Opponents say kids arent mature enough to vote. Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 2) Most other countries are shaped by relatively recent revolutions. Executive director and founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research David Becker argues that increasing turnout is a nuanced problem that can't be fixed by declaring a holiday. Furthermore, making this small shift would celebrate the purpose and sacrifice of our fighting forces. Election Day isn't a national holiday in the US, but some people think it should be. Presidential and semipresidential systems, Constituencies: districting and apportionment. However, some countries, or regions within a country, which hold elections on a weekday declare election day a public holiday. 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. 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says, Battleground Tracker: Tight race in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Lindsey Graham appears before Georgia grand jury, House Jan. 6 committee is having conversations with Justice Department, Georgia grand jury investigating Trump wants testimony from Giuliani, Graham, Trump election interference grand jury to hear from Raffensperger, DHS IG says Wolf changed intel report on Russian interference in 2020. 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. Start the discussion over on our Facebook page, and let us know about civic engagement in your town, state, or country! The result is voter turnout rates of 72.3% and 77.2% respectively, which is 26-32% higher than the United States. We are very proud that we are mentioned in the Bible. 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). February 26, 2023, 5:06 AM. In-person polls open Sunday at 12:01am, close Saturday at 11:59pm. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. By comparison,. Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters. 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. Mail-in voting starts 1 month before polls open. But none of those states have considerably high turnout compared to those where it isn't a holiday. Many Americans know that Election Day is a Tuesday, but few know why. 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. Think of things such as voter ID laws, lowering the voting age, and abolishing the Electoral College. In the US, Election Day is not a national holiday. It is set by statute as "the Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November.". 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 bill has no cosponsors, but the concept was supported by every 2020 Democratic candidate for president, excluding Mike Bloomberg and now-nominee Joe Biden. 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). The U.S. ranks 26th out of 32 for voter among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. Whether election day in the United States should be made a national holiday is debated. Democracy on the ballot will the remaining election deniers succeed? Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. In many other democracies around the world, national elections are held on the weekend or are a federal holiday. Pew also found that certain issues motivate voters more than others: "health care, poverty and education are the top motivators for political engagement." 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. 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. Have you experienced an election day in another country, or do you know how voting works in a place we haven't mentioned here? Usually Wednesday. 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 US ranks 26th out of 32 for voter turnout among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. For more information on how to vote, head over to our TurboVote module. In the 2016 election, only 56% of voting-age Americans cast their ballots. 26 th January (Republic Day), 15 th August (Independence Day) and 2 nd October (Gandhi Jayanti). 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. Unlike Singapore, South Korea and Israel, Canada has not declared election days as public holidays. South Korea and Israel hold theirs during the week, but have made the day a federal holiday. In some of these countries, voting is compulsory, and in most of them, Election Day is a holiday. [8][15] A holiday for elections sidesteps the issue of a weekend election, which could conflict with religious obligations. 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. While young people are generally less likely to vote, they are more motivated by the issue of freedom of speech than older generations. Without this simple step toward turning out as many Americans as possible to vote, any reform will be incomplete. 26K views, 1.2K likes, 65 loves, 454 comments, 23 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Citizen TV Kenya: #FridayNight 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. Hailey said the country needs a "cultural shift" to prioritize voting. Let us make it as easy as we can," Sanders told CBS News. Tuesday was selected because it was the most convenient. 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,". 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. ], ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons. Election Day in the United States of America is the Tuesday following the first Monday in November. It's amazing how much of the map is green, indicating countries that celebrate a national independence day every year. In theory, it seems that any move that would make it easier for Americans to vote would increase participation. Veterans Day typically is about one week after Election Day so this would involve little disruption in terms of job schedules and monthly routines. 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. List two to three ways. ProCon/Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. ", "An overall look at Vietnam's election law", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Election_day&oldid=1136894393. Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. "[Early and at-home voting] helps prevent bottlenecks for election administrators because it 'flattens the curve' for when ballots are cast by large numbers of voters," Perez said. 2. "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. People literally cannot get to the polling booth because it may close at 7 o'clock and they're working later. TOP QUESTION 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. "If I had my way, and I think it is really important, every . 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. American election laws have been reformed before with minimal impact on voter turnout which remains low compared to other democracies around the world. 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. Explore which countries have weekend voting with Pew Research. Election Day is observed on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, taking place on November 7 this year. Again, it is not clear that this is demonstrably true but it is a widespread perception. Compulsory voting does not necessarily guarantee 100% turnout rates, however, though they still see higher rates than countries which do not require it. Why Election Day is Held on a Tuesday in November in the U.S. A Boatload of Ballots: Midterm Voter Turnout Hit 50-Year High, Estonia's i-voting: more secure, more popular, Macedonia referendum: Low voter turnout puts country's name change at risk, What Voting and Elections Look Like Around the World, X Marks the Choice: Voting Methods around the World, Defense Language and National Security Education Office. In Sweden, for example, 83% of registered voters participated in the 2014 national . Nine states classify general elections as holidays: Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Virginia. 1. 1, which adds a new paid holiday for federal employees every other year. 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. 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? A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. "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. The United States has held federal elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years since 1845. One major reason: It comes down to tradition, Troy said. With those options early in-person voting and more voter awareness on how to vote by mail voter turnout appears to be trending upward. [14], Pew Research Center found that 71% of Democrats and 59% of Republicans support making Election Day a federal holiday. 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. Consider the pandemic, which has not given essential workers more time off. Saturday, but can be any day of the week, such as when a Saturday conflicts with a holiday. Some say a holiday would increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote while celebrating democracy. "And we actually have more options than ever before.". 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. 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. Explain your answers. But while . First Sunday of October. 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. The US isn't the only developed country that faces this criticism, however. Proper citation depends on your preferred or required style manual. "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons." Learn how and when to remove this template message, Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, 2020 North Macedonian parliamentary election, "THE ELECTORAL CODE OF THE REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. A lot of people go to work, or they're in school during the weekday. States such as Georgia and Iowa already have passed restrictive measures and many others appear poised to do the same thing. And even if it were a federal holiday, that wouldn't ensure that all voting-age Americans would have the day off. In 2018, a Pewstudy found that 65% of Americans favored making Election Day a national holiday. 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. [15] Israel and South Korea make national elections a holiday to avoid economic hardship for voters. Because the impact of a federal holiday is far-reaching, many states and workplaces would likely follow suit. [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. In some states where they don't have mail-in ballots, voting can take a lot of time out of the day. If so, how? Thats not to say no one has tried. as well as other partner offers and accept our. 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. There's nothing that would stop voters here from treating a Democracy Day like just another day off.". Consider the potential benefits and difficulties of changing election day. But they never go far and die in committee without a vote. Topics Explainers Politics US Evergreen US Explainers YOU MIGHT LIKE For example, in Ecuador, only literate citizens between 18 and 65 are required to vote; those over 65 or who are not literateare not required. By Monday morning, nearly 60 million had already voted early across the country, closing in on half of 2016's total voter turnout. Maybe that could give us some hint as to the frequent foreign sensitivities and accusations, right or wrong, about Western foreign policy echoing old colonial practices. Think about it. 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! 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. A 2018 Pew survey found that the majority of Americans (65%) would be in favor of turning Election Day into a national holiday that includes 71% of Democratic-leaning voters and 59% of Republican-leaning voters. This is the day we cast ballots to select public officials from local to the national government. I think, to the best of my knowledge, it's something like $20. But some election analysts told CBS News that making Election Day a holiday is not a way to make voting easier. This page was last edited on 1 February 2023, at 18:43. Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off.
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