In 1845, when Congress established a national election day, it had to be a Tuesday because farmers went to church on Sunday, went to market on Wednesday, and may have needed a day, Monday, to get to their polling place, Gil Troy an American presidential historian and McGill University professor told HuffPost. What other improvements could be made to voting and Election Day? Is that really an improvement? Benson also emphasized the preeminence that she says Election Day should have in our culture, that it should be a day of celebration of our civic duty to elect our leaders a celebration of democracy at a time when democracy is under real threat. Should the United States Use the Electoral College in Presidential Elections? It shouldnt all come down to just one day., Despite Olive Branch from Whitmer,GOPShowing No Interest in Cooperation in2021, A Michigan Reporters Harrowing Experience Inside Capitol DuringInsurrection, New Year Means New Democratic Majority on State SupremeCourt. Roughly the same odds as Mitch McConnell doing hot yoga with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Many other democracies make election day a holiday and they all have higher voter turnout than we do. WebElection Day becoming a federal holiday will elevate voting to a democratic holiday. Both were senior officials in the Clinton administration. So far this year, hundreds of bills have been introduced that could have the effect of suppressing peoples right to vote. ProCon.org. (Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg). WebPros: A day will be marked on your calendar for voting. While there are a lot of positives to creating a new national holiday, there are also some negatives. It is very, very hard to change core American traditions.. [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. Changing state laws and individual companies policies would be more effective ways to help people vote. National Election Day would make a 13th and it would only be observed once every four years and would help ensure voters could avoid the stresses of time constraints and other factors that hinder their ability to vote. [8], Among registered voters in the 2016 US presidential election, being too busy or having a conflicting schedule was the third-highest reason cited for not voting, accounting for 14% of registered voters who did not cast a vote (about 2.7 million people). After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? Rationality and coherent argument are encouraged, whereas ideological flamewars are strongly discouraged. Would you have to pay all levels of election workers holiday pay, which would make administering elections more expensive? If so, how? Explore which countries have weekend voting with Pew Research. In 2018, Pew Research found that 65% of voters surveyed supported Election Day being a national holiday. [28][29], Patagonia, an outdoor clothing retailer, paused operation on Nov. 6, 2018 so that all employees could vote. If 118 million people did it in 2018 without a holiday, why do we need to shut down the post office and close the banks to get them to do it again? Or we could use the Jumble ballot. Reformers will be far more successful adding a few days or options or opportunities than trying to undo Election Day.. 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. 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. On WDETs Detroit Today with Stephen Henderson, Benson emphasized that making Election Day a holiday would make it easier toattractmore election workers. Caravans are joyful, noisy parades of cars festooned with flags and other decorations that stream through the streets ahead of an election and are credited with the islands over 80 percent turnout. 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. COLUMN: Point Counterpoint: There are pros and cons to making Election Day a national holiday, OKLAHOMA WATCH: For tenants behind on rent, ant, Armstrong Bank appoints Aston Armstrong Hudson , OKLAHOMA WATCH: School report cards released, b, Keys secure Districts sweep against Colgate, Doctor accused of killing nurse released on bond, Man accused of sexting minor to appear in court, Business owner accused of obstructing an officer has undisclosed offer revised, EVERYDAY HEROES: Photog overcomes challenges to earn degree, BERRY BEST TIME: Strawberry growers in Adair County start selling crop, Man accused of killing three people denied demand for admissibility hearing, Man charged with murder of deputys daughter pleads not guilty, HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IN DOWNTOWN TAHLEQUAH: 2023 RED FERN FESTIVAL. However, making National Election Day a holiday will disadvantage low-income and blue-collar workers. Without this simple step toward turning out as many Americans as possible to vote, any reform will be incomplete. So its more important than ever for you, our listeners and readers, who are able todonate to keep supporting WDETs mission. The dream of busy voting booths is the goal of House Democratic legislation to make Election Day a [+] federal holiday. All Rights Reserved. But thats not guarantor of a higher turnout. Election Day Holiday.. Rose Marcario, CEO, stated, demonstrating your companys commitment to voting will reinforce how essential it is that every eligible voter shows up. 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 The Evolution of American Voting Rights in 242 Years Shows How Far Weve Come -- and How Far We Still Have to Go, businessinsider.com, Sep. 24, 2019, University of Houston Digital History, "Agriculture, digitalhistory.uh.edu (accessed Sep. 24, 2019), USDA, "Ag and Food Sectors and the Economy, ers.usda.gov, Sep. 20, 2019, Legal Information Institute, "5 U.S. Code 6103. At the heart of the debate is voter turnout give more people the day off, more people will go out of their way to head to the polls. 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. [14], Pew Research Center found that 71% of Democrats and 59% of Republicans support making Election Day a federal holiday. 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. However, it gives voters the choice of not having to detour from their routines on Election Day. Veterans Day typically is about one week after Election Day so this would involve little disruption in terms of job schedules and monthly routines. 13 . Making Election Day a national holiday will disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers. Should the United States Use the Electoral College in Presidential Elections? South Korea and Israel hold theirs during the week, but have made the day a federal holiday. ProCon.org. Some countries 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. 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. Election Day as a holiday is something that exists in other countries, but not in most places inthe U.S. Its an issue that comes up a lot, but never really gets much serious public debate. Ralph Northam signed a bill on Sunday making Election Day a state holiday with the intention of making it easier for voters to cast their ballots in Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson wants to make Election Day a state holiday, but some worry about unintended consequences. It would give people time to vote. However, those numbers may be attributed to a combination of factors not solely because their elections occur on non-work days. If youre rushing to the polls to cast your vote to stop the forces of QAnon or because you seriously believe the same Republican Party that ended slavery wants to bring it back, please stay home. 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. Heres what the Senate Majority Leader had to say about the notion earlier this week: Just what America needs, another paid holiday and a bunch of government workers being paid to go out and work for I assume . Today, of course, holding the election on the first Tuesday of the month is deeply inconvenient for the vast majority of Americans, whether they work in an office, in food service, or on a farm, as they did in the olden days. procon@eb.com, 2023 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives. Approximately two million people who work for the federal government would be given a paid day off, and private companies might follow suit. If you want to make Election Day a national holiday because you believe American workers should have more days off to hang out with their families or pound Useful for voters who are still indecisive. We see that you have javascript disabled. Allow people to register to vote AND vote on the same day. This past year, we were able to make it work through sports teams and other businesses that stepped up, gave their employees the day off, made it a holiday internally, says Benson. 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. OK, so why Tuesday? Proponents say teens are knowledgeable enough to vote. But if you must, then I insist we move the election to April 15, Tax Day, to remind everyone how much these elections cost. 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. First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. If Election Day is a national holiday, would that mean the post office would be closed, she asked. Virginia Gov. Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons - ProCon.org To combat these efforts, lawmakers nationally have introduced HR1 (the John Lewis Act) and S1, which would enact a number of important provisions: improve ballot access, create nonpartisan redistricting commissions to reduce gerrymandering, provide automatic voter registration when people turn 18, allow at least 15 days of early voting,mandate that presidential candidates disclosure their federal tax returns, and require greater disclosure of so-called dark money campaign contributions. Last modified on October 1, 2020. I also take umbrage with the idea that people who dont vote are doing something wrong. Should Election Day Be a National Holiday? [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. The proposal to make Election Day a federal holiday is just one of a number of steps that could be taken to improve low turnout for U.S. elections. [31]. 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. Were a country thatll spend as much this year on ads for video games as presidential campaigns (around $5 billion, according to CNBC). For more information, please see our 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. All rights reserved. 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. 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. People who work long shifts, juggle multiple jobs, However, a national primary day is a recipe for failure. Sweden came second with 82.6%. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. [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. Its time to make voting harder. [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. 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. For purposes of any law relating to Federal employment, the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in 2020 and each Again, it is not clear that this is demonstrably true but it is a widespread perception. We want parents to vote, not get stuck. The United States currently has 10 national holidays, includingMemorial Day,Independence Day, andChristmas Day. Nations like Israel and South Korea make election day a national holiday and have voter turnout rates of 72.3% and 77.2% respectively, which is significantly higher than that of the US. We are not a nation of civics nerds. HR 1, also known as the For The People Act.. Postings about current events are fine, as long as there is a political science angle. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson wants to make Election Day a holiday in Michigan. Making Election Day a national holiday will increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote. Bartons concerns about the possible unintended consequences of an Election Day holiday haveled a Democratic sponsor of legislation to create the holiday to reconsider her bill. The US ranks 26th out of 32 for voter turnout among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. Copyright 2022 by WDET and Wayne State University. If you want to make Election Day a national holiday because you believe American workers should have more days off to hang out with their families or pound a few brewskis with their buds Im all in. Such a change would mostly benefit white-collar workers instead of the lower-income workers its designed to help. They stated, Citizen Day would do more than give our democracy the honor that it deserves; it would help our democracy work better. Here are five reasons why Election Day should be a national holiday. Federal law doesnt require private employers to give employees paid holidays. Partly cloudy skies. What America needs isnt more voters. Please make a gift today. The idea that voting should be a celebration, not a chore is one argument for turning Election Day into a national holiday. US Political Parties. It is the duty of the state to make exercising this right as accesible as possible by making the election day a holiday. Waste of money. 2020, Virginia. Voter suppression policies need to be reversed, starting with restoring the pre-clearance provisions of the Civil Rights Act. Election Day could be made a holiday if a bill were passed by the House and Senate then signed into law by the president. [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. 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. By comparison, Belgium reported the highest OECD voter turnout: 87.2% in the most recent national election. Keep in mind that in the mid-1800s, the U.S. was largely an agricultural society. We get about 20-25% of our absentee ballots come in on Election 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. 11 . America is walking the knifes edge between maintaining and losing democracy. Or are there other legitimate and logical reasons that may be preventing the Election Day from becoming a national holiday? Changing state laws and individual companies policies would be more effective ways to help people vote. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. [7] A handful of states have made election day a state holiday, including New York, Hawaii, Kentucky, and, in Apr. If a right-wing cabal really is running a secret, suppress-the-vote operation, its the most inept conspiracy since Jussie Smollett and the Subway Sandwich Scam. Move past the theatrics of the government shutdown, impeachment and the threat of investigations ad infinitumand theres the question of Democrat squad goals in a Pelosi-run House of Representatives. If changes need to be made nationally, those changes should relate to job security and compensation. In previous elections, that percentage was even higher. For example, one may suggest, if we observe Election Day as a national holiday, then we will be unable to adequately staff and secure polling venues, or worse; it would negatively impact government spending. there are more pros than cons with regard to observing Election Day as a federal holiday. Other countries take heroic efforts to ensure that people can vote if they desire. 1. Accessed April 27, 2023. https://www.procon.org/should-election-day-be-a-national-holiday/. Explain your answers. We get about 20-25% of our absentee ballots come in on Election Day, says Barton. ", ProCon.org. This is a stressful, insecure time for many. And who would get squeezed by the holiday? In addition, those who wish to cast their ballots have ample opportunity to do so. 1. In 2016, there were about 245 million Americans 18 and older, according to Pew Research, and only 56% of them voted in the Donald-Trump-vs.-Hillary-Clinton throwdown. [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. At the top of his list: making Election Day a national holiday. A handful of states have made election day a state holiday, including New York, Hawaii, Kentucky, and, in Apr. Making weekday elections a national holiday is a popular idea that would align the US with other countries. A survey showed U.S. adults would rather have a federal holiday on Election Day than on Christmas Eve, the Friday after Thanksgiving, or St. Patricks Day. Who wants more of the people who think professional wrestling is real or that 9/11 was an inside job to help pick the next president? Over time, voting rights expanded from only white, male landowners age 21 and older to includewomenandpeople of color, as well as citizensage 18 and up, resulting in a dramatic increase in the voting-eligible population and a shift in voter demographics.
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