DENVER -- Why are national elections held on a Tuesday?

The answer goes back to 1845, when Congress established Election Day as "the Tuesday after the first Monday of November."

According to www.WhyTuesday.org, the country was primarily driven by agriculture at that time and Tuesday was a convenient day for most rural workers.

In the mid-1800s, a round trip to the county seat could take three days, and Congress did not want the travel to conflict with religious observances on the weekend. That cut out Monday, Thursday or Friday.

Since Wednesday was generally market day in rural America, that left Tuesday.

Today, nearly 80 percent of Americans live in metropolitan areas and many work in a different area than they reside, requiring a commute. In addition, Americans are working longer hours.

According to WhyTuesday.org, "scheduling elections on a day when so many Americans must also go to work or school flies in the face of our nation's mission to open democracy for all, makes it difficult or impossible for most parents to take their children to the polls (and thus habituate them to voting), and turns inevitable logistical aggravations at polling centers into insurmountable obstacles for some voters."

The Web site points out that voter turnout dropped to 50 percent or less since 1945 and that has prompted many to question the relevance of voting on a work day in our modern society.