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. 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. Arizona, for example, allows employees who do not have three consecutive hours before or after work when the polls are open to take paid time off to vote at the start or end of their work days. [17] Countries such as France, Mexico, and India also observe federal holidays for elections. "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. Compulsory voting does not necessarily guarantee 100% turnout rates, however, though they still see higher rates than countries which do not require it. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Countries outpacing the U.S. include the U.K, Mexico and Canada. Veterans Day typically is about one week after Election Day so this would involve little disruption in terms of job schedules and monthly routines. Modern life operates around the clock. It can fall on or between November 2 and November 8. 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. Opponents say it allows only a few states to select the president. Understanding what happened in the Chicago mayoral race. Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. 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. This map, inspired by a Reddit thread with a similar map, shows the national days of the world's countries. 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. [14], Pew Research Center found that 71% of Democrats and 59% of Republicans support making Election Day a federal holiday. 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. 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. As old as all of these societies are, their senses of national identity are commemorated by remarkably recent events. Rather than make it a national holiday where inevitably people will still have to work, change election day to election week. While making Election Day a national holiday or moving it to the weekend would by no means be a cure-all, it could be used in conjunction with other strategies like automatic voter registration (nearly 87% of registered voters participated in the 2016 election), restoring voting rights for formerly incarcerated people and removing other barriers such as voter ID requirements and voter roll purges that often disenfranchise people of color. Reformers will be far more successful adding a few days or options or opportunities than trying to undo Election Day.. Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island and New York have also made Election Day into a state holiday. Given this, an Election Day holiday would remove a significant barrier to participation for relatively well-to-do potential voters while doing little to make voting easier for a significant. Should election day be made a national holiday? / CBS News. Most National Days are fixed, exceptions to this are shown below. 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. 1. And that election saw the second highest voter turnout in 20 years. Turning Election Day into a national holiday would instill a sense of pride in all citizens, knowing they have the ability to cast a ballot regardless of work. A number of bills like the Weekend Voting Act have been proposed in Congress over the years, often by Democrats. It was created in 1992,. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Here are the four things I found interesting about this once as I mapped it out: 1) Yes, most of the world was shaped by colonialism. 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. "[Early and at-home voting] helps prevent bottlenecks for election administrators because it 'flattens the curve' for when ballots are cast by large numbers of voters," Perez said. 27 September (Wednesday): Day of the French-speaking Community - commemorates the victory of the patriots against the Dutch army in Brussels in 1830. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. Elections Project, which is close to the complete voter . 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. While countries like Belgium, Sweden, and Turkey saw more than 80% of their estimated voting-age population cast votes in recent elections, less than 56% of the estimated voting-age population. "We should be making it easier for people to vote, not harder. In 2007, the country held the world's first general Internet election. The correct answer is B. Advertisement Advertisement marberman marberman [8][15] A holiday for elections sidesteps the issue of a weekend election, which could conflict with religious obligations. But in many other countries, the government automatically registers voters and holds elections on days that are weekend days or national holidays. They stated, Citizen Day would do more than give our democracy the honor that it deserves; it would help our democracy work better. Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. 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. Furthermore, making this small shift would celebrate the purpose and sacrifice of our fighting forces. 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. 3. ", "National Electoral Code Article 53 and 148", Report of the 2014 National Lawyers Guild Bolivian Election Observation Delegation, Voting hours for elections in EU Member States, "The Parliamentary Electoral System in Denmark", Consultation Report on Review of Electoral Arrangements, "India Elects 2019: The World's Largest Election, Explained", "Six Nations match at the centre of row over election date - Independent.ie", "With full term possible, Netanyahu may outlast Ben-Gurion (and Obama)", Confessionalism and Electoral Reform in Lebanon, "Voters reminded not to reveal voting intention at Sunday's polling", "Malaysia's election on a Wednesday favors PM, opposition says", "Elections in Mexico and the US: Comparisons and contrasts", "Law on Election of Councillors and Members of Parliament", "Election Days General Elections 1853-2011", "The main features of the Norwegian electoral system", "Tribunal Electoral de Panam convoca a elecciones generales de 2024", "Peru Can Give U.S. On Sunday, Virginia Democratic Gov. Without this simple step toward turning out as many Americans as possible to vote, any reform will be incomplete. 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. The ideal solution is simple: Congress should make Election Day a national holiday, or move Election Day to the weekend. of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents and 59% of Republicans and GOP leaners said they would support making Election Day a national holiday. And. While these provisions represent major steps in the right direction, they are not enough. These changes would send a strong rebuke to those who are attempting to scale back voting rights and make it more difficult for African-Americans and Latinos to vote. 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. Chicago, Illinois 60654 USA, Natalie Leppard A National Day is a date for a country to celebrate its nationhood. https://www.britannica.com/question/Should-election-day-be-made-a-national-holiday. [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. It's amazing how much of the map is green, indicating countries that celebrate a national independence day every year. 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. 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. 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. [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. Here is the relevant passage from Acts 28: "If I had my way, and I think it is really important, every . 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. Operated 24:7 through the week. [ 17] Countries such as France, Mexico, and India also observe federal holidays for elections. History of Election Day Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 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. We are the only advanced democracy that makes it deliberately difficult for people to vote. According to the country's website detailing their "digital society," online voting has soared from 1.9% in 2005 to 30.5% in 2015. "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons." 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.". [8], In the 2016 presidential election, 55.7% of the American voting-age population cast a ballot. The COVID-19 pandemic convinced. If Election Day were a national holiday, how would you ensure hourly and low-income workers would get a chance to vote? Proponents say the Electoral College ensures everyone selects the president. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Other politicians, businesses, and advocacy groups have voiced their approval of celebrating Election Day as a national holiday. America is walking the knifes edge between maintaining and losing democracy. In some states where they don't have mail-in ballots, voting can take a lot of time out of the day. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. [33], Henry Farber, PhD, Hughes-Rogers Professor of Economics at Princeton University, conducted an analysis of states that made Election Day a holiday for state employees. 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. Ralph Northam signed into law a measure that, among other things, makes Election Day a state holiday in the commonwealth. In the US, Election Day is not a national holiday. In the 2016 presidential election, 14% of registered voters cited being too busy or having a conflicting schedule as the main reason they didnt cast their ballots, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data. In 2018, a Pewstudy found that 65% of Americans favored making Election Day a national holiday. Sometimes, specific ballot measures can influence voter turnout: in the UK, the Brexit vote resulted in a 72% turnout, slightly higher than the average of 69%. Even people youd expect to know, like politicians, have been stumped by this very question.