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By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider ", ProCon.org. 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. Stay up to date with what you want to know. And that election saw the second highest voter turnout in 20 years. 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. Rose Marcario, CEO, stated, demonstrating your companys commitment to voting will reinforce how essential it is that every eligible voter shows up. 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. Would making Election Day a federal holiday increase voter turnout and celebrate democracy? In Australia, all citizens of age to vote are required, and if they fail to do so, they face fines. "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. Some businesses may close, but their hourly paid employees will either have to use a PTO day or not get paid.. 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. Most National Days are fixed, exceptions to this are shown below. US voter turnout trails most developed countries. First Sunday of October. More people would vote if they had more time to cast their ballots Furthermore, celebrating our democracy publicly would send the message that we value each others citizenship as much as we value honoring past presidents. [13], Donald Green, PhD, Burgess Professor of Political Science at Columbia University, found that nonpartisan community parties celebrating Election Day in 2005, 2006, and 2016 increased voter participation between 2.6 percentage points and about 4 percentage points. 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. 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. For more information on how to vote, head over to our TurboVote module. Concentrating voters into a single day risks congesting polling places, even more so than some already are. We also know that countries that have marked their election days as federal events see higher voting turnouts than the United States. However, making National Election Day a holiday will disadvantage low-income and blue . While no state has proposed reinstating the literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses that effectively ended the burst of African-American franchise during Reconstruction, todays efforts to disenfranchise minority voters are similarly unsubtle. 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. Until 2009, elections were held over several consecutive Sundays. This year, Election . 22 June 1986, 29 October 1989, 6 June 1993, 3 March 1996, 12 March 2000, 14 March 2004, 9 March 2008, 20 November 2011, 20 December 2015, 26 June 2016. 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. 26 th January (Republic Day), 15 th August (Independence Day) and 2 nd October (Gandhi Jayanti). [1] The decision was made taking into account farmers, a large portion of the voting constituency at the time, who would not have been able to travel to polling places in winter months or during planting or harvest times. What other improvements could be made to voting and Election Day? 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. Some say a holiday would increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote while celebrating democracy. Monday in early September. 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. Last week his office released a list of voting rights provisions he would support. [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. A surprising map of the worlds national holidays (only two countries have no national day), Belarus sentences Nobel Peace laureate Ales Bialiatski to 10 years in jail, This is Bidens chance to press Scholz on Germanys rearmament, Why Russia and Ukraine are fighting over Bakhmut. Explain your answers. From 2021, the first Sunday of June. Whether election day should be made a national holiday is debated. States such as Georgia and Iowa already have passed restrictive measures and many others appear poised to do the same thing. 4) The outliers are few but tell you a lot about those countries. History of Election Day People literally cannot get to the polling booth because it may close at 7 o'clock and they're working later. Compulsory voting does not necessarily guarantee 100% turnout rates, however, though they still see higher rates than countries which do not require it. 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. "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.". Ralph Northam signed into law a measure that, among other things, makes Election Day a state holiday in the commonwealth. by country by date Americans are working all the time. In 2007, the country held the world's first general Internet election. The pros and cons of the felon voting debate include arguments about the social contract, voting while in prison, and paying debts. So, workers having a day off to vote wouldn't be a disruption to the economy, or anything a citizen of our country could deny would be worthwhile and smart thing to do. Right now, federal elections are always held on Tuesdays, because farmers in the 1840s needed multiple days to get to the . And even a number of the blue countries, such as Australia and Canada, are actually the product of colonialism. Roughly 138 million Americans voted in the 2016 presidential election, just 61.4% of the 214,109,360 million who were registered to vote, according to The U.S. Election Assistance Commission. It commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a reverend and civil . 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. 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. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. 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. 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. [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. The earliest possible date that Election Day can fall on is November 2nd, and the latest possible date is November 8th. 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). And even if it were a federal holiday, that wouldn't ensure that all voting-age Americans would have the day off. Election Day - Tuesday, Nov. 8 - is a special day, with voters casting ballots across the country. To make Election Day a national holiday, it would take an act of Congress, and so far, no bills proposing such action have passed. Election Day is not a national holiday in 2022, but some states require employees get paid time off to vote. Most of these 19 states' policies only cover general elections, though. 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. Democracy on the ballot will the remaining election deniers succeed? 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. [26] Caravanas are joyful, noisy parades of cars festooned with flags and other decorations that stream through Puerto Ricos streets ahead of an election and are credited with the islands over 80% voter turnout. But while . Chicago, Illinois 60654 USA, Natalie Leppard Change often comes slowly, subtly. High turnout means that people are successfully exercising their rights-a good in itselfbut it also ensures the continuing health of majority rule. It is very, very hard to change core American traditions which Americans see not only as propping up their democracy but perpetuating its legitimacy, he said. John M. Cunningham, "Why Are U.S. But Gupta said that there's been a "lack of political will" to give the initiative some momentum. American election laws have been reformed before with minimal impact on voter turnout which remains low compared to other democracies around the world. Why or why not? A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. Over the course of three days, Estonians could vote by placing their state-issued ID cards (which have an electronic chip . Such low voter turnout rates in the United States have various reasons why many Americans decide not to vote, but one main reason is not giving them time to vote and cast their ballots. According to Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus, Australia adopted compulsory voting in 1924 after turnout there dropped to less than 60 percent in 1922. Unlike Singapore, South Korea and Israel, Canada has not declared election days as public holidays. Compared to other developed countries, America's voter turnout rate is pretty sad. Whether election day in the United States should be made a national holiday is debated. 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 Research Center. Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters. Exact date set by the. 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. Explore which countries have weekend voting with Pew Research. 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. 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. 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. Again, it is not clear that this is demonstrably true but it is a widespread perception. 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. Understanding what happened in the Chicago mayoral race. 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. In theory, it seems that any move that would make it easier for Americans to vote would increase participation. The answer dates back to 1845, when Congress passed a law declaring that federal elections would be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Election Day is the day for general elections of public officials in the U.S. 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. 4) The outliers are few but tell you a lot about those . Let us make it as easy as we can," Sanders told CBS News. (And in case youre curious, November was chosen as the month for similar reasons: It was after fall harvest was over but before the cold winter weather set in.). Most others are not so recent, but still not so old: Taiwan's, for example, goes back to a 1911 uprising. 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. Early voting for the midterms varies by state. Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. Many Americans know that Election Day is a Tuesday, but few know why. ProCon/Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. During the 2016 presidential election, less than 56% of the estimated voting-age population in the US voted. Election Day is observed on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, taking place on November 7 this year. This map, inspired by a Reddit thread with a similar map, shows the national days of the world's countries. But in many other countries, the government automatically registers voters and holds elections on days that are weekend days or national holidays. The U.S. ranks 26th out of 32 for voter among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. America is walking the knifes edge between maintaining and losing democracy. Should the United States Use the Electoral College in Presidential Elections? House Democrats introduced their first piece of legislation in the new Congress this week, an anti-corruption bill that proposes making Election Day a federal holiday and encourages . Others have suggested making Veterans Day (Nov. 11), which is already a paid national holiday, Election Day. It happens to be on the day the politicians themselves get elected. 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. Countries that have weekend or holiday elections do tend to have better turnout overall. Voter turnout in the United States is usually considered low, especially in years without a presidential election. [31][32] Trying one of these alternatives would avoid the negative economic impact of closing businesses for Election Day. Vanita Gupta, CEO of the Leadership Conference on Human and Civil Rights, is working to increase voter participation and decrease voter disenfranchisement. In the US, Election Day is not a national holiday. Sunday: the second Sunday of March for Congress, and the second Sunday of May for President and Vice President. Explain your answer. 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! Countries outpacing the U.S. include the U.K, Mexico and Canada. Consider this: Even if Election Day were moved to a weekend or turned into a national holiday, retail and service industry employees would still need to work. It's amazing how much of the map is green, indicating countries that celebrate a national independence day every year. Saudi Arabia's marks the 1932 unification of the country. Omissions? It can fall on or between November 2 and November 8. This . Corrections? Here is the relevant passage from Acts 28: "Voting is a fundamental right,. 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. Traditionally on weekends. [24] Holidays usually mean more work hours for retail workers, because stores run promotions and sales. [10][11]] 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. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Think about it. Should the United States use the Electoral College in presidential elections? Because the impact of a federal holiday is far-reaching, many states and workplaces would likely follow suit. CBS News reporter covering climate change and energy. of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents and 59% of Republicans and GOP leaners said they would support making Election Day a national holiday. However, those numbers may be attributed to a combination of factors not solely because their elections occur on non-work days. ], [Editors Note: The MLA citation style requires double spacing within entries. It would take an act of Congress to make Election Day a national holiday, and there is currently a bill proposing to designate "Democracy Day" as a national election holiday before a special committee. Should election day be made a national holiday? I'll look into this some more and may change it on the map. 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. 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 . 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. ABUJA, Nigeria -- Nigeria's election commission announced the first results late Sunday from the country's closely watched presidential election, but it could days . Countries that hold the ballot before Sunday are not permitted to announce results until all other countries have finished voting. 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. a list of voting rights provisions he would support. 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. Even people youd expect to know, like politicians, have been stumped by this very question. We are very proud that we are mentioned in the Bible. For more on the debate about making election day a national holiday, visit ProCon.org. 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 ", "An overall look at Vietnam's election law", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Election_day&oldid=1136894393. 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. In 2018, the general election was held on Wednesday. The US isn't the only developed country that faces this criticism, however. Read More, Election Day is a holiday in Puerto Rico. After all, what do our veterans fight for, if not for democracy itself? One major reason: It comes down to tradition, Troy said. It would give people time to vote. 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. 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. 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. South Korea and Israel hold theirs during the week, but have made the day a federal holiday. It is set by statute as "the Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November.". Currently, 22 countries around the world have mandatory voting, and ten of those countries enforce the policy, including Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Peru, and Switzerland. 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 like Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Mexico also showed high voter turnout rates by having holidays. ProCon.org. 3. President Obama likes the idea of changing the way or the day Americans vote. ProCon.org is the institutional or organization author for all ProCon.org pages. At the top of his list: making Election Day a national holiday. With just about six in 10 voters turning out to vote in the U.S., some civil rights advocates are arguing that it's about time to give Americans the day off to vote. 3. The US ranks 26th out of 32 for voter turnout among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. For federal offices (president, vice president, and United States Congress) and most gubernatorial offices (all except for . Presidential elections are held every four years, in years divisible by four, while the elections to the . TOP QUESTION [4][5], The United States currently has 10 national holidays, including Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Christmas Day. It is very, very hard to change core American traditions.. Israel and South Korea hold their elections on weekdays, but they're national holidays. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? Office Holidays provides calendars with dates and information on public holidays and bank holidays in key countries around the world. Election Day isn't a national holiday in the US, but some people think it should be. Think of things such as voter ID laws, lowering the voting age, and abolishing the Electoral College. 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,". So far this year, hundreds of bills have been introduced that could have the effect of suppressing peoples right to vote. 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. Presidential and semipresidential systems, Constituencies: districting and apportionment. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is a group that includes 36 countries. 0:58. In 2018, a Pewstudy found that 65% of Americans favored 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.