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- Zkon o podmienkach vkonu volebnh", "The Effectiveness of Early Voting A Case Study of the Republic of Korea", "Ley Orgnica 5/1985, de 19 de junio, del Rgimen Electoral General", "Elections in Venezuela and Pennsylvania: Lessons in Democracy? A National Day is a date for a country to celebrate its nationhood. Consider this: Even if Election Day were moved to a weekend or turned into a national holiday, retail and service industry employees would still need to work. "I'm not a fan," said Eddie Perez, an election administration and election technology expert at the Open Source Election Technology (OSET) Institute. Georgia grassroots groups helped Biden win. All federal elections take place the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. 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. Tuesday is Election Day, but only in some parts of the country will voters get the day off to cast their ballots. Early voting for the midterms varies by state. Senator Bernie Sanders has certainly tried heintroducedthe "Democracy Day Act" in 2018, which proposed making Election Day a federal holiday. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. 5. "And we actually have more options than ever before.". And that election saw the second highest voter turnout in 20 years. Compulsory voting does not necessarily guarantee 100% turnout rates, however, though they still see higher rates than countries which do not require it. 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. Countries that hold the ballot before Sunday are not permitted to announce results until all other countries have finished voting. President Obama likes the idea of changing the way or the day Americans vote. 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. 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. For starters, the United States is rather unique in that it schedules its election day on a weekday, let alone a Tuesday. But in many other countries, the government automatically registers voters and holds elections on days that are weekend days or national holidays. But while experts say such a scheme is unlikely to fly in the US, making it easier for people to vote would appear to be a step in the right direction. 1. 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. For more on the debate about making election day a national holiday, visit ProCon.org. With just about six in 10 voters turning out to vote in the U.S., some civil rights advocates are arguing that it's about time to give Americans the day off to vote. Countries outpacing the U.S. include the U.K, Mexico and Canada. ABUJA, Nigeria -- Nigeria's election commission announced the first results late Sunday from the country's closely watched presidential election, but it could days . 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. procon@eb.com, 2022 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. 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. Countries like Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Mexico also showed high voter turnout rates by having holidays. In many other democracies around the world, national elections are held on the weekend or are a federal holiday. Accessed February 21, 2023. https://www.procon.org/headlines/election-day-national-holiday-top-3-pros-and-cons/, potential benefits and difficulties of changing election day, election day should not be a national holiday. 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. 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. Without this simple step toward turning out as many Americans as possible to vote, any reform will be incomplete. [3] In 1800, 83% of the American labor force was agrarian, but today only 11% of total US employment is agriculture-related. "We should be making it easier for people to vote, not harder. 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. [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. Will the party listen to them on the issues? And it will, in turn, help strengthen the idea that businesses can and will come together for a worthy common purpose: protecting our democracy by empowering all American workers to be good citizens. [30], Solutions such as automatic voter registration, same-day registration, early voting, no-excuse absentee voting, restoring voting rights to former felons, improved civics education, and voter outreach would all improve voter participation more reliably than a national holiday. Part of HuffPost Home & Living. These include national, state, and local government representatives at all levels up to the president. Elections to the Bundestag may be held on another public holiday. Election Day is the day for general elections of public officials in the U.S. [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. The ideal solution is simple: Congress should make Election Day a national holiday, or move Election Day to the weekend. 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 . In the 2016 election, only 56% of voting-age Americans cast their ballots. of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents and 59% of Republicans and GOP leaners said they would support making Election Day a national holiday. [18][19], Federal law doesnt require private employers to give employees paid federal holidays. 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. Read More, Election Day is a holiday in Puerto Rico. Israel and South Korea hold their elections on weekdays, but they're national holidays. But while . Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Traditionally on weekends. 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,". As Congress continues to grapple with voting rights legislation this week, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has used his considerable influence as the Senates key swing vote to set the terms of the debate. Its hard to say. Last week his office released a list of voting rights provisions he would support. Many other democracies make election day a holiday and they all have higher voter turnout than we do. 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. Some say a holiday would increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote while celebrating democracy. Should the United States use the Electoral College in presidential elections? 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. 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. It was created in 1992,. Disclaimer: Dates and Events correct at time of printing but may change without our knowledge. Updates? By law, polling day is a public holiday if it falls on a weekday. The US isn't the only developed country that faces this criticism, however. And in Australia, there is a fine. CBS News reporter covering climate change and energy. For rest of the festival holidays the declaration . In fact, in Estonia, the option tovoteonlineis becoming increasingly popular. 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 is always the first Tuesday after November 1st. 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. There's nothing that would stop voters here from treating a Democracy Day like just another day off.". 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. Election day is a national holiday. Some countries use electronic voting machines, such as India, while others rely on paper ballots, such as Zimbabwe. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Chicago, Illinois 60654 USA, Natalie Leppard 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. 26K views, 1.2K likes, 65 loves, 454 comments, 23 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Citizen TV Kenya: #FridayNight A lot of people go to work, or they're in school during the weekday. Some countries, about 27 of them, make voting compulsory. 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. The pros and cons of the felon voting debate include arguments about the social contract, voting while in prison, and paying debts. Unlike Singapore, South Korea and Israel, Canada has not declared election days as public holidays. 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. 4. Over the course of three days, Estonians could vote by placing their state-issued ID cards (which have an electronic chip . 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%. [ 18][ 19] Con 1 [1], An election day usually culminates in an election night when the results of the election are tallied and winners are announced.[2]. Should Election Day be a national holiday? 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. Sunday: first Sunday of February for the President, Vice-President, and Legislative Assembly; second Sunday of February for municipal elections. That means the stock market will be open, and so will. It would give people time to vote. But they never go far and die in committee without a vote. Virginia joined these states in April this year. WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - Election Day should be a holiday for workers in the United States, President Joe Biden said on Thursday. These efforts challenge fundamental values of American democracy and constitute a serious threat to the one person, one vote principle. 26 th January (Republic Day), 15 th August (Independence Day) and 2 nd October (Gandhi Jayanti). The types of workers least likely to reap the benefits of a federal holiday are those who already struggle to vote, Shineman noted. "Voting is a fundamental right,. 25, 2016, Chris Talgo, "Make Election Day a National Holiday? Some countries, about 27 of them,make voting compulsory. Nine states classify general elections as holidays: Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Virginia. In Estonia, a national ID card (required for every citizen in the country) can be used to vote remotely. ProCon.org is the institutional or organization author for all ProCon.org pages. 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. Yet, few of us, especially those who have worked on Capitol Hill, harbor . In some of these countries, voting is compulsory, and in most of them, Election Day is a holiday. According to Pew Research data, US voter turnout trails most developed countries. 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. 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. Election Day in the United States is the annual day for general elections of federal public officials.It is statutorily set by the U.S. government as "the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November", i.e. Concentrating voters into a single day risks congesting polling places, even more so than some already are. 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. This year, Election . [36]. They stated, Citizen Day would do more than give our democracy the honor that it deserves; it would help our democracy work better. [16]. Office Holidays provides calendars with dates and information on public holidays and bank holidays in key countries around the world. 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. While young people are generally less likely to vote, they are more motivated by the issue of freedom of speech than older generations. At the top of his list: making Election Day a national holiday. 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. History of Election Day Thats not to say no one has tried. 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. So, focusing voting efforts to one day doesn't do enough to accommodate everyone, Becker argues. 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, . 2. He says it's more important to spread voting out over a period of days and methods. Tuesday was chosen because it was most convenient for farmers traveling by horse and buggy at the time. 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. Presidential elections are held every four years, in years divisible by four, while the elections to the . During the 2016 presidential election, less than 56% of the estimated voting-age population in the US voted. 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. Usually Wednesday. By Monday morning, nearly 60 million had already voted early across the country, closing in on half of 2016's total voter turnout. For example, in Ecuador, only literate citizens between 18 and 65 are required to vote; those over 65 or who are not literateare not required. [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. 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.. Even among the nine weekday voting countries, South Korea's and Israel's voters take a day off work on the day of the election to ensure higher electoral participation.