[8][15] A holiday for elections sidesteps the issue of a weekend election, which could conflict with religious obligations. History of Election Day 3. Georgia grassroots groups helped Biden win. All this despite the fact that these types of restrictions have typically been considered illegal under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which requires that elections be equally open to all people. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? Many other democracies make election day a holiday and they all have higher voter turnout than we do. Opponents say kids arent mature enough to vote. This page was last edited on 1 February 2023, at 18:43. As Congress continues to grapple with voting rights legislation this week, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has used his considerable influence as the Senates key swing vote to set the terms of the debate. It is the day when popular ballots are held to select public officials. [25], According to the AFL-CIO, 30 states require employers to allow employees time off for voting. November 7, 2023. These numbers also may be indicative of higher turnout for major elections, but may not reflect engagement in local or regional elections. Election Day in the United States of America is the Tuesday following the first Monday in November. As you can see, the world is mostly divided between countries that celebrate a national independence day and countries that celebrate a national unification or revolution day. As for Denmark, it has a national liberation day and some people celebrate international worker's day, but neither is a public holiday. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider So, since this effort does not receive bipartisan support, it is difficult to enact.. 14, 2019, BBC, "Singapore Election: Governing Party Secure Decisive Win, bbc.com, Sep. 12, 2015, Holly Jackson, "It's Time to Make Election Day a Holiday in Law and Spirit," washingtonpost.com, Oct. 22, 2018, BCP Associates, "India Elections 2019 - Declaration of Paid Holiday on Polling Day, bcpassociates.com, Apr. [ 17] Countries such as France, Mexico, and India also observe federal holidays for elections. Some say a holiday would increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote while celebrating democracy. 3. Common reasons for a certain day are the date on which a state or country achieved its independence, or the date of the country's patron saint day. Rose Marcario, CEO, stated, demonstrating your companys commitment to voting will reinforce how essential it is that every eligible voter shows up. Plus, some experts say moving to weekend voting could substantially increase the cost of running elections. Four more states only provide time off for biennial, even-year elections: Delaware, Louisiana, Michigan and New Hampshire. Pew also found that certain issues motivate voters more than others: "health care, poverty and education are the top motivators for political engagement." Examine this opinion article from Evil HR Lady Suzanne Lucas on why election day should not be a national holiday. [4][5], The United States currently has 10 national holidays, including Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Christmas Day. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [31][32] Trying one of these alternatives would avoid the negative economic impact of closing businesses for Election Day. Politicians, most recently House Democrats in 2019, have also floated the idea of turning a weekday Election Day into a federal holiday, but to no avail. The United States is out of step with the rest of the world: elections are held on weekends in 27 of the 36 OECD countries. Declaring Election Day a holiday has been proposed various times in Congress; it's a popular idea. A lot of people go to work, or they're in school during the weekday. However, making National Election Day a holiday will disadvantage low-income and blue . A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. High turnout means that people are successfully exercising their rights-a good in itselfbut it also ensures the continuing health of majority rule. We also know that countries that have marked their election days as federal events see higher voting turnouts than the United States. Compared to other developed countries, America's voter turnout rate is pretty sad. ", ProCon.org. 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives. [7] A handful of states have made election day a state holiday, including New York, Hawaii, Kentucky, and, in Apr. While countries like Belgium, Sweden, and Turkey saw more than 80% of their estimated voting-age population cast votes in recent elections, less than 56% of the estimated voting-age population. Right now, federal elections are always held on Tuesdays, because farmers in the 1840s needed multiple days to get to the . Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters. One major reason: It comes down to tradition, Troy said. 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. The US isn't the only developed country that faces this criticism, however. After all, what do our veterans fight for, if not for democracy itself? While the Republican efforts are shrouded in their supposed desire to protect the integrity of elections, there is no evidence of significant voter fraud in recent elections, including presidential election in 2020. Canada's turnout is about the same as the United States', with an average of 68%, and though one canton in Switzerland has a compulsory voting law, for the country as a whole turnout is around 49%, one of the lowest rates in OECD countries. Research has found that higher trust in the government and democratic process leads to greater voter turnout. By comparison,. Corrections? We are very proud that we are mentioned in the Bible. Sundays are the most common day for elections, but this is less true in the Anglosphere; Saturdays are used in New Zealand and Australia, and weekdays for the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. That means the stock market will be open, and so will. [14][35] In Australia, where voting is mandatory, elections are celebrated with parties and barbeques nationwide, resulting in turnout rates around 90%. There is no fixed election day for general elections, although since 1986 every general election has been held on Sunday. States such as Georgia and Iowa already have passed restrictive measures and many others appear poised to do the same thing. In-person polls open Sunday at 12:01am, close Saturday at 11:59pm. Early voting for the midterms varies by state. Read More, Election Day is a holiday in Puerto Rico. 22 June 1986, 29 October 1989, 6 June 1993, 3 March 1996, 12 March 2000, 14 March 2004, 9 March 2008, 20 November 2011, 20 December 2015, 26 June 2016. [24] Holidays usually mean more work hours for retail workers, because stores run promotions and sales. OK, so why Tuesday? The result is voter turnout rates of 72.3% and 77.2% respectively, which is 26-32% higher than the United States. 4) The outliers are few but tell you a lot about those . [17] Countries such as France, Mexico, and India also observe federal holidays for elections. Senator Bernie Sanders has certainly tried heintroducedthe "Democracy Day Act" in 2018, which proposed making Election Day a federal holiday. In theory, it seems that any move that would make it easier for Americans to vote would increase participation. 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%. Most recently, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont proposed a bill to designate "Democracy Day" as a national election holiday, which sits before a special committee. 0:00. And she thinks corporate America has been leading the way, pointing out several businesses, including Walmart and Coca-Cola, that have announced paid time off and other accommodations to make voting easier for employees on November 3. Holidays, law.cornell.edu (accessed Sep. 30, 2019), Matthew Haag, "Mitch McConnell Calls Push to Make Election Day a Holiday a Democratic Power Grab," nytimes.com, Jan. 31, 2019, Drew DeSilver, "U.S. Trails Most Developed Countries in Voter Turnout, pewresearch.org, May 21, 2018, Gustavo Lpez and Antonio Flores, "Dislike of Candidates or Campaign Issues Was Most Common Reason for Not Voting in 2016, pewresearch.org, June 1, 2017, Beau C. Tremitiere, "Election Day Should Be a National Holiday, cnbc.com, July 5, 2016, York Dispatch Editorial Board, "Editorial: On Voting, GOP Takes a Holiday from its Senses, yorkdispatch.com, Feb. 1, 2019, Tacey Rychter, "How Compulsory Voting Works: Australians Explain," nytimes.com, Nov. 5, 2018, Archon Fung and Jane Mansbridge, "Lets Vote, Party and Celebrate American Democracy on a New Holiday Called Citizen Day, usatoday.com, Oct. 26, 2018, Thomas MacMillan, "This Might Be the Best Idea for Turning out More Voters in U.S. Elections, nymag.com, July 8, 2017, Drew Desilver, "Weekday Elections Set the U.S. apart from Many Other Advanced Democracies, pewresearch.org, Nov. 6, 2018, Kathy Frankovic, "St. Patricks Day Not So Popular - Americans Would Rather Election Day a Holiday, today.yougov.com, Mar. TOP QUESTION Theyare still considerably higher than in the United States, which typically sees about 65% on average turn out to vote for major elections. Yet, few of us, especially those who have worked on Capitol Hill, harbor . Should Election Day be a national holiday? To combat these efforts, lawmakers nationally have introduced HR1 (the John Lewis Act) and S1, which would enact a number of important provisions: improve ballot access, create nonpartisan redistricting commissions to reduce gerrymandering, provide automatic voter registration when people turn 18, allow at least 15 days of early voting,mandate that presidential candidates disclosure their federal tax returns, and require greater disclosure of so-called dark money campaign contributions. A simple but effective change, however, could be made in election timing. 3. 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. Americans are working all the time. Accessed February 21, 2023. https://www.procon.org/headlines/election-day-national-holiday-top-3-pros-and-cons/, potential benefits and difficulties of changing election day, election day should not be a national holiday. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. 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. 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. And some countries, like Australia, require people to vote by subjecting those who don't to a minor fine equivalent to a traffic ticket. Compulsory voting does not necessarily guarantee 100% turnout rates, however, though they still see higher rates than countries which do not require it. [15] A survey showed that US adults would rather have a federal holiday on Election Day than on Christmas Eve, the Friday after Thanksgiving, or St. Patricks day. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. "Election Day should be a national holiday so that everyone has the time and opportunity to vote," Sanders' website reads. ], [Editors Note: The MLA citation style requires double spacing within entries. [20][21][22] A part-time hourly worker is more likely to have multiple jobs, none of which are likely to offer time off for a national holiday. Proponents say the Electoral College ensures everyone selects the president. Not only would making Election Day a federal holiday increase voter turnout among Americans, which is something that politicians and citizens in general complain about often, but it . "We should be making it easier for people to vote, not harder. We are the only advanced democracy that makes it deliberately difficult for people to vote. 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. And that election saw the second highest voter turnout in 20 years. It would take an act of Congress to make Election Day a national holiday, and there is currently a bill proposing to designate "Democracy Day" as a national election holiday before a special committee. "And we actually have more options than ever before.". Rather, federal elections are held on the third Monday of October, every four years . They stated, Citizen Day would do more than give our democracy the honor that it deserves; it would help our democracy work better. [1], An election day usually culminates in an election night when the results of the election are tallied and winners are announced.[2]. And there is no better way to secure democracy than to ensure that everyone has not only the right to vote, but also the meaningful opportunity to cast their ballots.