In India, for example, a polling place is required within two kilometers (about a mile) of every single person in the country of 1.4 billion. Countries that hold the ballot before Sunday are not permitted to announce results until all other countries have finished voting. They stated, Citizen Day would do more than give our democracy the honor that it deserves; it would help our democracy work better. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? 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. OK, so why Tuesday? All federal elections take place the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. 1. 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). If Election Day were a national holiday, how would you ensure hourly and low-income workers would get a chance to vote? 2. While countries like Belgium, Sweden, and Turkey saw more than 80% of their estimated voting-age population cast votes in recent elections, less than 56% of the estimated voting-age population in the US voted during the 2016 presidential election. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. 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. Lessons in How to Hold Elections", "GE2015: First time Polling Day falls on a Friday, but not first time polls held on a weekday", "180/2014 Z.z. While these provisions represent major steps in the right direction, they are not enough. For more information on how to vote, head over to our TurboVote module. South Korea and Israel hold theirs during the week, but have made the day a federal holiday. Omissions? Sunday: the second Sunday of March for Congress, and the second Sunday of May for President and Vice President. The U.S. House of Representatives just passed H.R. Regional Belgian public holidays during 2023. [8][15] A holiday for elections sidesteps the issue of a weekend election, which could conflict with religious obligations. Sweden came second with 82.6%. Most others are not so recent, but still not so old: Taiwan's, for example, goes back to a 1911 uprising. 27 September (Wednesday): Day of the French-speaking Community - commemorates the victory of the patriots against the Dutch army in Brussels in 1830. "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. Younger generations are also more likely to participate in political discussions online, which shows that a move towards digitizing the political and voting processes may not be too far off. Until 2009, elections were held over several consecutive Sundays. Do you think it's time for the US to follow their lead? Should the United States Use the Electoral College in Presidential Elections? In an interview with President Barack Obama in 2016, Dan Corey, editor-in-chief of Rutgers University's official student newspaper, The Daily Targum, asked Obama about what could be done to reverse the US's low voter turnout: The Daily Targum: "You have pointed out many times that voter turnout in the United States is very low, especially compared to other developed nations. 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. [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. ABUJA, Nigeria -- Nigeria's election commission announced the first results late Sunday from the country's closely watched presidential election, but it could days . 2) Most other countries are shaped by relatively recent revolutions. Voter turnout in the United States is usually considered low, especially in years without a presidential election. Election dates are determined by the General Elections Commission (Indonesian: Typically on a Friday, but precise date set by, Municipal, provincial, and regional elections take place on a Sunday, as do elections for the. Because the impact of a federal holiday is far-reaching, many states and workplaces would likely follow suit. "Voting is a fundamental right,. 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. First Sunday of October. 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. 4) The outliers are few but tell you a lot about those countries. Explore which countries have weekend voting with Pew Research. "And we actually have more options than ever before.". In 2018, a Pewstudy found that 65% of Americans favored making Election Day a national holiday. Think of things such as voter ID laws, lowering the voting age, and abolishing the Electoral College. 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. During the 2016 presidential election, less than 56% of the estimated voting-age population in the US voted. 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. All 435 representatives were up for re-election, as well as a third ofsenators, and countless elections for governors, mayors, state legislators, and local government across the country. He concluded that having an election holiday, by itself, is not an effective strategy to increase voter turnout. [34], Automatic voter registration, by contrast, could register an additional 22 million people and create 7.9 million new voters nationwide within a year. Today in my country it is a national holiday as we celebrate the day when St. Paul converted our whole country to Catholicism in AD 60. 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. [7] A handful of states have made election day a state holiday, including New York, Hawaii, Kentucky, and, in Apr. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. Think about it. Read More, Election Day is a holiday in Puerto Rico. In some states where they don't have mail-in ballots, voting can take a lot of time out of the day. Here are five reasons why Election Day should be a national holiday. As Congress continues to grapple with voting rights legislation this week, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has used his considerable influence as the Senates key swing vote to set the terms of the debate. - 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? In the 2016 presidential election, 60% of the eligible voting population vast a vote; this year, a staggering 47.5%participated in the midterms, compared to 37% in 2014 and 41% in 2010, the years of other midterm elections. 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. 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. Theyare still considerably higher than in the United States, which typically sees about 65% on average turn out to vote for major elections. "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. This is the day we cast ballots to select public officials from local to the national government. Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. John M. Cunningham, "Why Are U.S. 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. Over the course of three days, Estonians could vote by placing their state-issued ID cards (which have an electronic chip . 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. 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.". Fourth Sunday of October immediately before the end of the current mandates. But none of those states have considerably high turnout compared to those where it isn't a holiday. 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. There are many ways to boost voter turnout expanding early voting, automatically registering voters, and improving civic education programs . In Sweden, for example, 83% of registered voters participated in the 2014 national . That means the stock market will be open, and so will. There is no fixed election day for general elections, although since 1986 every general election has been held on Sunday. [10][11]] Proponents say teens are knowledgeable enough to vote. ], ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons. Could that ever happen in the U.S.? The name change required at least 50% voter participation, and opponents to the name change advocated not voting at all rather than voting against the measure. Last week his office released a list of voting rights provisions he would support. A National Day is a date for a country to celebrate its nationhood. Exact date set by the. While the majority of US states have voter leave laws that guarantee certain employees a modicum of time off to vote, no federal law currently mandates that employees get time off to cast their ballots. Right now, federal elections are always held on Tuesdays, because farmers in the 1840s needed multiple days to get to the . 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. 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. 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. 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. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Tuesday was selected because it was the most convenient. Countries like Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Mexico also showed high voter turnout rates by having holidays. Election Day - Tuesday, Nov. 8 - is a special day, with voters casting ballots across the country. 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. [6] Election Day could be made a holiday if a bill were passed by the House and Senate then signed into law by the president. [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. 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. ProCon.org. By law, polling day is a public holiday if it falls on a weekday. Because of the pandemic, more U.S. voters are exploring alternatives to voting on Election Day, such as early voting and mail-in voting. And in Australia, there is a fine. https://www.britannica.com/question/Should-election-day-be-made-a-national-holiday. 5. 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. Most of these 19 states' policies only cover general elections, though. ProCon/Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Vote.org has called on Amazon, Disney, McDonald's and others to offer paid time off for employees to vote and or work the polls. Furthermore, making this small shift would celebrate the purpose and sacrifice of our fighting forces. 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. Why or why not? Senator Bernie Sanders has certainly tried heintroducedthe "Democracy Day Act" in 2018, which proposed making Election Day a federal holiday. Puerto Rico's voter turnout has gone as high as 80 . Chicago, Illinois 60654 USA, Natalie Leppard The US ranks 26th out of 32 for voter turnout among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. From 2021, the first Sunday of June. Whether election day should be made a national holiday is debated. Corrections? Veterans Day typically is about one week after Election Day so this would involve little disruption in terms of job schedules and monthly routines. These include national, state, and local government representatives at all levels up to the president. Without this simple step toward turning out as many Americans as possible to vote, any reform will be incomplete. Here are the four things I found interesting about this once as I mapped it out: 1) Yes, most of the world was shaped by colonialism. 0:00. Twenty-seven of the 36 member countries, hold their elections on the weekend. However, making National Election Day a holiday will disadvantage low-income and blue . 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." Change often comes slowly, subtly. "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. [1], An election day usually culminates in an election night when the results of the election are tallied and winners are announced.[2]. And that election saw the second highest voter turnout in 20 years. [3] In 1800, 83% of the American labor force was agrarian, but today only 11% of total US employment is agriculture-related. Mr. CHRISTENSEN: One of the biggest countries that uses compulsory voting is Australia. To paraphrase one of the commenters on the Reddit thread, is certainly is ironic that the British empire that is indirectly responsible for so many of the world's independence days has no real national day of its own. Early voting for the midterms varies by state. These numbers also may be indicative of higher turnout for major elections, but may not reflect engagement in local or regional elections. This . Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. The outliers are a tiny minority, and only two countries have no formal national day at all. 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. And some countries, like Australia, require people to vote by subjecting those who don't to a minor fine equivalent to a traffic ticket. Making the presidential election a national holiday is another way to get people to the polls. "[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. Some say a holiday would increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote while celebrating democracy. Understanding what happened in the Chicago mayoral race. the Tuesday that occurs within November 2 to November 8. A lot of people go to work, or they're in school during the weekday. 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. Others have suggested making Veterans Day (Nov. 11), which is already a paid national holiday, Election Day. "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons." 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 a list of voting rights provisions he would support. 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. 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. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. But some election analysts told CBS News that making Election Day a holiday is not a way to make voting easier. By comparison,. Americans are working all the time. 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. 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. [12], The idea that voting should be a celebration, not a chore is one argument for turning Election Day into a national holiday, according to Archon Fung, PhD, and Jane Mansbridge, PhD, professors at the Harvard Kennedy School. The U.S. ranks 26th out of 32 for voter among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. 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 expense of the other party, the GOP, said Vincent Hutchings, a University of Michigan political science professor. "I'm not a fan," said Eddie Perez, an election administration and election technology expert at the Open Source Election Technology (OSET) Institute. Sunday. President Obama likes the idea of changing the way or the day Americans vote. For starters, the United States is rather unique in that it schedules its election day on a weekday, let alone a Tuesday. In 2007, the country held the world's first general Internet election. Presidential and semipresidential systems, Constituencies: districting and apportionment. Other countries may only require it of certain people, and otherwise make it voluntary for others. 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. High turnout means that people are successfully exercising their rights-a good in itselfbut it also ensures the continuing health of majority rule. In many other democracies around the world, national elections are held on the weekend or are a federal holiday. In 2018, the general election was held on Wednesday. US voter turnout trails most developed countries. Estonia This tiny Baltic nation is making waves for introducing something that seems completely logical in the digital age -- online voting. America is walking the knifes edge between maintaining and losing democracy. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Other politicians, businesses, and advocacy groups have voiced their approval of celebrating Election Day as a national holiday. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. In an interview published Thursday, President Obama endorsed the idea of holding U.S. federal elections on weekends or national holidays. 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. Research has found that higher trust in the government and democratic process leads to greater voter turnout. Reformers will be far more successful adding a few days or options or opportunities than trying to undo Election Day.. The result is voter turnout rates of 72.3% and 77.2% respectively, which is 26-32% higher than the United States. Proponents say the Electoral College ensures everyone selects the president. But some think it should be. 4. 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). Start the discussion over on our Facebook page, and let us know about civic engagement in your town, state, or country! Sign up for notifications from Insider! 1, which adds a new paid holiday for federal employees every other year. 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. In Switzerland, only one canton (or member state) requires voting; it is voluntary all other cantons of the country. We are very proud that we are mentioned in the Bible. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? Elections to the Bundestag may be held on another public holiday. ", Obama: "Absolutely. 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,". First Sunday of July until 2018. 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. 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. WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - Election Day should be a holiday for workers in the United States, President Joe Biden said on Thursday. Election Day is already a holiday for state employees in more than a dozen states including Kentucky, Michigan, and New York. Indigenous Peoples Day is a local and state holiday in some parts of the country usually held on Columbus Day that celebrates the cultures of Native Americans. Many Americans know that Election Day is a Tuesday, but few know why. 1. The types of workers least likely to reap the benefits of a federal holiday are those who already struggle to vote, Shineman noted.