Rather, federal elections are held on the third Monday of October, every four years . 1. "Election Day should be a national holiday so that everyone has the time and opportunity to vote," Sanders' website reads. [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. 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! And even if it were a federal holiday, that wouldn't ensure that all voting-age Americans would have the day off. Whether election day should be made a national holiday is debated. "With the variety of challenges that election officials face, [making Election Day a holiday] is well down on the list of those things that need to be addressed," Becker said. Early voting for the midterms varies by state. States such as Georgia and Iowa already have passed restrictive measures and many others appear poised to do the same thing. A simple but effective change, however, could be made in election timing. 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. 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. 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. 2020, Virginia. 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. These efforts challenge fundamental values of American democracy and constitute a serious threat to the one person, one vote principle. [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. Start the discussion over on our Facebook page, and let us know about civic engagement in your town, state, or country! US voter turnout trails most developed countries. Experts told CBS News that it's no coincidence this is occurring in a year when Americans have more time and more ways to vote than ever before. 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. Whether election day in the United States should be made a national holiday is debated. 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. Countries outpacing the U.S. include the U.K, Mexico and Canada. One major reason: It comes down to tradition, Troy said. as well as other partner offers and accept our. At the top of his list: making Election Day a national holiday. The U.S. is one of only nine member nations that have weekday voting. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Regional Belgian public holidays during 2023. Change often comes slowly, subtly. So the question of how you label Ireland goes back to which holiday you consider its national day. 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. First Sunday of October. Could that ever happen in the U.S.? As a holiday, that means several millions of people would have the day off from work or school, making it way . Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? Declaring Election Day a holiday has been proposed various times in Congress; it's a popular idea. There are many ways to boost voter turnout expanding early voting, automatically registering voters, and improving civic education programs . 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. By comparison,. Concentrating voters into a single day risks congesting polling places, even more so than some already are. People literally cannot get to the polling booth because it may close at 7 o'clock and they're working later. 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. 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. 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. 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 . Because the impact of a federal holiday is far-reaching, many states and workplaces would likely follow suit. America is walking the knifes edge between maintaining and losing democracy. These changes would send a strong rebuke to those who are attempting to scale back voting rights and make it more difficult for African-Americans and Latinos to vote. November 7, 2023. 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. 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. It's amazing how much of the map is green, indicating countries that celebrate a national independence day every year. Ralph Northam signed into law a measure that, among other things, makes Election Day a state holiday in the commonwealth. A National Day is a date for a country to celebrate its nationhood. [15] A survey showed that US adults would rather have a federal holiday on Election Day than on Christmas Eve, the Friday after Thanksgiving, or St. Patricks day. Most others are not so recent, but still not so old: Taiwan's, for example, goes back to a 1911 uprising. Passing voting rights reform will be a crucial component of this response, as would making Election Day a national holiday. And there is no better way to secure democracy than to ensure that everyone has not only the right to vote, but also the meaningful opportunity to cast their ballots. [31][32] Trying one of these alternatives would avoid the negative economic impact of closing businesses for Election Day. But it is not a federal holiday. The US isn't the only developed country that faces this criticism, however. 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. "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. Most of these 19 states' policies only cover general elections, though. ABUJA, Nigeria -- Nigeria's election commission announced the first results late Sunday from the country's closely watched presidential election, but it could days . Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. Runoffs take place on the last Sunday of the same October. 3) Britain and Denmark have no national days. [4][5], The United States currently has 10 national holidays, including Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Christmas Day. Incidentally, Australia routinely reaches more than 90. In Estonia, a national ID card (required for every citizen in the country) can be used to vote remotely. The U.S. ranks 26th out of 32 for voter among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. As for Denmark, it has a national liberation day and some people celebrate international worker's day, but neither is a public holiday. Explore which countries have weekend voting with Pew Research. 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. For federal offices (president, vice president, and United States Congress) and most gubernatorial offices (all except for . [14], Pew Research Center found that 71% of Democrats and 59% of Republicans support making Election Day a federal holiday. So far this year, hundreds of bills have been introduced that could have the effect of suppressing peoples right to vote. In some of these countries, voting is compulsory, and in most of them, Election Day is a holiday. 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. 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. As old as all of these societies are, their senses of national identity are commemorated by remarkably recent events. Others have suggested making Veterans Day (Nov. 11), which is already a paid national holiday, Election Day. "I'm not a fan," said Eddie Perez, an election administration and election technology expert at the Open Source Election Technology (OSET) Institute. 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. 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. Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island and New York have also made Election Day into a state 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). Tuesday was selected because it was the most convenient. Even people youd expect to know, like politicians, have been stumped by this very question. 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. 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. Lists national days around the world by country or date. 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. 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. All this despite the fact that these types of restrictions have typically been considered illegal under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which requires that elections be equally open to all people. Usually Wednesday. - 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. / CBS News. Saturday, but can be any day of the week, such as when a Saturday conflicts with a holiday.

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