And some countries, like Australia, require people to vote by subjecting those who don't to a minor fine equivalent to a traffic ticket. To make Election Day a national holiday, it would take an act of Congress, and so far, no bills proposing such action have passed.
This is why election day is not a holiday in Canada - blogTO ], ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons. So when faced with choices like having to take unpaid time off work to vote, waking at the wee hours of the morning to vote so that they're not late to work, standing in hours-long lines with everyone else who waited until after the workday to cast their ballot, or simply not voting at all, many choose the latter. For more on the debate about making election day a national holiday, visit ProCon.org. In 1845, when Congress established a national election day, it had to be a Tuesday because farmers went to church on Sunday, went to market on Wednesday, and may have needed a day, Monday, to get to their polling place, Gil Troy an American presidential historian and McGill University professor told HuffPost. First published on October 26, 2020 / 10:57 AM. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article.
Why isn't Election Day a national holiday in the US? - KHOU Without this simple step toward turning out as many Americans as possible to vote, any reform will be incomplete. Puerto Rico's voter turnout has gone as high as 80 . A number of bills like the Weekend Voting Act have been proposed in Congress over the years, often by Democrats. This . Twenty-seven of the 36 member countries, hold their elections on the weekend. ", Obama: "Absolutely. Runoffs take place on the last Sunday of the same October. Presented by:Defense Language and National Security Education Office, 60% of the eligible voting population vast a vote, looked at a few different methods of voting. This article is about the general term "election day" worldwide. An additional day off school would prove to be problematic for individuals who may not have other readily accessible forms of childcare. [24], People who have already suffered significant disenfranchisement, such as women and people of color, are more likely to be working those low-income jobs that wouldnt get the time off to vote even on a national holiday. Elections are federal holidays in Singapore, which, when combined with mandatory voting, resulted in a voter turnout of 93.6% for the 2015 election of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Passing voting rights reform will be a crucial component of this response, as would making Election Day a national holiday. Stay up to date with what you want to know. Of the nonvoters surveyed by the US Census Bureau about the 2008 presidential election, the 2012 presidential election, and numerous other elections, the most commonly cited reason for not voting was being too busy or having conflicting work schedules. For starters, the United States is rather unique in that it schedules its election day on a weekday, let alone a Tuesday. Some say a holiday would increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote while celebrating democracy. OK, so why Tuesday? "We should be making it easier for people to vote, not harder. In some states where they don't have mail-in ballots, voting can take a lot of time out of the day. In the US, Election Day is not a national holiday. However, some countries, or regions within a country, which hold elections on a weekday declare election day a public holiday.
Election Day National Holiday - Top 3 Pros and Cons - ProCon.org By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider The answer dates back to 1845, when Congress passed a law declaring that federal elections would be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
Election Day should be a national holiday - The GW Hatchet During the 2016 presidential election, less than 56% of the estimated voting-age population in the US voted. He says it's more important to spread voting out over a period of days and methods. This article was published more than10 years ago. 4. For federal offices (president, vice president, and United States Congress) and most gubernatorial offices (all except for . The United States has held federal elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years since 1845. High turnout means that people are successfully exercising their rights-a good in itselfbut it also ensures the continuing health of majority rule. No: Too Inconvenient, Early-Voting Options Ample, orlandosentinel.com, Nov. 5, 2018, Henry Farber, "Increasing Voter Turnout: Is Democracy Day the Answer?, princeton.edu, Feb. 2009, Sarah Issenberg, "The Mystery of the Puerto Rico Voter, slate.com, Jan. 27, 2012, Paul LeBlanc, "Virginia Governor Makes Election Day a Holiday and Expands Early Voting,".
Should Election Day in the U.S. be a national holiday? 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says, Battleground Tracker: Tight race in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Lindsey Graham appears before Georgia grand jury, House Jan. 6 committee is having conversations with Justice Department, Georgia grand jury investigating Trump wants testimony from Giuliani, Graham, Trump election interference grand jury to hear from Raffensperger, DHS IG says Wolf changed intel report on Russian interference in 2020. In Australia, all citizens of age to vote are required, and if they fail to do so, they face fines.
Is Election Day a Federal Holiday? - Newsweek But while experts say such a scheme is unlikely to fly in the US, making it easier for people to vote would appear to be a step in the right direction. However, making National Election Day a holiday will disadvantage low-income and blue . First Sunday of July until 2018. John M. Cunningham, "Why Are U.S. 4) The outliers are few but tell you a lot about those . In addition to honoring the sacrifices veterans have made, it would remind Americans that voting is a national duty, an obligation both to one another and to the nation; and it would strengthen American democratic political culture, by way of new rituals and traditions, Jill Lepore a Harvard professor of American history wrote in an essay for Politico. 27 September (Wednesday): Day of the French-speaking Community - commemorates the victory of the patriots against the Dutch army in Brussels in 1830. Election Day is already a holiday for state employees in more than a dozen states including Kentucky, Michigan, and New York. President Obama likes the idea of changing the way or the day Americans vote.
Should Election Day Be a Holiday? - The Atlantic Should election day be made a national holiday? | Britannica Incidentally, Australia routinely reaches more than 90 percent voter turnout, compared to the United States, where average voter turnout in presidential elections since 1965 has been only 54%. Making Election Day a holiday would not necessarily involve adding a new holiday, which employers might resistparticularly following the addition of Juneteenth as a national holiday last week. [23], Annie McDonald, Editor of the Berkeley Public Policy Journal, noted that the workers who are least likely to get paid holidays are those who already have less of a voice in the political process: Americans working in retail, hospitality, and service jobs, for example, would most likely not receive the benefit of a paid holiday to vote. Tuesday is Election Day, but only in some parts of the country will voters get the day off to cast their ballots. According to Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus, Australia adopted compulsory voting in 1924 after turnout there dropped to less than 60 percent in 1922. [33], Henry Farber, PhD, Hughes-Rogers Professor of Economics at Princeton University, conducted an analysis of states that made Election Day a holiday for state employees. Sometimes, specific ballot measures can influence voter turnout: in the UK, the Brexit vote resulted in a 72% turnout, slightly higher than the average of 69%. States such as Georgia and Iowa already have passed restrictive measures and many others appear poised to do the same thing. While no state has proposed reinstating the literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses that effectively ended the burst of African-American franchise during Reconstruction, todays efforts to disenfranchise minority voters are similarly unsubtle. Opponents say kids arent mature enough to vote. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. The U.S. House of Representatives just passed H.R. - Zkon o podmienkach vkonu volebnh", "The Effectiveness of Early Voting A Case Study of the Republic of Korea", "Ley Orgnica 5/1985, de 19 de junio, del Rgimen Electoral General", "Elections in Venezuela and Pennsylvania: Lessons in Democracy? Proper citation depends on your preferred or required style manual. The U.S. lags scores of other countries in election participation, ranking 26th out of 32 nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), according to the Pew Research Center. It is very, very hard to change core American traditions.. [16]. [1], An election day usually culminates in an election night when the results of the election are tallied and winners are announced.[2]. There's nothing that would stop voters here from treating a Democracy Day like just another day off.". I think, to the best of my knowledge, it's something like $20. Explain your answer. Such a change would mostly benefit white-collar workers instead of the lower-income workers its designed to help. At least 10 dead after winter storm slams South, Midwest, The Saturday Six: Dental device controversy, scientist's bug find and more, Indonesia fuel depot fire kills 18; more than a dozen missing, Biden had cancerous skin lesion removed last month, doctor says, Tom Sizemore, actor known for "Saving Private Ryan" and "Heat," dies at 61, Defense lawyers in Idaho killings case want gag order kept, Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murders of wife and son. [2] Sundays were for rest and worship, and on Wednesdays farmers typically sold their crops at the market, making Tuesdays the best day of the week. Like Perez, Becker thinks giving voters more time and opportunity to vote is the best approach. Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives. CBS News reporter covering climate change and energy. But in many other countries, the government automatically registers voters and holds elections on days that are weekend days or national holidays. For example, Australia typically has a turnout in the 90 percent or more range, and other nations such as Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Mexico achieve very high turnout via universal voting and time off for voting. By Monday morning, nearly 60 million had already voted early across the country, closing in on half of 2016's total voter turnout. A simple but effective change, however, could be made in election timing. However, the issues vary among different demographic groups. It is very, very hard to change core American traditions which Americans see not only as propping up their democracy but perpetuating its legitimacy, he said. Election dates are determined by the General Elections Commission (Indonesian: Typically on a Friday, but precise date set by, Municipal, provincial, and regional elections take place on a Sunday, as do elections for the. The founding fathers at first only granted white, male property owners the right to vote, so the expansion of voting rights has taken some time. 25, 2016, Chris Talgo, "Make Election Day a National Holiday? Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. Most of these 19 states' policies only cover general elections, though. "[Early and at-home voting] helps prevent bottlenecks for election administrators because it 'flattens the curve' for when ballots are cast by large numbers of voters," Perez said. The result is voter turnout rates of 72.3% and 77.2% respectively, which is 26-32% higher than the United States. But these days, Tuesdays are actually quite inconvenient for many Americans, particularly those who cant take time off work to cast their ballots a problem that disproportionately affects Black, Latino and lower-income voters. Will the party listen to them on the issues? Meanwhile, in Macedonia this past September, voters chose to stay away from the polls because of the proposed name change for the country. All rights reserved. November 7, 2023.
With Juneteenth now a national holiday, could Election Day and The Evolution of American Voting Rights in 242 Years Shows How Far Weve Come -- and How Far We Still Have to Go, businessinsider.com, Sep. 24, 2019, University of Houston Digital History, "Agriculture, digitalhistory.uh.edu (accessed Sep. 24, 2019), USDA, "Ag and Food Sectors and the Economy, ers.usda.gov, Sep. 20, 2019, Legal Information Institute, "5 U.S. Code 6103. While some states have made Election Day a civic holiday (though it primarily applies to public workers) and most have laws that require companies to give employees some time off to vote, none of the legislative efforts to enact these changes on a national level have been successful.
List of national independence days - Wikipedia While making Election Day a national holiday or moving it to the weekend would by no means be a cure-all, it could be used in conjunction with other strategies like automatic voter registration (nearly 87% of registered voters participated in the 2016 election), restoring voting rights for formerly incarcerated people and removing other barriers such as voter ID requirements and voter roll purges that often disenfranchise people of color. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. February 26, 2023, 5:06 AM. It commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a reverend and civil . Election Day - Tuesday, Nov. 8 - is a special day, with voters casting ballots across the country. For more on the debate about making election day a national holiday, visit ProCon.org. Should the United States Use the Electoral College in Presidential Elections? Thats not to say no one has tried. Portugal celebrates the 1580 death of celebrated national poet Luis de Camoes, Spain celebrates Columbus Day (yes, the holiday is a little controversial there as well, although not as much as in the U.S.), the Netherlands celebrates the queen's birthday but it still use her mother's birthday for the date and, in Greenland, the celebrate the longest day of the year. Some countries use electronic voting machines, such as India, while others rely on paper ballots, such as Zimbabwe. All 435 representatives were up for re-election, as well as a third ofsenators, and countless elections for governors, mayors, state legislators, and local government across the country. I'll look into this some more and may change it on the map. [9], Former Editor-in-Chief of the Northwestern University Law Review, Beau C. Tremitiere, JD, stated, The demands of school and work schedules keep millions of Americans, especially those with children or long commutes, from ever getting to their polling stations The ideal solution is simple: Congress should make Election Day a national holiday, or move Election Day to the weekend. [10] A holiday would allow more citizens volunteer at polling places or drive the elderly to vote, and make a difference in states where long lines at the polls keep voters waiting for hours. The outliers are a tiny minority, and only two countries have no formal national day at all. The U.S. ranks 26th out of 32 for voter among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. In an interview published Thursday, President Obama endorsed the idea of holding U.S. federal elections on weekends or national holidays. Many Americans know that Election Day is a Tuesday, but few know why.
Voting Around the World - Home | CultureReady Essential reporting and analysis from correspondents around the world. 20, 2018, Annie McDonald, "Ensuring Access to Election Day for All, bppj.berkely.edu, Nov. 6, 2018, Suzanne Lucas, "No, Election Day Should Not Be a Federal Holiday, inc.com, Oct. 24, 2016, Kenneth Quinnell, "Know Your Rights: State Laws on Employee Time off to Vote, aflicio.org, Nov. 5, 2016, Osita Nwanevu, "Maybe Making Election Day a National Holiday Wouldnt Really Work, slate.com, Nov. 3, 2016, Abigail Hess, "A Record 44% of US Employers Will Give Their Workers Paid Time off to Vote This Year, cnbc.com, Oct. 31, 2018, Make Time to Vote, homepage, maketimetovote.org (accessed Sep. 24, 2019), Rose Marcario, "Time to Vote, patagonia.com, Sep. 24, 2018, Danielle Root and Liz Kennedy, "Increasing Voter Participation in America, americanprogress.org, July 11, 2018, Kelly Born, "Increasing Voter Turnout: What, If Anything, Can Be Done?, ssir.org, Apr. But Gupta said that there's been a "lack of political will" to give the initiative some momentum. the Tuesday that occurs within November 2 to November 8. Virginia joined these states in April this year. [4][5], The United States currently has 10 national holidays, including Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Christmas Day. [14], Pew Research Center found that 71% of Democrats and 59% of Republicans support making Election Day a federal holiday. TOP QUESTION 2) Most other countries are shaped by relatively recent revolutions. 2. Argentina has instated compulsory voting laws, but only sees about 76% voter turnout. Democratic rights are much easier to end than they are to restore, so the federal government must respond to the wave of voter suppression overtaking the states with decisive, expansive action. This is partially due to the influence of Protestantism, which historically set restrictions on activities other than church-going during the Sabbath (usually considered as falling on a Sunday). Voters in more than one-third of the country enjoy some form of an Election Day holiday, according to RepresentUs. And some countries, like Australia, require people to vote by subjecting those who dont to a minor fine equivalent to a traffic ticket. Sweden came second with 82.6%. Right now, federal elections are always held on Tuesdays, because farmers in the 1840s needed multiple days to get to the .
Make Election Day a National Holiday | YIP Institute Elections Project, which is close to the complete voter . Instead, lawmakers could simply move nearby Veterans Day to Election Day, emphasizing that voting is both a service to the country and a celebration of the rights and freedoms for which our servicemembers fight. Some countries, including Belgium and Turkey, see such high voter turnout mainly because of their compulsory voting laws. By law, polling day is a public holiday if it falls on a weekday. Election officials in various states have predicted historic levels of turnout in 2020, with a chance to reach the highest ever. But this arrangement began to raise concerns as travel and communication improved in the 19th century: Results from states that voted earlier could sway the outcome in states that voted later. [28][29], Patagonia, an outdoor clothing retailer, paused operation on Nov. 6, 2018 so that all employees could vote. [27], Companies including Abercrombie & Fitch Co., Farmers Insurance, Kaiser Permanente, Patagonia, and Walmart have joined Make Time to Vote campaign, which encourages employers to provide paid time off, schedule no meetings on Election Day, and give information on mail-in ballots and early voting. By comparison,. Vote.org has called on Amazon, Disney, McDonald's and others to offer paid time off for employees to vote and or work the polls. And so while it's very understandable that people are trying to find ways to make it more convenient for people to vote, it's very likely that Election Day as a national holiday would actually hurt the voters who most need more options," Becker said. In many other democracies around the world, national elections are held on the weekend or are a federal holiday.
Is Election Day a federal holiday? Why Election Day is on a Tuesday in November in the U.S. | Pew Research When turnout is high, it becomes increasingly fruitless for politicians to play to their base in ways that allow a vocal minority to rule, which is how many American leaders currently operate. Whether accurate or not, elected officials likely think that making it easier to vote would advantage one party at the expense of the other party..
3 Countries Where It's Easier To Vote Than the United States Managing Editor A lot of people go to work, or they're in school during the weekday.
On U.S. Election Day, A Look At How Others Vote : NPR
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