But experts say improving voter turnout is a complicated issue that no single silver bullet strategy can solve. Some countries, about 27 of them, make voting compulsory. From 2021, the first Sunday of June. What we're proposing isn't that every Election Day becomes a national holiday, just the presidential election, which only takes place once every four years. 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%. The pros and cons of the felon voting debate include arguments about the social contract, voting while in prison, and paying debts. "Election Day should be a national holiday so that everyone has the time and opportunity to vote," Sanders' website reads. 25, 2016, Chris Talgo, "Make Election Day a National Holiday? It's a reminder of turmoil of the last century a very short span in historical terms and how deeply its events influence the world today. The Freedom to Vote Act would make Election Day a national holiday for federal elections, meaning non-essential federal employees would get a paid day off. Countries outpacing the U.S. include the U.K, Mexico and Canada. An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation.Many countries commemorate their independence from a colonial empire.. Not all countries mark independence as a national holiday. 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. 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. 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. Lessons in How to Hold Elections", "GE2015: First time Polling Day falls on a Friday, but not first time polls held on a weekday", "180/2014 Z.z. These numbers also may be indicative of higher turnout for major elections, but may not reflect engagement in local or regional elections. However, the issues vary among different demographic groups. For more on the debate about making election day a national holiday, visit ProCon.org. Election Day is the day for general elections of public officials in the U.S. 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. Approximately two million people who work for the federal government would be given a paid day off, and private companies might follow suit. [31]. [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. [3] In 1800, 83% of the American labor force was agrarian, but today only 11% of total US employment is agriculture-related. Countries that hold the ballot before Sunday are not permitted to announce results until all other countries have finished voting. Some countries, about 27 of them,make voting compulsory. Of these countries, 27 hold their national elections on a weekend. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? Some countries, including Belgium and Turkey, see such high voter turnout mainly because of their compulsory voting laws. [15] Israel and South Korea make national elections a holiday to avoid economic hardship for voters. First Sunday of October. For more information on how to vote, head over to our TurboVote module. Vanita Gupta, CEO of the Leadership Conference on Human and Civil Rights, is working to increase voter participation and decrease voter disenfranchisement. It's amazing how much of the map is green, indicating countries that celebrate a national independence day every year. Plus, some experts say moving to weekend voting could substantially increase the cost of running elections. 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. The COVID-19 pandemic convinced. [ 17] Countries such as France, Mexico, and India also observe federal holidays for elections. Americans are working all the time. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Sunday: first Sunday of February for the President, Vice-President, and Legislative Assembly; second Sunday of February for municipal elections. Whether election day should be made a national holiday is debated. List two to three ways. There is a "need to make voting more accessible, to make it more of a civic duty, to make sure that people don't have to choose between their job and their ability to cast the ballot are issues that are more prominent today than ever before," she told CBS News. Disclaimer: Dates and Events correct at time of printing but may change without our knowledge. Declaring Election Day a holiday has been proposed various times in Congress; it's a popular idea. And some countries, like Australia, require people to vote by subjecting those who don't to a minor fine equivalent to a traffic ticket. 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. The name change required at least 50% voter participation, and opponents to the name change advocated not voting at all rather than voting against the measure. Establishing Election Day as a holiday, taken together with the pending federal voting rights reforms, would go a long way towards stabilizing democracy and ensuring basic democratic rights. Furthermore, making this small shift would celebrate the purpose and sacrifice of our fighting forces. Stay up to date with what you want to know. / CBS News. Its hard to say. 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 . Voter turnout in the United States is usually considered low, especially in years without a presidential election. Countries which permit absentee ballots, early ballots or postal votes to be cast by mail before the election avoid the problem altogether by enabling voters to vote on a day that is more convenient to them. Countries like Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Mexico also showed high voter turnout rates by having holidays. [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. of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents and 59% of Republicans and GOP leaners said they would support making Election Day a national holiday. WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - Election Day should be a holiday for workers in the United States, President Joe Biden said on Thursday. According to Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus, Australia adopted compulsory voting in 1924 after turnout there dropped to less than 60 percent in 1922. In Switzerland, only one canton (or member state) requires voting; it is voluntary all other cantons of the country. Omissions? Thats not to say no one has tried. 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,". Opponents say it allows only a few states to select the president. 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. Some businesses may close, but their hourly paid employees will either have to use a PTO day or not get paid.. 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. Should Election Day be a national holiday? However, those numbers may be attributed to a combination of factors not solely because their elections occur on non-work days. It is the day when popular ballots are held to select public officials. 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. It would also blunt the impact of many of these baldly anti-democratic movesopening the doors to the house as Republicans attempt to shut the windows. procon@eb.com, 2022 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. [1], An election day usually culminates in an election night when the results of the election are tallied and winners are announced.[2]. As for Denmark, it has a national liberation day and some people celebrate international worker's day, but neither is a public holiday. The bill has no cosponsors, but the concept was supported by every 2020 Democratic candidate for president, excluding Mike Bloomberg and now-nominee Joe Biden. States such as Georgia and Iowa already have passed restrictive measures and many others appear poised to do the same thing. That too is a reminder as to how new many of the ideas from that century, such as full enfranchisement and national self-determination, really are. Again, it is not clear that this is demonstrably true but it is a widespread perception. 11 July (Tuesday): Celebration of the Golden Spurs (Day of the Flemish Community) - celebrates the victory of the count of Flanders and the borough militia against the king of France outside Courtrai. However, for the most part, most countries vote in person at the voting booth, and while countries may alter the length of election periods andthe equipment used in voting from election to election, it still tends to have many of the same features. Whether election day in the United States should be made a national holiday is debated. In 2018, the general election was held on Wednesday. If Election Day were a national holiday, how would you ensure hourly and low-income workers would get a chance to vote? Election Day is a state holiday in Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and New York. 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Senator Bernie Sanders has certainly tried heintroducedthe "Democracy Day Act" in 2018, which proposed making Election Day a federal holiday. 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. But some think it should be. [28][29], Patagonia, an outdoor clothing retailer, paused operation on Nov. 6, 2018 so that all employees could vote. 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. 0:00. 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. "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons." As a holiday, that means several millions of people would have the day off from work or school, making it way . 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. 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. Think about it. President Obama likes the idea of changing the way or the day Americans vote. 2) Most other countries are shaped by relatively recent revolutions. Runoffs take place on the last Sunday of the same October. However, rules, dates and deadlines vary by state, which can be confusing to some voters. "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. There's nothing that would stop voters here from treating a Democracy Day like just another day off.". American election laws have been reformed before with minimal impact on voter turnout which remains low compared to other democracies around the world. a list of voting rights provisions he would support. 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. ", ProCon.org. If so, how? Third Monday of October every four years, or after Parliament is dissolved by the. Today in my country it is a national holiday as we celebrate the day when St. Paul converted our whole country to Catholicism in AD 60. Early voting for the midterms varies by state. Start the discussion over on our Facebook page, and let us know about civic engagement in your town, state, or country! But none of those states have considerably high turnout compared to those where it isn't a holiday. 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. [26] Caravanas are joyful, noisy parades of cars festooned with flags and other decorations that stream through Puerto Ricos streets ahead of an election and are credited with the islands over 80% voter turnout. 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 in the US voted during the 2016 presidential election. Presidential elections are held every four years, in years divisible by four, while the elections to the . Voter turnout in the U.S. is generally quite low, trailing behind that of other developed democracies around the world, according to another Pew study. [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. 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. Tuesday was chosen because it was most convenient for farmers traveling by horse and buggy at the time. Tuesday is Election Day, but only in some parts of the country will voters get the day off to cast their ballots. [14], Pew Research Center found that 71% of Democrats and 59% of Republicans support making Election Day a federal holiday. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Litigation pending before the Supreme Court this term in Brnovich v. DNC, however, threatens to undermine this rule. Skip Navigation [8], Among registered voters in the 2016 US presidential election, being too busy or having a conflicting schedule was the third-highest reason cited for not voting, accounting for 14% of registered voters who did not cast a vote (about 2.7 million people). Turning Election Day into a national holiday would instill a sense of pride in all citizens, knowing they have the ability to cast a ballot regardless of work. By law, polling day is a public holiday if it falls on a weekday. A simple but effective change, however, could be made in election timing. First Sunday of July until 2018. Concentrating voters into a single day risks congesting polling places, even more so than some already are. Australia sees around 91%, and 94% in Singapore. Virginia joined these states in April this year. 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. Consider the potential benefits and difficulties of changing election day. 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. 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. Should election day be made a national holiday? 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%. 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. by country by date Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. 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. Russia's national holiday only goes back to 1992, when the Russian Federation was founded. In some states where they don't have mail-in ballots, voting can take a lot of time out of the day. Election Day - Tuesday, Nov. 8 - is a special day, with voters casting ballots across the country. 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. South Korea and Israel hold theirs during the week, but have made the day a federal holiday. Reformers will be far more successful adding a few days or options or opportunities than trying to undo Election Day.. Office Holidays provides calendars with dates and information on public holidays and bank holidays in key countries around the world. 3. On Sunday, Virginia Democratic Gov. Some say a holiday would increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote while celebrating democracy. Before that point, states could hold their presidential elections on any day within a certain 34-day window. [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. However, some countries, or regions within a country, which hold elections on a weekday declare election day a public holiday. Election Day is already a holiday for state employees in more than a dozen states including Kentucky, Michigan, and New York. 3) Britain and Denmark have no national days. Keep in mind that in the mid-1800s, the U.S. was largely an agricultural society. Newsweek subscription offers > "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. While these provisions represent major steps in the right direction, they are not enough. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. With just about six in 10 voters turning out to vote in the U.S., some civil rights advocates are arguing that it's about time to give Americans the day off to vote. Election Day is not a national holiday in 2022, but some states require employees get paid time off to vote. Should the United States Use the Electoral College in Presidential Elections? While young people are generally less likely to vote, they are more motivated by the issue of freedom of speech than older generations. In 2018, a Pewstudy found that 65% of Americans favored making Election Day a national holiday. 27 September (Wednesday): Day of the French-speaking Community - commemorates the victory of the patriots against the Dutch army in Brussels in 1830. 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. He concluded that having an election holiday, by itself, is not an effective strategy to increase voter turnout. [34], Automatic voter registration, by contrast, could register an additional 22 million people and create 7.9 million new voters nationwide within a year. First published on October 26, 2020 / 10:57 AM. There are many ways to boost voter turnout expanding early voting, automatically registering voters, and improving civic education programs . ProCon.org. Should the United States Use the Electoral College in Presidential Elections? 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. It can fall on or between November 2 and November 8. 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. Elections Project, which is close to the complete voter . Have you experienced an election day in another country, or do you know how voting works in a place we haven't mentioned here? Would making Election Day a federal holiday increase voter turnout and celebrate democracy? Updates? It worked. Examine this opinion article from Evil HR Lady Suzanne Lucas on why election day should not be a national holiday. In fact, in Estonia, the option tovoteonlineis becoming increasingly popular. In a number of states, polling places have been closed in minority neighborhoods, which has created long lines and tremendous inconvenience for affected votersinconvenience with a cost, especially for those paid hourly wages. Will the party listen to them on the issues? So, focusing voting efforts to one day doesn't do enough to accommodate everyone, Becker argues. 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. Election officials in various states have predicted historic levels of turnout in 2020, with a chance to reach the highest ever. That means the stock market will be open, and so will. In 2007, the country held the world's first general Internet election. Managing Editor 4) The outliers are few but tell you a lot about those . All federal elections take place the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. And it will, in turn, help strengthen the idea that businesses can and will come together for a worthy common purpose: protecting our democracy by empowering all American workers to be good citizens. [30], Solutions such as automatic voter registration, same-day registration, early voting, no-excuse absentee voting, restoring voting rights to former felons, improved civics education, and voter outreach would all improve voter participation more reliably than a national holiday. A number of bills like the Weekend Voting Act have been proposed in Congress over the years, often by Democrats. A lot of people go to work, or they're in school during the weekday. Some say a holiday would increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote while celebrating democracy. But some election analysts told CBS News that making Election Day a holiday is not a way to make voting easier. Rather than make it a national holiday where inevitably people will still have to work, change election day to election week. By comparison,. ", Obama: "Absolutely. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. 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. In fact, these voters may be more likely to have to work as a result of a federal election holiday, where they may have had time off previously on a random Tuesday in November. There is no fixed election day for general elections, although since 1986 every general election has been held on Sunday. ", Others, however, are skeptical that creating a national holiday would increase voter turnout. By comparison, Belgium reported the highest OECD voter turnout: 87.2% in the most recent national election. And some countries, like Australia, require people to vote by subjecting those who dont to a minor fine equivalent to a traffic ticket. Take, for example, Bhutan, which every celebrates the anniversary of Ugyen Wangchuck's 1907 election as the nation's first hereditary king (yes, you read that correctly), but not its 1949 independence. Change often comes slowly, subtly. Think of things such as voter ID laws, lowering the voting age, and abolishing the Electoral College. According to the Pew Research Center, of the thirty-six nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the U.S. is one of nine that votes on a week day, and one of seven that doesn't designate election day a national holiday. 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. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is a group that includes 36 countries. 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. The outliers are a tiny minority, and only two countries have no formal national day at all. 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. 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. Argentina has instated compulsory voting laws, but only sees about 76% voter turnout. Consider, for example, the national days of France and Germany: the former marks the French revolution, in 1789, and the latter marks the German reunification in 1990.

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