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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. It worked. Part of HuffPost Home & Living. Most of these 19 states' policies only cover general elections, though. Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. February 26, 2023, 5:06 AM. First Sunday of July until 2018. However, making National Election Day a holiday will disadvantage low-income and blue . 3) Britain and Denmark have no national days. the Tuesday that occurs within November 2 to November 8. By law, polling day is a public holiday if it falls on a weekday. There is a simple and straightforward solution: make Election Day a national holiday so that people have the time and freedom to vote without taking time off from work. To make Election Day a national holiday, it would take an act of Congress, and so far, no bills proposing such action have passed. While young people are generally less likely to vote, they are more motivated by the issue of freedom of speech than older generations. Essential reporting and analysis from correspondents around the world. 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. Operated 24:7 through the week. Sunday. Would making Election Day a federal holiday increase voter turnout and celebrate democracy? 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. Countries outpacing the U.S. include the U.K, Mexico and Canada. - 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? US voter turnout trails most developed countries. 4) The outliers are few but tell you a lot about those . 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. However, some countries, or regions within a country, which hold elections on a weekday declare election day a public holiday. [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. ", ProCon.org. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider For more information on how to vote, head over to our TurboVote module. Image 2. Should Election Day be a national holiday? While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Additionally, many of these individuals rely on school days as childcare for their children. 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 . Over 60 court cases reviewed the evidence and judgesappointed by both Republican and Democratic presidents alikereached the same conclusion: there was no compelling evidence of fraud. That's true, although the separate "National Day of Commemoration" occurs on the anniversary of the truce ending the Irish war of independence. 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. Georgias voter suppression bill is an assault on our democracy, Republicans in 48 states have introduced 389 bills, Tracking regulatory changes in the Biden era. 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. 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. The United States has held federal elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years since 1845. States such as Georgia and Iowa already have passed restrictive measures and many others appear poised to do the same thing. 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. First Sunday of October. Modern life operates around the clock. 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. Runoffs take place on the last Sunday of the same October. 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. 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. 26K views, 1.2K likes, 65 loves, 454 comments, 23 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Citizen TV Kenya: #FridayNight 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. WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - Election Day should be a holiday for workers in the United States, President Joe Biden said on Thursday. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? While these provisions represent major steps in the right direction, they are not enough. Thats not to say no one has tried. We are very proud that we are mentioned in the Bible. 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. by country by date Estonia is the only country to fully adopt online voting, but other countries, such as Australia, Canada, and Norway, have looked into pursuing it as an option in the future. Read more: You can take time off from work to vote in 30 states here's the full list. Whether election day should be made a national holiday is debated. The U.S. House of Representatives just passed H.R. Some countries, about 27 of them, make voting compulsory. 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. For other uses, see. 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. With those options early in-person voting and more voter awareness on how to vote by mail voter turnout appears to be trending upward. Some countries use electronic voting machines, such as India, while others rely on paper ballots, such as Zimbabwe. 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. Senator Bernie Sanders has certainly tried heintroducedthe "Democracy Day Act" in 2018, which proposed making Election Day a federal holiday. John M. Cunningham, "Why Are U.S. But it is not a federal holiday. And even a number of the blue countries, such as Australia and Canada, are actually the product of colonialism. 0:58. / CBS News. Furthermore, making this small shift would celebrate the purpose and sacrifice of our fighting forces. 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. 25, 2016, Chris Talgo, "Make Election Day a National Holiday? There's nothing that would stop voters here from treating a Democracy Day like just another day off.". Such a change would mostly benefit white-collar workers instead of the lower-income workers its designed to help. [31][32] Trying one of these alternatives would avoid the negative economic impact of closing businesses for Election Day. But this arrangement began to raise concerns as travel and communication improved in the 19th century: Results from states that voted earlier could sway the outcome in states that voted later. In Australia, all citizens of age to vote are required, and if they fail to do so, they face fines. Reformers will be far more successful adding a few days or options or opportunities than trying to undo Election Day.. Election Day is a state holiday in Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and New York. Its hard to say. 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. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. 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). Why or why not? And I think on Election Day we should have a national holiday which says, 'you don't have to rush to vote.' Think about it. First published on October 26, 2020 / 10:57 AM. Opponents say it allows only a few states to select the president. Opponents say kids arent mature enough to vote. 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. 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.". The pros and cons of the felon voting debate include arguments about the social contract, voting while in prison, and paying debts. [31]. Some say a holiday would increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote while celebrating democracy. OK, so why Tuesday? Plus, some experts say moving to weekend voting could substantially increase the cost of running elections. In 2005, the American Bar Association looked at a few different methods of voting: in 1989 in Namibia, voters marked an X on ballots using ink on their fingers; in Bulgaria, rather than marking a ballot, voters pick from any number of sheets of paper representing specific political parties and puts it in a ballot box; and in Ireland, "they designate their top three candidates by numbering them 1, 2, and 3." This article was published more than10 years ago. Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. Russia's national holiday only goes back to 1992, when the Russian Federation was founded. Corrections? So, workers having a day off to vote wouldn't be a disruption to the economy, or anything a citizen of our country could deny would be worthwhile and smart thing to do. And the empire has been pretty consistently breaking apart over the last half century Scotland is maybe next so it's not like there is a national unification to celebrate. Concentrating voters into a single day risks congesting polling places, even more so than some already are. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Litigation pending before the Supreme Court this term in Brnovich v. DNC, however, threatens to undermine this rule. Election Day - Tuesday, Nov. 8 - is a special day, with voters casting ballots across the country. Whether election day in the United States should be made a national holiday is debated. 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. [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. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday.