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This article was published more than10 years ago. In many countries, general elections are always held on a Saturday or Sunday, to enable as many voters as possible to participate; while in other countries elections are always held on a weekday. 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. And in Australia, there is a fine. 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. The types of workers least likely to reap the benefits of a federal holiday are those who already struggle to vote, Shineman noted. Some countries use electronic voting machines, such as India, while others rely on paper ballots, such as Zimbabwe. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. In 2018, a Pewstudy found that 65% of Americans favored making Election Day a national holiday. A National Day is a date for a country to celebrate its nationhood. Even people youd expect to know, like politicians, have been stumped by this very question. The COVID-19 pandemic convinced. Office Holidays provides calendars with dates and information on public holidays and bank holidays in key countries around the world. October 26, 2020 / 10:57 AM Mail-in voting starts 1 month before polls open. 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. 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 designateelection day a national holiday. Countries like France, Germany, and India all recognize Election Day as a national holiday or hold elections on the weekend in order to increase voter turnout. 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. Estonia This tiny Baltic nation is making waves for introducing something that seems completely logical in the digital age -- online voting. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Nine states classify general elections as holidays: Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Virginia. 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. [3] In 1800, 83% of the American labor force was agrarian, but today only 11% of total US employment is agriculture-related. Runoffs take place on the last Sunday of the same October. For more on the debate about making election day a national holiday, visit ProCon.org. If you make election day a federal holiday, youll have all the people who work in these types of jobs still having to work, being inundated with customers who have the day off and they wont have child care because the schools will be closed, Suzanne Lucas, who previously worked in human resources, wrote in a piece for Inc.com. The United States has held federal elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years since 1845. If your thoughts have not changed, list two to three ways your better understanding of the other side of the issue now helps you better argue your position. 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. 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. Twenty-seven of the 36 member countries, hold their elections on the weekend. 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. Public holidays in Belgium in 2022 and 2023 | Expatica However, the issues vary among different demographic groups. This . By law, polling day is a public holiday if it falls on a weekday. Update: Some readers think that Ireland should also be considered an outlier, as St. Patrick's Day is often considered its primary "national day" and is not really an independence or revolution day. 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. Senator Bernie Sanders has certainly tried heintroducedthe "Democracy Day Act" in 2018, which proposed making Election Day a federal holiday. Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. Elections Project, which is close to the complete voter . There are some exceptions; as Wednesday was not covered by the available dates, the Netherlands holds elections on Thursday, while Denmark holds elections on Sunday. [31] Same-day registration boosts turnout by 5%, and universal implementation of it would have added as many as 4.8 million voters in the 2016 election, according to Danielle Root, JD, and Liz Kennedy, JD, from the Center for American Progress. Is Election Day a federal holiday? Here's what is open, closed Tuesday Read more: You can take time off from work to vote in 30 states here's the full list. 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. By Monday morning, nearly 60 million had already voted early across the country, closing in on half of 2016's total voter turnout. Passing voting rights reform will be a crucial component of this response, as would making Election Day a national holiday. 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). In 2007, the country held the world's first general Internet election. ", Obama: "Absolutely. 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. "And we actually have more options than ever before.". Not all of these marked the end of colonialism (for example, Austria's signifies the withdrawal of foreign militaries after World War II and the declaration of neutrality) but the vast majority do. Should the United States Use the Electoral College in Presidential Elections? And that election saw the second highest voter turnout in 20 years. a list of voting rights provisions he would support. 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. 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%. For other uses, see. 3) Britain and Denmark have no national days. ELECTION DAY - November 7, 2023 - National Today [17] Countries such as France, Mexico, and India also observe federal holidays for elections. States such as Georgia and Iowa already have passed restrictive measures and many others appear poised to do the same thing. Will the party listen to them on the issues? (And in case youre curious, November was chosen as the month for similar reasons: It was after fall harvest was over but before the cold winter weather set in.). Opponents say it allows only a few states to select the president. As a holiday, that means several millions of people would have the day off from work or school, making it way . Without this simple step toward turning out as many Americans as possible to vote, any reform will be incomplete. Updates? Obama Expresses Support For Making Election Day A National Holiday ], [Editors Note: The MLA citation style requires double spacing within entries. It is the day when popular ballots are held to select public officials. 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. According to the country's website detailing their "digital society," online voting has soared from 1.9% in 2005 to 30.5% in 2015. Yet, few of us, especially those who have worked on Capitol Hill, harbor . Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters. 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. Why Election Day is on a Tuesday in November in the U.S. | Pew Research So, since this effort does not receive bipartisan support, it is difficult to enact.. 3 Countries Where It's Easier To Vote Than the United States It's amazing how much of the map is green, indicating countries that celebrate a national independence day every year. What other improvements could be made to voting and Election Day? Some countries, about 27 of them,make voting compulsory. A lot of people go to work, or they're in school during the weekday. 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. Proponents say teens are knowledgeable enough to vote. Here are five reasons why Election Day should be a national holiday. Would making Election Day a federal holiday increase voter turnout and celebrate democracy? Sign up to receive a weekly email update on forthcoming public holidays around the world in your inbox every Sunday. Election Day is a US State Holiday observed on several states on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November every even-numbered year. 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. 4. Is Election Day a national holiday? Why you don't get the day off Even among the nine weekday voting countries, South Korea's and Israel's voters take a day off work on the day of the election to ensure higher electoral participation. By comparison,. Why Election Day Should Be A National Holiday In America - 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. To look through the stats for voter turnout for other countries, you can visit the website for the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) and explore the data. 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. Argentina has instated compulsory voting laws, but only sees about 76% voter turnout. 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. Puerto Rico's voter turnout has gone as high as 80 . 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. "We already know how to make voting convenient to voters that's by offering them options, like making an election season rather than election day," he said. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? Given this, an Election Day holiday would remove a significant barrier to participation for relatively well-to-do potential voters while doing little to make voting easier for a significant. 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. It is set by statute as "the Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November.". 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. Tuesday was chosen because it was most convenient for farmers traveling by horse and buggy at the time. Read More, Election Day is a holiday in Puerto Rico. The outliers are a tiny minority, and only two countries have no formal national day at all. John M. Cunningham, "Why Are U.S. Over the course of three days, Estonians could vote by placing their state-issued ID cards (which have an electronic chip . Election Day is a state holiday in Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and New York. 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. Most National Days are fixed, exceptions to this are shown below. Make Election Day a National Holiday | YIP Institute 27 September (Wednesday): Day of the French-speaking Community - commemorates the victory of the patriots against the Dutch army in Brussels in 1830. Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives. South Africa's is from the first democratic elections, in 1994. National and Festival Holiday Act, which is applicable to all establishments in the country, irrespective of under which law it is formed it is mandatory to grant leave on following 3 days, i.e. 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. 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. Make election day a national holiday : r/WhitePeopleTwitter - reddit "While this would not be a cure-all, it would indicate a national commitment to create a more vibrant democracy.". While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. as well as other partner offers and accept our. Reformers will be far more successful adding a few days or options or opportunities than trying to undo Election Day.. [10][11]] The pros and cons of the felon voting debate include arguments about the social contract, voting while in prison, and paying debts. 5. 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. A number of bills like the Weekend Voting Act have been proposed in Congress over the years, often by Democrats. 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.. Fourth Sunday of October immediately before the end of the current mandates. Especially given that 65% of Americans support making election day a national holiday and 43% of voters already live in one of the 19 states with some form of voting holiday. https://www.britannica.com/question/Should-election-day-be-made-a-national-holiday. 0:58. 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. In theory, it seems that any move that would make it easier for Americans to vote would increase participation. 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. 3. History of Election Day [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. 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. US voter turnout trails most developed countries. So far this year, hundreds of bills have been introduced that could have the effect of suppressing peoples right to vote. This page was last edited on 1 February 2023, at 18:43. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is a group that includes 36 countries. Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. In many other democracies around the world, national elections are held on the weekend or are a federal holiday. Rather, federal elections are held on the third Monday of October, every four years . Rather than make it a national holiday where inevitably people will still have to work, change election day to election week. 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. 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. Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island and New York have also made Election Day into a state holiday. 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. However, those numbers may be attributed to a combination of factors not solely because their elections occur on non-work days. [15] Israel and South Korea make national elections a holiday to avoid economic hardship for voters. Unlike Singapore, South Korea and Israel, Canada has not declared election days as public holidays. Newsela | Should Election Day become a national holiday? In the 2016 election, only 56% of voting-age Americans cast their ballots. Why Isn't Election Day A National Holiday In The United States? - HuffPost "I'm not a fan," said Eddie Perez, an election administration and election technology expert at the Open Source Election Technology (OSET) Institute. He says it's more important to spread voting out over a period of days and methods. High turnout means that people are successfully exercising their rights-a good in itselfbut it also ensures the continuing health of majority rule. There is no fixed election day for general elections, although since 1986 every general election has been held on Sunday. [4][5], The United States currently has 10 national holidays, including Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Christmas Day. In many countries, general elections are always held on a Saturday or Sunday, to enable as many voters as possible to participate; while in other countries elections are always held on a weekday.However, some countries, or regions within a country, which hold elections on a weekday declare election day a public holiday. 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. Is Election Day a national holiday? Why you don't get the day off Think about it. However, making National Election Day a holiday will disadvantage low-income and blue . But Gupta said that there's been a "lack of political will" to give the initiative some momentum. 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. Declaring Election Day a holiday has been proposed various times in Congress; it's a popular idea. It happens to be on the day the politicians themselves get elected. American election laws have been reformed before with minimal impact on voter turnout which remains low compared to other democracies around the world. 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. For more information on how to vote, head over to our TurboVote module. While young people are generally less likely to vote, they are more motivated by the issue of freedom of speech than older generations. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. [7] A handful of states have made election day a state holiday, including New York, Hawaii, Kentucky, and, in Apr. 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. Explore which countries have weekend voting with Pew Research. Why are other countries better at conducting elections than we are? 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. Read more: The evolution of American voting rights in 242 years shows how far we've come and how far we still have to go. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Do you think it's time for the US to follow their lead? Election day should be a national holiday. Which type of claim is this WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - Election Day should be a holiday for workers in the United States, President Joe Biden said on Thursday. Congress would shore up the peoples right to vote while guaranteeing the time to engage in this fundamental right. Such low voter turnout rates in the United States have various reasons why many Americans decide not to vote, but one main reason is not giving them time to vote and cast their ballots. Some countries, about 27 of them, make voting compulsory. Election Day should be a national holiday - The GW Hatchet Election Day is the day for general elections of public officials in the U.S. This article is about the general term "election day" worldwide. Stay up to date with what you want to know. So the question of how you label Ireland goes back to which holiday you consider its national day. Of these countries, 27 hold their national elections on a weekend. 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. Countries like Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Mexico also showed high voter turnout rates by having holidays. Part of HuffPost Home & Living. Thats not to say no one has tried. ProCon.org is the institutional or organization author for all ProCon.org pages. 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.