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Election Day

American  

noun

  1. (in the U.S.) the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November on which national elections are held for electors of the president and vice president in those years evenly divisible by four. On even years constituents elect members of the House of Representatives for two-year terms and one third of the Senate for six-year terms.

  2. (often lowercase) any day designated for the election of public officials.


Etymology

Origin of Election Day

First recorded in 1640–50

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

It also gives Congress the power to set a uniform Election Day, which Congress has done for all federal elections across a number of statutes spanning two centuries.

From Slate Jun. 29, 2026

This delayed overtaking of Pratt by Raman was largely expected, because California’s vote-by-mail system accepts ballots postmarked on or before Election Day and received within seven days of the election.

From Slate Jun. 11, 2026

In California, mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day are legally counted as they arrive in the days following.

From Salon Jun. 11, 2026

State law, which favors voter participation over speed, requires that election officials verify and count every ballot that is postmarked by Election Day and arrives within a week after.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 9, 2026

Soon after the picnic, the organization began to prepare for Election Day.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

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