSaturday or SundayEuropeNamibiaWeekday designated as national holidayAfricaNauruSaturday or SundayAsia-PacificNepalWeekday designated as national holidayAsia-PacificNetherlandsOrdinary weekdayEuropeNew ZealandSaturday or SundayAsia-PacificNorth MacedoniaWeekday designated as national holidayEuropeNorthern CyprusSaturday or SundayEuropeNorwayOrdinary weekdayEuropePalauOrdinary weekdayAsia-PacificPanamaSaturday or SundayAmericasParaguaySaturday or SundayAmericasPeruSaturday or SundayAmericasPhilippinesWeekday designated as national holidayAsia-PacificPolandSaturday or SundayEuropePortugalSaturday or SundayEuropeRomaniaSaturday or SundayEuropeSamoaWeekday designated as national holidayAsia-PacificSan MarinoSaturday or SundayEuropeSao Tome and PrincipeSaturday or SundayAfricaSenegalSaturday or SundayAfricaSeychellesSaturday or SundayAfricaSlovakiaSaturday or SundayEuropeSloveniaSaturday or SundayEuropeSolomon IslandsWeekday designated as national holidayAsia-PacificSouth AfricaWeekday designated as national holidayAfricaSouth KoreaWeekday designated as national holidayAsia-PacificSpainSaturday or SundayEuropeSri LankaOrdinary weekdayAsia-PacificSt. Kitts and NevisOrdinary weekdayAmericasSt. LuciaOrdinary weekdayAmericasSt. Vincent and the GrenadinesOrdinary weekdayAmericasSuriname**OtherAmericasSwedenSaturday or SundayEuropeSwitzerlandSaturday or SundayEuropeTaiwanSaturday or SundayAsia-PacificTongaOrdinary weekdayAsia-PacificTrinidad and TobagoOrdinary weekdayAmericasTuvaluOrdinary weekdayAsia-PacificUnited KingdomOrdinary weekdayEuropeUnited StatesOrdinary weekdayAmericasUruguaySaturday or SundayAmericasVanuatuWeekday designated as national holidayAsia-Pacific* The Czech Republic typically holds elections over a 24-hour period from Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon.** Suriname holds elections on a fixed date: May 25, which happened to fall on a Sunday in the most recent election year. Note: The Czech Republic and Suriname are not shown because they have different election procedures. Data is based on 106 countries classified as democracies and includes some fully self-governing territories whose sovereign status is disputed. Source: Pew Research Center analysis. PEW RESEARCH CENTER As it stands, the United States is one of 28 democratic countries that routinely holds national elections on non-holiday weekdays. By contrast, 60 democracies typically hold elections on Saturdays or Sundays. (Then there’s the Czech Republic, which typically holds elections over a 24-hour period from Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon.) Sixteen other democracies hold elections on weekdays but declare them public holidays. Some countries hold elections on a fixed date instead of a set day of the week. Suriname, for instance, has held its general election on May 25 every five years since 2000. Its most recent election, in 2025, happened to fall on a Sunday, but that was by chance rather than by deliberate choice. Drew DeSilver is a senior writer at Pew Research Center.