Tuesday was chosen because it was most convenient for farmers traveling by horse and buggy at the time. Read More, Election Day is a holiday in Puerto Rico. 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. Saturday, but can be any day of the week, such as when a Saturday conflicts with a holiday. "If I had my way, and I think it is really important, every . 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. 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. 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. In the 2016 election, only 56% of voting-age Americans cast their ballots. Because the impact of a federal holiday is far-reaching, many states and workplaces would likely follow suit. For federal offices (president, vice president, and United States Congress) and most gubernatorial offices (all except for . A Pew Research Center analysis finds that 27 of the 36 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development hold their national elections on the weekend, . This map, inspired by a Reddit thread with a similar map, shows the national days of the world's countries. 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. Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. "Voting is a fundamental right,. Ralph Northam signed into law a measure that, among other things, makes Election Day a state holiday in the commonwealth. 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 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. Presidential and semipresidential systems, Constituencies: districting and apportionment. "I'm not a fan," said Eddie Perez, an election administration and election technology expert at the Open Source Election Technology (OSET) Institute. For other uses, see. Whether election day in the United States should be made a national holiday is debated. [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. First Sunday of July until 2018. 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. Holidays, law.cornell.edu (accessed Sep. 30, 2019), Matthew Haag, "Mitch McConnell Calls Push to Make Election Day a Holiday a Democratic Power Grab," nytimes.com, Jan. 31, 2019, Drew DeSilver, "U.S. Trails Most Developed Countries in Voter Turnout, pewresearch.org, May 21, 2018, Gustavo Lpez and Antonio Flores, "Dislike of Candidates or Campaign Issues Was Most Common Reason for Not Voting in 2016, pewresearch.org, June 1, 2017, Beau C. Tremitiere, "Election Day Should Be a National Holiday, cnbc.com, July 5, 2016, York Dispatch Editorial Board, "Editorial: On Voting, GOP Takes a Holiday from its Senses, yorkdispatch.com, Feb. 1, 2019, Tacey Rychter, "How Compulsory Voting Works: Australians Explain," nytimes.com, Nov. 5, 2018, Archon Fung and Jane Mansbridge, "Lets Vote, Party and Celebrate American Democracy on a New Holiday Called Citizen Day, usatoday.com, Oct. 26, 2018, Thomas MacMillan, "This Might Be the Best Idea for Turning out More Voters in U.S. Elections, nymag.com, July 8, 2017, Drew Desilver, "Weekday Elections Set the U.S. apart from Many Other Advanced Democracies, pewresearch.org, Nov. 6, 2018, Kathy Frankovic, "St. Patricks Day Not So Popular - Americans Would Rather Election Day a Holiday, today.yougov.com, Mar. A lot of people go to work, or they're in school during the weekday. Examine this opinion article from Evil HR Lady Suzanne Lucas on why election day should not be a national holiday. 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. [31][32] Trying one of these alternatives would avoid the negative economic impact of closing businesses for Election Day. Japan formally celebrates the anniversary of an ancient mythical emperor, although the holiday is mostly ignored today, due in part to its connections with Japan's ugly imperial history. Voters in more than one-third of the country enjoy some form of an Election Day holiday, according to RepresentUs. Most National Days are fixed, exceptions to this are shown below. 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. So far this year, hundreds of bills have been introduced that could have the effect of suppressing peoples right to vote. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. We also know that countries that have marked their election days as federal events see higher voting turnouts than the United States. Estonia This tiny Baltic nation is making waves for introducing something that seems completely logical in the digital age -- online voting. The correct answer is B. Advertisement Advertisement marberman marberman By comparison,. as well as other partner offers and accept our. [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. 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. [10][11]] "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. Here are five reasons why Election Day should be a national holiday. ProCon/Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. 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. This article is about the general term "election day" worldwide. As for Denmark, it has a national liberation day and some people celebrate international worker's day, but neither is a public 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. Rather than make it a national holiday where inevitably people will still have to work, change election day to election week. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider According to the Pew Research Center, of the thirty-six nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the U.S. is one of nine that votes on a week day, and one of seven that doesn't designate election day a national holiday. In Thailand, one of the very few countries outside of Europe that was never formally colonized, the king's birthday is celebrated (don't insult him or you might go to jail, per the lese majeste laws). 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,". Why or why not? Managing Editor 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. [24] Holidays usually mean more work hours for retail workers, because stores run promotions and sales. We're familiar with how voting works in the U.S.when we vote, how we vote, who we vote forbut do you know what voting is like in other countries around the world? Traditionally on weekends. [15] Israel and South Korea make national elections a holiday to avoid economic hardship for voters. South Korea and Israel hold theirs during the week, but have made the day a federal holiday. 0:00. Elections to the Bundestag may be held on another public holiday. 2. Elections to the European Parliament take place over a period of four days (i.e., Thursday through to Sunday), according to the election days of the EU members states (as listed above). 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. Nine states classify general elections as holidays: Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Virginia. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Its hard to say. America is walking the knifes edge between maintaining and losing democracy. Usually Wednesday. A simple but effective change, however, could be made in election timing. The bill has no cosponsors, but the concept was supported by every 2020 Democratic candidate for president, excluding Mike Bloomberg and now-nominee Joe Biden. Whether election day should be made a national holiday is debated. Sundays are the most common day for elections, but this is less true in the Anglosphere; Saturdays are used in New Zealand and Australia, and weekdays for the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. Yet, few of us, especially those who have worked on Capitol Hill, harbor . And I think on Election Day we should have a national holiday which says, 'you don't have to rush to vote.' What we're proposing isn't that every Election Day becomes a national holiday, just the presidential election, which only takes place once every four years. [1], An election day usually culminates in an election night when the results of the election are tallied and winners are announced.[2]. Presented by:Defense Language and National Security Education Office, 60% of the eligible voting population vast a vote, looked at a few different methods of voting. According to the country's website detailing their "digital society," online voting has soared from 1.9% in 2005 to 30.5% in 2015. [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. 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! 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. [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. 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. An ordinary act of Congress could move Election Day to a Saturday or make it a holiday, thereby giving more people more . Rose Marcario, CEO, stated, demonstrating your companys commitment to voting will reinforce how essential it is that every eligible voter shows up. Explain your answer. 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 . Last Tuesday was election day in the United States, and this year we voted in the midterm elections. 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. Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. He says it's more important to spread voting out over a period of days and methods. Australia sees around 91%, and 94% in Singapore. Election Day is always the first Tuesday after November 1st. As you can see, the world is mostly divided between countries that celebrate a national independence day and countries that celebrate a national unification or revolution day. Other countries take heroic efforts to ensure that people can vote if they desire. ", Obama: "Absolutely. "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. Office Holidays provides calendars with dates and information on public holidays and bank holidays in key countries around the world. In Switzerland, only one canton (or member state) requires voting; it is voluntary all other cantons of the country. 2) Most other countries are shaped by relatively recent revolutions. Before that point, states could hold their presidential elections on any day within a certain 34-day window. Senator Bernie Sanders has certainly tried heintroducedthe "Democracy Day Act" in 2018, which proposed making Election Day a federal 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. Tuesday is Election Day, but only in some parts of the country will voters get the day off to cast their ballots. 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. 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. https://www.britannica.com/question/Should-election-day-be-made-a-national-holiday. 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. Should the United States use the Electoral College in presidential elections? Over the course of three days, Estonians could vote by placing their state-issued ID cards (which have an electronic chip . Proponents say teens are knowledgeable enough to vote. It is set by statute as "the Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November.". 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Opponents say kids arent mature enough to vote. But while . It would give people time to vote.
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