As of mid-May Republicans in 48 states have introduced 389 bills that would reduce the hours polls are open; forbid people from eating or drinking while waiting in line to vote; close voter registration on Sundays, when Black churches traditionally have organized their members to register and vote; repeal no excuse absentee voting; and create a long list of other barriers to voting. A number of bills like the Weekend Voting Act have been proposed in Congress over the years, often by Democrats. Experts told CBS News that it's no coincidence this is occurring in a year when Americans have more time and more ways to vote than ever before. 4) The outliers are few but tell you a lot about those . Obama Expresses Support For Making Election Day A National Holiday However, making National Election Day a holiday will disadvantage low-income and blue . List two to three ways. Election Day should be a 'day off,' U.S. President Joe Biden says Election Day is always the first Tuesday after November 1st. History of Election Day They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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. The US isn't the only developed country that faces this criticism, however. Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. Would Making Election Day a Federal Holiday Boost U.S. Voter Turnout - Vincent Hutchings, a University of Michigan political science professor, - Gil Troy, American presidential historian, Whether accurate or not, elected officials likely think that making it easier to vote would advantage one party traditionally it is believed to help the Democrats at the, Joaquin Corbalan / EyeEm via Getty Images, as travel and communication improved in the 19th century, being too busy or having a conflicting schedule, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, substantially increase the cost of running elections, move that would make it easier for Americans to vote, The types of workers least likely to reap the benefits. Georgia grassroots groups helped Biden win. In the 2016 presidential election, 14% of registered voters cited being too busy or having a conflicting schedule as the main reason they didnt cast their ballots, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data. Opponents say it allows only a few states to select the president. We're familiar with how voting works in the U.S.when we vote, how we vote, who we vote forbut do you know what voting is like in other countries around the world? TOP QUESTION Opponents say kids arent mature enough to vote. Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. As a holiday, that means several millions of people would have the day off from work or school, making it way . It would give people time to vote. Start the discussion over on our Facebook page, and let us know about civic engagement in your town, state, or country! The bill would also effectively revive Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which requires states with a history of voter discrimination have all changes to their election laws approved by the federal government, updating the law in response to the Supreme Courts 2013 holding in Shelby County v. Holder. So, since this effort does not receive bipartisan support, it is difficult to enact.. Election results only announced for 1 of Nigeria's 36 states Because the impact of a federal holiday is far-reaching, many states and workplaces would likely follow suit. More people would vote if they had more time to cast their ballots Furthermore, celebrating our democracy publicly would send the message that we value each others citizenship as much as we value honoring past presidents. [13], Donald Green, PhD, Burgess Professor of Political Science at Columbia University, found that nonpartisan community parties celebrating Election Day in 2005, 2006, and 2016 increased voter participation between 2.6 percentage points and about 4 percentage points. "While this would not be a cure-all, it would indicate a national commitment to create a more vibrant democracy.". In Australia, all citizens of age to vote are required, and if they fail to do so, they face fines. In the United States, it varies from state to state and even county to county, so the idea that one entire country might use the same voting method is actually pretty unique to Americans! Election Day (United States) - Wikipedia If so, how? Elections to the European Parliament take place over a period of four days (i.e., Thursday through to Sunday), according to the election days of the EU members states (as listed above). Additionally, many of these individuals rely on school days as childcare for their children. Examine this opinion article from Evil HR Lady Suzanne Lucas on why election day should not be a national holiday. Here is the relevant passage from Acts 28: 3. Voter turnout in the United States is usually considered low, especially in years without a presidential election. ], ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons. For federal offices (president, vice president, and United States Congress) and most gubernatorial offices (all except for . About 54 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots in the 2012 presidential contest between Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney, according to the Pew Research Center. Runoffs take place on the last Sunday of the same October. by country by date Some countries, about 27 of them, make voting compulsory. It's amazing how much of the map is green, indicating countries that celebrate a national independence day every year. The Freedom to Vote Act would 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. The pros and cons of the felon voting debate include arguments about the social contract, voting while in prison, and paying debts. But in many other countries, the government automatically registers voters and holds elections on days that are weekend days or national holidays. 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. In an interview published Thursday, President Obama endorsed the idea of holding U.S. federal elections on weekends or national holidays. House Democrats introduced their first piece of legislation in the new Congress this week, an anti-corruption bill that proposes making Election Day a federal holiday and encourages . Part of HuffPost Home & Living. 12, 2019, Ceylan Pumphrey, "Do Businesses Have to Give Federal Holidays Like Presidents Day Off?, blogs.findlaw.com, Feb. 14, 2018, Department of Labor, "Holiday Pay, dol.gov (accessed Sep. 23, 2019), Peggy Emch, "Is Holiday Pay Required by Law?, timesheets.com, 2013, Fast Casual, "Study: Why Hourly Workers Forced to Work Multiple Jobs, fastcasual.com, Apr. Disclaimer: Dates and Events correct at time of printing but may change without our knowledge. All rights reserved. Issues also arise when a persons polling place is far from their workplace or when there are long lines to vote during peak times like in the morning before work or in the evening after work. 1. Keep in mind that in the mid-1800s, the U.S. was largely an agricultural society. Traditionally elections are held over two days, starting on a Friday afternoon and ending the following Saturday afternoon. This article was published more than10 years ago. Puerto Rico's voter turnout has gone as high as 80 . Granderson: Why aren't Democrats making election day a state holiday 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. Countries outpacing the U.S. include the U.K, Mexico and Canada. To paraphrase one of the commenters on the Reddit thread, is certainly is ironic that the British empire that is indirectly responsible for so many of the world's independence days has no real national day of its own. It worked. Do you think it's time for the US to follow their lead? [6] Election Day could be made a holiday if a bill were passed by the House and Senate then signed into law by the president. The number of early votes cast before Election Day 2020, as of Nov. 1, neared the 100 million mark according to data aggregated by the U.S. Arizona, for example, allows employees who do not have three consecutive hours before or after work when the polls are open to take paid time off to vote at the start or end of their work days. In Switzerland, only one canton (or member state) requires voting; it is voluntary all other cantons of the country. 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. Over the course of three days, Estonians could vote by placing their state-issued ID cards (which have an electronic chip . America is walking the knifes edge between maintaining and losing democracy. 1. I'll look into this some more and may change it on the map. Most National Days are fixed, exceptions to this are shown below. It happens to be on the day the politicians themselves get elected. National Holiday Act in India - Laws for Festival, Public Holidays 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). But some election analysts told CBS News that making Election Day a holiday is not a way to make voting easier. While these provisions represent major steps in the right direction, they are not enough. National Days around the world | Office Holidays Indigenous Peoples Day is a local and state holiday in some parts of the country usually held on Columbus Day that celebrates the cultures of Native Americans. [26] Creating laws in all states that let people vote before or after work would be more effective than a national holiday, which would quickly be viewed as just another day off to enjoy. [1], Over time, voting rights expanded from only white, male landowners age 21 and older to include women and people of color, as well as citizens age 18 and up, resulting in a dramatic increase in the voting-eligible population and a shift in voter demographics. Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives. Lists national days around the world by country or date. Of these countries, 27 hold their national elections on a weekend. $4+ Billion Cost To Give Federal Employees A New Paid Holiday - Forbes Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. "Election day should be a national holiday" is a claim of policy because we are discussing a policy which searches a solution for the presented argument. But it is not a federal holiday. American election laws have been reformed before with minimal impact on voter turnout which remains low compared to other democracies around the world. Proper citation depends on your preferred or required style manual. Because of the pandemic, more U.S. voters are exploring alternatives to voting on Election Day, such as early voting and mail-in voting. 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. Updated: 7:01 AM EST November 2, 2020 ATLANTA For many Americans, voting on Election Day is a tradition, and some wonder why it's not a national holiday. Is Election Day a national holiday? These people think it should be Theyare still considerably higher than in the United States, which typically sees about 65% on average turn out to vote for major elections. [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. Regional Belgian public holidays during 2023. In previous elections, that percentage was even higher. Corrections? [ 17] Countries such as France, Mexico, and India also observe federal holidays for elections. Updates? He thinks the increased options afforded by early and mail-in voting could be undermined by making Election Day a holiday, creating "a solution in search of a problem.". In Sweden, for example, 83% of registered voters participated in the 2014 national . A Pew Research Center analysis finds that 27 of the 36 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development hold their national elections on the weekend, . That's true, although the separate "National Day of Commemoration" occurs on the anniversary of the truce ending the Irish war of independence. Whether election day should be made a national holiday is debated. Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey agrees. However, some countries, or regions within a country, which hold elections on a weekday declare election day a public holiday. 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. 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. On U.S. Election Day, A Look At How Others Vote : NPR These changes would send the message that voting is not a privilege to be bought with job security and time to spare, but rather an essential responsibility every person ought to undertake. This is the day we cast ballots to select public officials from local to the national government. Here are the proper bibliographic citations for this page according to four style manuals (in alphabetical order): [Editor's Note: The APA citation style requires double spacing within entries. Election Day as a holiday is something that exists in other countries, but not in most places in the U.S. It's an issue that comes up a lot, but never really gets much serious public debate. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? [4][5], The United States currently has 10 national holidays, including Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Christmas Day. In 2007, the country held the world's first general Internet election. We are the only advanced democracy that makes it deliberately difficult for people to vote. Pro/Con Arguments | Discussion Questions | Take Action | Sources | More Debates, Election Day in the United States has occurred on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November ever since President John Tyler signed an 1845 law establishing a specific voting day for the entire country. Maybe Making Election Day a National Holiday Wouldn't Really Work First published on October 26, 2020 / 10:57 AM. An ordinary act of Congress could move Election Day to a Saturday or make it a holiday, thereby giving more people more . 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. Interestingly, 27 of the 36 countries that are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (made up largely of advanced democracies) conduct their national elections on the weekend. Elections to the Bundestag may be held on another public holiday. South Korea and Israel hold theirs during the week, but have made the day a federal holiday. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Why isn't Election Day a national holiday yet? - CNN Understanding what happened in the Chicago mayoral race. 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. And in Australia, there is a fine. Sunday. Should Election Day be a national holiday? - 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? Mail-in voting starts 1 month before polls open. While the majority of US states have voter leave laws that guarantee certain employees a modicum of time off to vote, no federal law currently mandates that employees get time off to cast their ballots. It was created in 1992,. Delaware Hawaii Kentucky Louisiana Montana New Jersey New York Ohio Puerto Rico Virginia West Virginia While Tuesdays have been custom for elections in the United States, Sunday is the day of. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Is Election Day a federal holiday? | The US Sun Think about that: In most of the world, the sense of national identity is shaped by the act of cutting, or in some cases violently throwing off, the chains of colonialism. Modern life operates around the clock. Most National Days are fixed, exceptions to this are shown below. ", "An overall look at Vietnam's election law", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Election_day&oldid=1136894393. Because Saturday and Sunday are Sabbath days for devout Jews and Christians, elections would probably have to be held over the two-day period creating a need for more poll workers and a process for securing ballots overnight, Victoria Shineman, a University of Pittsburgh political science professor, wrote in The Washington Post. 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. Could that ever happen in the U.S.? Countries that have weekend or holiday elections do tend to have better turnout overall. Israel and South Korea hold their elections on weekdays, but they're national holidays. In the 2016 election, only 56% of voting-age Americans cast their ballots. ProCon.org is the institutional or organization author for all ProCon.org pages. Until 2009, elections were held over several consecutive Sundays. Estonia This tiny Baltic nation is making waves for introducing something that seems completely logical in the digital age -- online voting. Furthermore, making this small shift would celebrate the purpose and sacrifice of our fighting forces. [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. NOW WATCH: Arianna Huffingtons advice to Hillary Clinton, the majority of US states have voter leave laws, You can take time off from work to vote in 30 states here's the full list, voted during the 2016 presidential election, experts say such a scheme is unlikely to fly in the US, The evolution of American voting rights in 242 years shows how far we've come and how far we still have to go, In an interview with President Barack Obama in 2016. 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. A National Day is a date for a country to celebrate its nationhood. And some countries, like Australia, require people to vote by subjecting those who dont to a minor fine equivalent to a traffic ticket. of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents and 59% of Republicans and GOP leaners said they would support making Election Day a national holiday. He says it's more important to spread voting out over a period of days and methods. According to the country's website detailing their "digital society," online voting has soared from 1.9% in 2005 to 30.5% in 2015. Saturday, but can be any day of the week, such as when a Saturday conflicts with a holiday. Compared to other developed countries, America's voter turnout rate is pretty sad. Should the United States use the Electoral College in presidential elections? This article is about the general term "election day" worldwide. Skip Navigation Plus, some experts say moving to weekend voting could substantially increase the cost of running elections. Here are the four things I found interesting about this once as I mapped it out: 1) Yes, most of the world was shaped by colonialism. By law, polling day is a public holiday if it falls on a weekday. 1. But experts say improving voter turnout is a complicated issue that no single silver bullet strategy can solve. In many other democracies around the world, national elections are held on the weekend or are a federal holiday. Again, it is not clear that this is demonstrably true but it is a widespread perception. A large Democratic voting rights bill that would have made Election Day a national holiday collapsed in the Senate this year when two senators refused to join their own party in changing. One major reason: It comes down to tradition, Troy said. [24] Holidays usually mean more work hours for retail workers, because stores run promotions and sales. 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. The earliest possible date that Election Day can fall on is November 2nd, and the latest possible date is November 8th. In Estonia, a national ID card (required for every citizen in the country) can be used to vote remotely. Elections Held on Tuesdays?, britannica.com (accessed Sep. 30, 2019), Evan Andrews, "Election 1010: Why Do We Vote on a Tuesday in November?, history.com, Aug. 31, 2018, Grace Panetta and Olivia Reaney, "Today Is National Voter Registration Day. [15] Israel and South Korea make national elections a holiday to avoid economic hardship for voters. While young people are generally less likely to vote, they are more motivated by the issue of freedom of speech than older generations.

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