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In fact, in Estonia, the option tovoteonlineis becoming increasingly popular. Should the United States Use the Electoral College in Presidential Elections? That too is a reminder as to how new many of the ideas from that century, such as full enfranchisement and national self-determination, really are. Before that point, states could hold their presidential elections on any day within a certain 34-day window. Proponents say teens are knowledgeable enough to vote. November 7, 2023. This map, inspired by a Reddit thread with a similar map, shows the national days of the world's countries. To look through the stats for voter turnout for other countries, you can visit the website for the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) and explore the data. The Freedom to Vote Act would make Election Day a national holiday. 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%. [10][11]] Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. Of these countries, 27 hold their national elections on a weekend. 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.". Let us make it as easy as we can," Sanders told CBS News. [36]. In 2007, the country held the world's first general Internet election. ", Others, however, are skeptical that creating a national holiday would increase voter turnout. I am from Malta - a tiny EU island nation and today we celebrate the shipwreck of St. Paul on our island. Elections Project, which is close to the complete voter . Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. The US ranks 26th out of 32 for voter turnout among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. Incidentally, Australia routinely reaches more than 90. Most National Days are fixed, exceptions to this are shown below. Canada's turnout is about the same as the United States', with an average of 68%, and though one canton in Switzerland has a compulsory voting law, for the country as a whole turnout is around 49%, one of the lowest rates in OECD countries. Explain your answers. 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. Should the United States Use the Electoral College in Presidential Elections? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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. However, those numbers may be attributed to a combination of factors not solely because their elections occur on non-work days. [7] A handful of states have made election day a state holiday, including New York, Hawaii, Kentucky, and, in Apr. 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. In-person polls open Sunday at 12:01am, close Saturday at 11:59pm. Most of these 19 states' policies only cover general elections, though. Essential reporting and analysis from correspondents around the world. 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. 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. However, rules, dates and deadlines vary by state, which can be confusing to some voters. Think about it. Some businesses may close, but their hourly paid employees will either have to use a PTO day or not get paid.. Tuesday was chosen because it was most convenient for farmers traveling by horse and buggy at the time. As old as all of these societies are, their senses of national identity are commemorated by remarkably recent events. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Why or why not? Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Election Day is the day for general elections of public officials in the U.S. [3] In 1800, 83% of the American labor force was agrarian, but today only 11% of total US employment is agriculture-related. History of Election Day Puerto Rico's voter turnout has gone as high as 80 . A lot of people go to work, or they're in school during the weekday. 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. 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. Declaring Election Day a holiday has been proposed various times in Congress; it's a popular idea. 3. The U.S. is one of only nine member nations that have weekday voting. But none of those states have considerably high turnout compared to those where it isn't a holiday. We also know that countries that have marked their election days as federal events see higher voting turnouts than the United States. It happens to be on the day the politicians themselves get elected. Russia's national holiday only goes back to 1992, when the Russian Federation was founded. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. It can fall on or between November 2 and November 8. Instead, lawmakers could simply move nearby Veterans Day to Election Day, emphasizing that voting is both a service to the country and a celebration of the rights and freedoms for which our servicemembers fight. Image 2. But in many other countries, the government automatically registers voters and holds elections on days that are weekend days or national holidays. [1], An election day usually culminates in an election night when the results of the election are tallied and winners are announced.[2]. Runoffs take place on the last Sunday of the same October. 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). The United States is out of step with the rest of the world: elections are held on weekends in 27 of the 36 OECD countries. 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. Some countries, about 27 of them, make voting compulsory. 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. If you make election day a federal holiday, youll have all the people who work in these types of jobs still having to work, being inundated with customers who have the day off and they wont have child care because the schools will be closed, Suzanne Lucas, who previously worked in human resources, wrote in a piece for Inc.com. There are many ways to boost voter turnout expanding early voting, automatically registering voters, and improving civic education programs . Making the presidential election a national holiday is another way to get people to the polls. So far this year, hundreds of bills have been introduced that could have the effect of suppressing peoples right to vote. 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. This year, Election . Additionally, many of these individuals rely on school days as childcare for their children. 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. Because of the pandemic, more U.S. voters are exploring alternatives to voting on Election Day, such as early voting and mail-in voting. 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. Sign up for notifications from Insider! "Voting is a fundamental right,. By law, polling day is a public holiday if it falls on a weekday. Election Day is a US State Holiday observed on several states on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November every even-numbered year. Such a change would mostly benefit white-collar workers instead of the lower-income workers its designed to help. 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. 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. 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. Would making Election Day a federal holiday increase voter turnout and celebrate democracy? Like Perez, Becker thinks giving voters more time and opportunity to vote is the best approach. Could that ever happen in the U.S.? Voter turnout in the United States is usually considered low, especially in years without a presidential election. [20][21][22] A part-time hourly worker is more likely to have multiple jobs, none of which are likely to offer time off for a national holiday. Saudi Arabia's marks the 1932 unification of the country. 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. 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 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. Approximately two million people who work for the federal government would be given a paid day off, and private companies might follow suit. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is a group that includes 36 countries. President Obama likes the idea of changing the way or the day Americans vote. According to Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus, Australia adopted compulsory voting in 1924 after turnout there dropped to less than 60 percent in 1922. Many Americans know that Election Day is a Tuesday, but few know why. According to the country's website detailing their "digital society," online voting has soared from 1.9% in 2005 to 30.5% in 2015. 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. Office Holidays provides calendars with dates and information on public holidays and bank holidays in key countries around the world. [14], Pew Research Center found that 71% of Democrats and 59% of Republicans support making Election Day a federal holiday. Furthermore, making this small shift would celebrate the purpose and sacrifice of our fighting forces. [28][29], Patagonia, an outdoor clothing retailer, paused operation on Nov. 6, 2018 so that all employees could vote. Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. Read More, Election Day is a holiday in Puerto Rico. Americans are working all the time. [27], Companies including Abercrombie & Fitch Co., Farmers Insurance, Kaiser Permanente, Patagonia, and Walmart have joined Make Time to Vote campaign, which encourages employers to provide paid time off, schedule no meetings on Election Day, and give information on mail-in ballots and early voting. That means the stock market will be open, and so will. Presidential and semipresidential systems, Constituencies: districting and apportionment. [4][5], The United States currently has 10 national holidays, including Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Christmas Day. He says it's more important to spread voting out over a period of days and methods. American election laws have been reformed before with minimal impact on voter turnout which remains low compared to other democracies around the world. Argentina has instated compulsory voting laws, but only sees about 76% voter turnout. [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. Election Day - Tuesday, Nov. 8 - is a special day, with voters casting ballots across the country. The Freedom to Vote Act would make Election Day a national holiday for federal elections, meaning non-essential federal employees would get a paid day off. But this arrangement began to raise concerns as travel and communication improved in the 19th century: Results from states that voted earlier could sway the outcome in states that voted later. An ordinary act of Congress could move Election Day to a Saturday or make it a holiday, thereby giving more people more . Some countries, about 27 of them,make voting compulsory. 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. Will the party listen to them on the issues? 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. So the question of how you label Ireland goes back to which holiday you consider its national day. Monday in early September. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? Whether election day should be made a national holiday is debated. If Election Day were a national holiday, how would you ensure hourly and low-income workers would get a chance to vote? Read more: You can take time off from work to vote in 30 states here's the full list. Omissions? 4) The outliers are few but tell you a lot about those . Early voting for the midterms varies by state. Voters in more than one-third of the country enjoy some form of an Election Day holiday, according to RepresentUs. From 2021, the first Sunday of June. Presidential elections are held every four years, in years divisible by four, while the elections to the . In some states where they don't have mail-in ballots, voting can take a lot of time out of the day. "Election Day should be a national holiday so that everyone has the time and opportunity to vote," Sanders' website reads. Yet, few of us, especially those who have worked on Capitol Hill, harbor . [14][35] In Australia, where voting is mandatory, elections are celebrated with parties and barbeques nationwide, resulting in turnout rates around 90%. 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. Many other democracies make election day a holiday and they all have higher voter turnout than we do. Election Day isn't a national holiday in the US, but some people think it should be. Sunday: first Sunday of February for the President, Vice-President, and Legislative Assembly; second Sunday of February for municipal elections. Managing Editor Should the United States use the Electoral College in presidential elections? Other politicians, businesses, and advocacy groups have voiced their approval of celebrating Election Day as a national holiday. This article is about the general term "election day" worldwide. Other countries may only require it of certain people, and otherwise make it voluntary for others. The ideal solution is simple: Congress should make Election Day a national holiday, or move Election Day to the weekend. Elections to the Bundestag may be held on another public holiday. Consider the pandemic, which has not given essential workers more time off. By Monday morning, nearly 60 million had already voted early across the country, closing in on half of 2016's total voter turnout. 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. Proper citation depends on your preferred or required style manual. Passing voting rights reform will be a crucial component of this response, as would making Election Day a national holiday. Vanita Gupta, CEO of the Leadership Conference on Human and Civil Rights, is working to increase voter participation and decrease voter disenfranchisement. 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. Not all of these marked the end of colonialism (for example, Austria's signifies the withdrawal of foreign militaries after World War II and the declaration of neutrality) but the vast majority do. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. According to Pew Research data, US voter turnout trails most developed countries. https://www.britannica.com/question/Should-election-day-be-made-a-national-holiday. Traditionally elections are held over two days, starting on a Friday afternoon and ending the following Saturday afternoon. After all, what do our veterans fight for, if not for democracy itself? That's true, although the separate "National Day of Commemoration" occurs on the anniversary of the truce ending the Irish war of independence. In a number of states, polling places have been closed in minority neighborhoods, which has created long lines and tremendous inconvenience for affected votersinconvenience with a cost, especially for those paid hourly wages. 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. 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. Do you think it's time for the US to follow their lead? 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 . 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. [26] Creating laws in all states that let people vote before or after work would be more effective than a national holiday, which would quickly be viewed as just another day off to enjoy. Rather than make it a national holiday where inevitably people will still have to work, change election day to election week. Election Day as a holiday is something that exists in other countries, but not in most places in the U.S. It's an issue that comes up a lot, but never really gets much serious public debate. Keep in mind that in the mid-1800s, the U.S. was largely an agricultural society. Sunday: the second Sunday of March for Congress, and the second Sunday of May for President and Vice President. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? Of the nonvoters surveyed by the US Census Bureau about the 2008 presidential election, the 2012 presidential election, and numerous other elections, the most commonly cited reason for not voting was being too busy or having conflicting work schedules. 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. And I think on Election Day we should have a national holiday which says, 'you don't have to rush to vote.' Here are five reasons why Election Day should be a national holiday. OK, so why Tuesday? Australia sees around 91%, and 94% in Singapore. the Tuesday that occurs within November 2 to November 8. "We should be making it easier for people to vote, not harder. The outliers are a tiny minority, and only two countries have no formal national day at all. 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. 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. 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. As for Denmark, it has a national liberation day and some people celebrate international worker's day, but neither is a public holiday. In the 2016 election, only 56% of voting-age Americans cast their ballots. Tuesday is Election Day, but only in some parts of the country will voters get the day off to cast their ballots. 1. In many other democracies around the world, national elections are held on the weekend or are a federal holiday. US voter turnout trails most developed countries. So, since this effort does not receive bipartisan support, it is difficult to enact.. And the empire has been pretty consistently breaking apart over the last half century Scotland is maybe next so it's not like there is a national unification to celebrate. 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. However, for the most part, most countries vote in person at the voting booth, and while countries may alter the length of election periods andthe equipment used in voting from election to election, it still tends to have many of the same features. Usually Wednesday. And that election saw the second highest voter turnout in 20 years. Elections Held on Tuesdays?, britannica.com (accessed Sep. 30, 2019), Evan Andrews, "Election 1010: Why Do We Vote on a Tuesday in November?, history.com, Aug. 31, 2018, Grace Panetta and Olivia Reaney, "Today Is National Voter Registration Day. While some states have made Election Day a civic holiday (though it primarily applies to public workers) and most have laws that require companies to give employees some time off to vote, none of the legislative efforts to enact these changes on a national level have been successful. 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says, Battleground Tracker: Tight race in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Lindsey Graham appears before Georgia grand jury, House Jan. 6 committee is having conversations with Justice Department, Georgia grand jury investigating Trump wants testimony from Giuliani, Graham, Trump election interference grand jury to hear from Raffensperger, DHS IG says Wolf changed intel report on Russian interference in 2020. Why Election Day is Held on a Tuesday in November in the U.S. A Boatload of Ballots: Midterm Voter Turnout Hit 50-Year High, Estonia's i-voting: more secure, more popular, Macedonia referendum: Low voter turnout puts country's name change at risk, What Voting and Elections Look Like Around the World, X Marks the Choice: Voting Methods around the World, Defense Language and National Security Education Office. People literally cannot get to the polling booth because it may close at 7 o'clock and they're working later. Thats not to say no one has tried. First Sunday of October. [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. 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.