logo

Can Emergencies Postpone the Election?

image
Created: 01 November, 2012
Updated: 17 October, 2022
2 min read

postpone the election you say?

The United States has a long history of going ahead with presidential elections. The presidential election of 1812  was conducted even though war had just been declared against the Brits. Incumbent President James Madison beat out challenger DeWitt Clinton (no relation).

Voting for members of the House of Representatives in 1814 continued even as the British were burning down the White House! As this election was prior to ratification of the seventeenth amendment, Senators were chosen by State legislatures.

In 1864, Abraham Lincoln  was re-elected president in the midst of the Civil War. No electoral votes were counted from any of the eleven Southern states. Lincoln, a Republican, ran against the general he had fired for timidity, Democratic candidate George B. McClellan; in a sense, beating him twice.

In 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt  was elected to his fourth term in the midst of WWII. He beat Governor of New York Thomas E. Dewey.

The US Constitution, Article 1, Section 4 gives the states authority to administer all elections, including federal elections. Of course, Article 2 and the 12th Amendment require the state legislatures to decide how electors will be chosen for the Electoral College. Congress requires by law that Election Day for electors be in early November. But if the election absolutely cannot be held that day, “the electors may be appointed on a subsequent day in such a manner as the legislature of such State may direct.”

So, while its possible and legal, elections shouldn’t be postponed for light and transient reasons. Lest history judge us as less hardy than our ancestors, we should take courage from the old Post Office motto: "Not wind, rain, sleet, or snow can stop the mail from going through!"

Voters and election officials should remember their history, and also keep in mind what Marvin Gaye sang to Tammi Terrell in 1967:

Don't you know that there ain't no mountain high enough

More Choice for San Diego

Ain't no valley low enough, ain't no river wide enough

To keep me from getting to you, baby.

Latest articles

A wide shot of an Alaska city.
In a True Nail-Biter, Alaska Voters Reject Repeal of Top 4 Primary and Ranked Choice Voting
Two weeks after Election Day, Alaska voters finally know the fate of their election system. The choice before them was keep the nonpartisan Top 4 primary system with ranked choice voting in the general election or go back to partisan control over elections....
21 November, 2024
-
5 min read
Coin with Trump's face on it.
How Will the New Government Affect Independent Voters' Finances?
My rates! What happened to my rates? Partisan and independent voters ranked the economy the most important issue in the 2024 election....
20 November, 2024
-
9 min read
An elephant and donkey facing each other on a red bar.
Understanding The ‘Other Side’ Is More Important Than Ever
For some of us, just reading the title of this piece may be irritating — even maddening. If you’re scared about Trump’s election, being asked to understand the “other side” can seem a distant concern compared to your fears of what might happen during his presidency....
20 November, 2024
-
4 min read