<P> However , federal law does specify that all electors must be selected on the same day , which is `` the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November , '' i.e. , a Tuesday no earlier than November 2 and no later than November 8 . Today , the states and the District of Columbia each conduct their own popular elections on Election Day to help determine their respective slate of electors . Thus , the presidential election is really an amalgamation of separate and simultaneous state elections instead of a single national election run by the federal government . </P>
when is the popular vote for president done
the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November