⁍ President Donald Trump on Thursday raised the possibility of delaying the Nov. 3 U.S. presidential election.
⁍ But the Constitution bestows that power on Congress, not the president.
⁍ Every presidential election since 1845 has gone forward as scheduled, even in the midst of wars and pandemics.
– President Trump on Thursday floated the idea of delaying the Nov. 3 presidential election—but the Constitution says Congress has the power to set the date, not the president. The election has been every four years since 1845, on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, and University of Kentucky election law expert Joshua Douglas tells Reuters that Trump “has absolutely no legal authority to delay the election.” Even if Trump declared a state of emergency due to the coronavirus, he would not be able to change the day, the legal experts say. “President Trump has absolutely no legal authority to delay the election,” Douglas says. “Every presidential election since 1845 has gone forward as scheduled, even in the midst of wars and pandemics.” Even if Congress decided to delay the election, Trump’s presidential term would still end on Jan. 20, per the Constitution’s 20th Amendment.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-delay-powers-factbox/what-would-it-take-to-postpone-the-us-presidential-election-idUSKCN24V2V1