According to the country's website detailing their "digital society," online voting has soared from 1.9% in 2005 to 30.5% in 2015. Why isn't Election Day a national holiday in the US? - KHOU Should election day be made a national holiday? | Britannica 5. Most others are not so recent, but still not so old: Taiwan's, for example, goes back to a 1911 uprising. Omissions? Passing voting rights reform will be a crucial component of this response, as would making Election Day a national holiday. Countries outpacing the U.S. include the U.K, Mexico and Canada. 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. Such a change would mostly benefit white-collar workers instead of the lower-income workers its designed to help. Ralph Northam signed into law a measure that, among other things, makes Election Day a state holiday in the commonwealth. Countries that hold the ballot before Sunday are not permitted to announce results until all other countries have finished voting. 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. As old as all of these societies are, their senses of national identity are commemorated by remarkably recent events. Because Saturday and Sunday are Sabbath days for devout Jews and Christians, elections would probably have to be held over the two-day period creating a need for more poll workers and a process for securing ballots overnight, Victoria Shineman, a University of Pittsburgh political science professor, wrote in The Washington Post. 3. Should Election Day Be a Holiday? - The Atlantic Newsweek subscription offers > "For example, Australia typically has a turnout in the 90 percent or more range, and other nations such as Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica and Mexico achieve. Election Day National Holiday - Top 3 Pros and Cons - ProCon.org The U.S. lags scores of other countries in election participation, ranking 26th out of 32 nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), according to the Pew. 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. And even if it were a federal holiday, that wouldn't ensure that all voting-age Americans would have the day off. "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. "And we actually have more options than ever before.". Research has found that higher trust in the government and democratic process leads to greater voter turnout. Corrections? Election Day is already a holiday for state employees in more than a dozen states including Kentucky, Michigan, and New York. All federal elections take place the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. [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. 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. On Sunday, Virginia Democratic Gov. by country by date A number of bills like the Weekend Voting Act have been proposed in Congress over the years, often by Democrats. 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. The correct answer is B. Advertisement Advertisement marberman marberman Portugal celebrates the 1580 death of celebrated national poet Luis de Camoes, Spain celebrates Columbus Day (yes, the holiday is a little controversial there as well, although not as much as in the U.S.), the Netherlands celebrates the queen's birthday but it still use her mother's birthday for the date and, in Greenland, the celebrate the longest day of the year. [2] Sundays were for rest and worship, and on Wednesdays farmers typically sold their crops at the market, making Tuesdays the best day of the week. Of these countries, 27 hold their national elections on a weekend. As a holiday, that means several millions of people would have the day off from work or school, making it way . Election Day is always the first Tuesday after November 1st. 0:00. [ 18][ 19] Con 1 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. If Election Day were a national holiday, how would you ensure hourly and low-income workers would get a chance to vote? 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. The Evolution of American Voting Rights in 242 Years Shows How Far Weve Come -- and How Far We Still Have to Go, businessinsider.com, Sep. 24, 2019, University of Houston Digital History, "Agriculture, digitalhistory.uh.edu (accessed Sep. 24, 2019), USDA, "Ag and Food Sectors and the Economy, ers.usda.gov, Sep. 20, 2019, Legal Information Institute, "5 U.S. Code 6103. procon@eb.com, 2022 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. [18][19], Federal law doesnt require private employers to give employees paid federal holidays. These efforts challenge fundamental values of American democracy and constitute a serious threat to the one person, one vote principle. 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. Should Election Day be a national holiday? For federal offices (president, vice president, and United States Congress) and most gubernatorial offices (all except for . After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? Meanwhile, in Macedonia this past September, voters chose to stay away from the polls because of the proposed name change for the country. Have you experienced an election day in another country, or do you know how voting works in a place we haven't mentioned here? Fourth Sunday of October immediately before the end of the current mandates. 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. 2020, Virginia. 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. 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. Is Election Day a federal holiday? 26K views, 1.2K likes, 65 loves, 454 comments, 23 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Citizen TV Kenya: #FridayNight John M. Cunningham, "Why Are U.S. [31][32] Trying one of these alternatives would avoid the negative economic impact of closing businesses for Election Day. What if Election Day were a holiday? - USA TODAY [25], According to the AFL-CIO, 30 states require employers to allow employees time off for voting. https://www.britannica.com/question/Should-election-day-be-made-a-national-holiday. And even a number of the blue countries, such as Australia and Canada, are actually the product of colonialism. Some businesses may close, but their hourly paid employees will either have to use a PTO day or not get paid.. Public holidays in Belgium in 2022 and 2023 | Expatica By Monday morning, nearly 60 million had already voted early across the country, closing in on half of 2016's total voter turnout. Lists national days around the world by country or date. ProCon.org. 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. Other countries take heroic efforts to ensure that people can vote if they desire. Election Day is the day for general elections of public officials in the U.S. Pew also found that certain issues motivate voters more than others: "health care, poverty and education are the top motivators for political engagement." Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. Traditionally on weekends. 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. "While this would not be a cure-all, it would indicate a national commitment to create a more vibrant democracy.". But none of those states have considerably high turnout compared to those where it isn't a holiday. 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. Why isn't Election Day a national holiday yet? - CNN The ideal solution is simple: Congress should make Election Day a national holiday, or move Election Day to the weekend.