Thread by @briangoldman, One thing George Washington never said in 1789 was "The Election should [...]

Brian Goldman

briangoldman

One thing George Washington never said in 1789 was "The Election should end on Election Day, not weeks later." Let's see why not. (Spoiler alert: Parchment is involved.)

The Constitution says that "The Congress may determine the Time of chusing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States." (Article II, Section 1, Clause 4.)

So, in Sept. 1788, Congress provided that "the first Wednesday in January next, be the day for appointing Electors in the several States" and "that the first Wednesday in February next, be the day for the Electors to assemble in their respective States, and vote for a President."

Now it was up to each state to hold an election. How'd they do it? Let's start with Pennsylvania. On Oct. 4, 1788, the General Assembly passed a law directing "the sheriffs of the respective counties" to give "due notice" of the upcoming elections ...

and providing that "every person coming to vote for electors ... shall deliver in writing on ticket or piece of paper" their votes for electors for president. (1787-1788 Pa. Laws 628; Mitchell, Stats. at Large of Pa. from 1682 to 1801, at 140.)

"[A]fter the polls ... closed," the votes in each county or district were to be "fairly enumerated and set down" and "be written on parchment or paper."

Then, "within the space of three days after the said election," judges in each county or district had to "sign and seal the papers or instrument" with the record of the votes, as well as duplicates.

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