Voter turnout in the United States is usually considered low, especially in years without a presidential election. 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. Most recently, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont proposed a bill to designate "Democracy Day" as a national election holiday, which sits before a special committee. ], [Editors Note: The MLA citation style requires double spacing within entries. 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 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 very high turnout via universal voting and time off for voting. A lot of people go to work, or they're in school during the weekday. But some think it should be. 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. the Tuesday that occurs within November 2 to November 8. It's amazing how much of the map is green, indicating countries that celebrate a national independence day every year. Should the Voting Age Be Lowered to 16? Corrections? 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. [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. Until 2009, elections were held over several consecutive Sundays. 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. ", Obama: "Absolutely. In Sweden, for example, 83% of registered voters participated in the 2014 national . 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. Plus, some experts say moving to weekend voting could substantially increase the cost of running elections. A simple but effective change, however, could be made in election timing. [16]. "And we actually have more options than ever before.". In 2007, the country held the world's first general Internet election. [8], In the 2016 presidential election, 55.7% of the American voting-age population cast a ballot. And some countries, like Australia, require people to vote by subjecting those who don't to a minor fine equivalent to a traffic ticket. Essential reporting and analysis from correspondents around the world. What other improvements could be made to voting and Election Day? ], ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons. Elections to the Bundestag may be held on another public holiday. Traditionally elections are held over two days, starting on a Friday afternoon and ending the following Saturday afternoon. [1], Over time, voting rights expanded from only white, male landowners age 21 and older to include women and people of color, as well as citizens age 18 and up, resulting in a dramatic increase in the voting-eligible population and a shift in voter demographics. Georgia grassroots groups helped Biden win. By comparison,. Opponents say kids arent mature enough to vote. OK, so why Tuesday? TOP QUESTION Most of these 19 states' policies only cover general elections, though. 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. The correct answer is B. Advertisement Advertisement marberman marberman According to Pew Research data, US voter turnout trails most developed countries. "Election Day should be a national holiday so that everyone has the time and opportunity to vote," Sanders' website reads. [4][5], The United States currently has 10 national holidays, including Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Christmas Day. Thats not to say no one has tried. 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. 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. / CBS News. Compared to other developed countries, America's voter turnout rate is pretty sad. 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. 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. Making the presidential election a national holiday is another way to get people to the polls. Georgias voter suppression bill is an assault on our democracy, Republicans in 48 states have introduced 389 bills, Tracking regulatory changes in the Biden era. Change often comes slowly, subtly. One major reason: It comes down to tradition, Troy said. South Korea and Israel hold theirs during the week, but have made the day a federal holiday. However, some countries, or regions within a country, which hold elections on a weekday declare election day a public holiday. Tuesday is Election Day, but only in some parts of the country will voters get the day off to cast their ballots. WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - Election Day should be a holiday for workers in the United States, President Joe Biden said on Thursday. But they never go far and die in committee without a vote. Voters in more than one-third of the country enjoy some form of an Election Day holiday, according to RepresentUs. Whether accurate or not, elected officials likely think that making it easier to vote would advantage one party at the expense of the other party.. Stay up to date with what you want to know. 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. https://www.britannica.com/question/Should-election-day-be-made-a-national-holiday. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. As old as all of these societies are, their senses of national identity are commemorated by remarkably recent events. 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. [10][11]] as well as other partner offers and accept our. As a holiday, that means several millions of people would have the day off from work or school, making it way . The COVID-19 pandemic convinced. Third Monday of October every four years, or after Parliament is dissolved by the. [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. [18][19], Federal law doesnt require private employers to give employees paid federal holidays. Incidentally, Australia routinely reaches more than 90 percent voter turnout, compared to the United States, where average voter turnout in presidential elections since 1965 has been only 54%. Or is it an optimistic idea that would exclude already disadvantaged voters while failing to increase turnout? 1. Some businesses may close, but their hourly paid employees will either have to use a PTO day or not get paid.. 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 [1], An election day usually culminates in an election night when the results of the election are tallied and winners are announced.[2]. In addition to honoring the sacrifices veterans have made, it would remind Americans that voting is a national duty, an obligation both to one another and to the nation; and it would strengthen American democratic political culture, by way of new rituals and traditions, Jill Lepore a Harvard professor of American history wrote in an essay for Politico. History of Election Day Pew also found that certain issues motivate voters more than others: "health care, poverty and education are the top motivators for political engagement." 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. "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. Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. I'll look into this some more and may change it on the map. Election Day is a state holiday in Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and New York. And. List two to three ways. Election Day is observed on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, taking place on November 7 this year. 2. 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. It is the day when popular ballots are held to select public officials. As for Denmark, it has a national liberation day and some people celebrate international worker's day, but neither is a public holiday. Mail-in voting starts 1 month before polls open. 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. Think about that: In most of the world, the sense of national identity is shaped by the act of cutting, or in some cases violently throwing off, the chains of colonialism. The United States has held federal elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years since 1845. Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives. 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. By comparison, Belgium reported the highest OECD voter turnout: 87.2% in the most recent national election. 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.

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