Millions of Americans will go to the polls to choose everything from a president right down to their local dog catcher — but have you ever wondered why they vote on a Tuesday?

For a nation like ours with a Saturday voting tradition that includes parties and barbecues, the work-day election in the world's most celebrated democracy seems more than passing strange.

So how did the presidential poll come to be held on Tuesday to begin with?

The Tuesday history evolved in a time of horse and carts

The US election has been held on a Tuesday since 1845. Before that, things were even worse.

The founding fathers had a lot to get through when they were putting the US constitution together. In their defence, breaking free of British rule is, as we've discovered, a time-consuming occupation.

As it turns out, one thing they didn't get around to was deciding when they would hold elections.

And so, for the first hundred years or so, elections for the president were held whenever states felt like it within a 34-day period before the first Wednesday in December.

Rhode Island might vote in late October and then Pennsylvania might get around to it by December.

As you can imagine it was rather unwieldy.

That wasn't the only crazy thing.

Until 1805, the runner-up in the presidential election automatically became the vice-president.

Can you imagine? It's the Clinton/Trump presidency dreams are made of.

Come 1845 it was decided that it would probably be best if presidential elections were held on a single day.

"What day are you free?" they said. "Tuesday," came the reply. "Brilliant. Lock it in."

With our busy modern lives this seems a bizarre choice.

But back then it made perfect sense and, much like another Tuesday in November, it all revolved around horses.

America was still a largely agrarian society and farmers would travel to the nearest major town by horse and cart to cast their ballot. It was a trip that could take a whole day in some places.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday were considered days of worship, so they were out. The diary was also full on Wednesday. That was market day.

So, that left Monday and Tuesday. Folks would leave the farm on a Monday and travel through the day, arriving in time to cast their ballot on Tuesday before heading back to sell their fruit and vegetables on Wednesday.

It was a perfectly wonderful use of time.

But nowadays Americans have replaced their horse and carts with SUVs. So it seems rather ludicrous that, after 150 years, they haven't bothered to change the day they go to the polls.

Sorry, this video has expired Americans traditionally vote on a Tuesday, but does anyone know why?

Do Americans actually like voting on a Tuesday?

The numbers suggest that, no, Americans don't much like it either.

Since George W. Bush beat Al Gore in 2000, pre-poll and postal voting has increased from 16 per cent to 35 per cent.

That means 45 million Americans have already voted this election, finding better things to do with their Tuesday.

That's all well and good, unless you live in one of the 13 states that don't allow pre-poll or postal voting.

In places including New York and Mississippi you either vote on Tuesday or you don't vote at all.

With the wait at some polling stations stretching past four hours, it's hardly surprising that only 60 per cent of Americans turned up at the last election.

This ranks the US at number 138 out of 172 countries in terms of voter participation rates.

The 'Why Tuesday' movement is trying to change things

Back when they settled on Tuesday in 1845, California, Texas and Florida weren't even states and slavery was still a thing.

There are those that argue the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November rule could go a similar way.

Every year for the past six years, Republican Steve Israel has put forward a bill to Congress called the Weekend Voting Act.

His proposal doesn't just move the election to a Saturday though, it moves it to the entire weekend.

He's proposing that polls open at 10:00am on Saturday and close at 6:00pm on Sunday. It's enough to make Antony Green hyperventilate.

While it would provide ample time to squeeze voting into busy schedules, it would also bring with it a host of other issues.

It doubles the cost of election day for one thing. There are worries about how you keep ballots secure overnight. And who knows if veteran news anchor Wolf Blitzer could actually last an entire 48 hours?

Thus, the bill to change the day of the poll has been voted down every time.

And so, polling places across America will open their doors and wait for those who can be bothered to turn up.

Americans love their democracy. The problem is, only 60 per cent of them love it on a Tuesday.