Even people youd expect to know, like politicians, have been stumped by this very question. 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. by country by date According to Pew Research data, US voter turnout trails most developed countries. 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. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? [31][32] Trying one of these alternatives would avoid the negative economic impact of closing businesses for Election Day. 3. November 7, 2023. Election Day in the United States is the annual day for general elections of federal public officials.It is statutorily set by the U.S. government as "the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November", i.e. Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey agrees. At the top of his list: making Election Day a national holiday. Below are the proper citations for this page according to four style manuals (in alphabetical order): the Modern Language Association Style Manual (MLA), the Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago), the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), and Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Turabian).
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. Fourth Sunday of October immediately before the end of the current mandates. Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters. Topics Explainers Politics US Evergreen US Explainers YOU MIGHT LIKE Keep in mind that in the mid-1800s, the U.S. was largely an agricultural society. In 2018, a Pewstudy found that 65% of Americans favored making Election Day a national holiday. 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. 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. 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. Read more: You can take time off from work to vote in 30 states here's the full list. "Election Day as a national holiday would mean things like perhaps reduced schedules for public transportation, schools being closed, hourly workers perhaps being incentivized to work more with time and a half. As old as all of these societies are, their senses of national identity are commemorated by remarkably recent events. Australia sees around 91%, and 94% in Singapore. [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. Estonia This tiny Baltic nation is making waves for introducing something that seems completely logical in the digital age -- online voting.
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. 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. 1. ProCon/Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. a list of voting rights provisions he would support. 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. "Election Day really definitely does need to be a holiday," she said, adding, "We need to be able to have everybody feel like they have a great stake in it.". Proponents say teens are knowledgeable enough to vote. 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. These include national, state, and local government representatives at all levels up to the president. Compulsory voting does not necessarily guarantee 100% turnout rates, however, though they still see higher rates than countries which do not require it. Countries outpacing the U.S. include the U.K, Mexico and Canada.
Election day - Wikipedia The US ranks 26th out of 32 for voter turnout among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. Because the impact of a federal holiday is far-reaching, many states and workplaces would likely follow suit. 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. "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. We are very proud that we are mentioned in the Bible.
Why isn't Election Day a national holiday yet? - CNN [33], Henry Farber, PhD, Hughes-Rogers Professor of Economics at Princeton University, conducted an analysis of states that made Election Day a holiday for state employees. Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island and New York have also made Election Day into a state holiday. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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. 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. 2) Most other countries are shaped by relatively recent revolutions. Explain your answers. 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. A simple but effective change, however, could be made in election timing. Twenty-seven of the 36 member countries, hold their elections on the weekend. 20, 2018, Annie McDonald, "Ensuring Access to Election Day for All, bppj.berkely.edu, Nov. 6, 2018, Suzanne Lucas, "No, Election Day Should Not Be a Federal Holiday, inc.com, Oct. 24, 2016, Kenneth Quinnell, "Know Your Rights: State Laws on Employee Time off to Vote, aflicio.org, Nov. 5, 2016, Osita Nwanevu, "Maybe Making Election Day a National Holiday Wouldnt Really Work, slate.com, Nov. 3, 2016, Abigail Hess, "A Record 44% of US Employers Will Give Their Workers Paid Time off to Vote This Year, cnbc.com, Oct. 31, 2018, Make Time to Vote, homepage, maketimetovote.org (accessed Sep. 24, 2019), Rose Marcario, "Time to Vote, patagonia.com, Sep. 24, 2018, Danielle Root and Liz Kennedy, "Increasing Voter Participation in America, americanprogress.org, July 11, 2018, Kelly Born, "Increasing Voter Turnout: What, If Anything, Can Be Done?, ssir.org, Apr. Many Americans know that Election Day is a Tuesday, but few know why. John M. Cunningham, "Why Are U.S. Lists national days around the world by country or date. 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. Of these countries, 27 hold their national elections on a weekend. 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.
5 Reasons Election Day Should Be a National Holiday - Global Citizen 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. Proponents say the Electoral College ensures everyone selects the president. 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.
Why Election Day Should Be A National Holiday In America OK, so why Tuesday? 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. [17] Countries such as France, Mexico, and India also observe federal holidays for elections.
Today in my country it is a national holiday as we celebrate the day Granderson: Why aren't Democrats making election day a state holiday Other countries may only require it of certain people, and otherwise make it voluntary for others. In many other democracies around the world, national elections are held on the weekend or are a federal holiday. However, some countries, or regions within a country, which hold elections on a weekday declare election day a public holiday. Think about it.
Is Election Day a federal holiday? | The US Sun 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. Essential reporting and analysis from correspondents around the world. - 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.