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Until 2009, elections were held over several consecutive Sundays. Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island and New York have also made Election Day into a state holiday. Making the presidential election a national holiday is another way to get people to the polls. All federal elections take place the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Consider, for example, the national days of France and Germany: the former marks the French revolution, in 1789, and the latter marks the German reunification in 1990. Think about it. Georgia grassroots groups helped Biden win. Sunday: first Sunday of February for the President, Vice-President, and Legislative Assembly; second Sunday of February for municipal elections. But some election analysts told CBS News that making Election Day a holiday is not a way to make voting easier. Concentrating voters into a single day risks congesting polling places, even more so than some already are. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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. Many other democracies make election day a holiday and they all have higher voter turnout than we do. Monday in early September. If so, how? Yet, few of us, especially those who have worked on Capitol Hill, harbor . [16]. I am from Malta - a tiny EU island nation and today we celebrate the shipwreck of St. Paul on our island. ", Obama: "Absolutely. Election dates are determined by the General Elections Commission (Indonesian: Typically on a Friday, but precise date set by, Municipal, provincial, and regional elections take place on a Sunday, as do elections for the. 1, which adds a new paid holiday for federal employees every other year. Or is it an optimistic idea that would exclude already disadvantaged voters while failing to increase turnout? History of Election Day ProCon.org. 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. 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. [4][5], The United States currently has 10 national holidays, including Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Christmas Day. 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. From 2021, the first Sunday of June. A National Day is a date for a country to celebrate its nationhood. When turnout is high, it becomes increasingly fruitless for politicians to play to their base in ways that allow a vocal minority to rule, which is how many American leaders currently operate. Corrections? Should the United States Use the Electoral College in Presidential Elections? While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. So far this year, hundreds of bills have been introduced that could have the effect of suppressing peoples right to vote. 3. a list of voting rights provisions he would support. Operated 24:7 through the week. Take, for example, Bhutan, which every celebrates the anniversary of Ugyen Wangchuck's 1907 election as the nation's first hereditary king (yes, you read that correctly), but not its 1949 independence. I think, to the best of my knowledge, it's something like $20. Other politicians, businesses, and advocacy groups have voiced their approval of celebrating Election Day as a national holiday. Some say a holiday would increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote while celebrating democracy. 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. US voter turnout trails most developed countries. Update: Some readers think that Ireland should also be considered an outlier, as St. Patrick's Day is often considered its primary "national day" and is not really an independence or revolution day. WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - Election Day should be a holiday for workers in the United States, President Joe Biden said on Thursday. Compulsory voting does not necessarily guarantee 100% turnout rates, however, though they still see higher rates than countries which do not require it. Elections to the European Parliament take place over a period of four days (i.e., Thursday through to Sunday), according to the election days of the EU members states (as listed above). Declaring Election Day a holiday has been proposed various times in Congress; it's a popular idea. 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. The pros and cons of the felon voting debate include arguments about the social contract, voting while in prison, and paying debts. Like Perez, Becker thinks giving voters more time and opportunity to vote is the best approach. as well as other partner offers and accept our. Image 2. The United States has held federal elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years since 1845. Additionally, many of these individuals rely on school days as childcare for their children. Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. And even a number of the blue countries, such as Australia and Canada, are actually the product of colonialism. South Africa's is from the first democratic elections, in 1994. There's nothing that would stop voters here from treating a Democracy Day like just another day off.". Currently, 22 countries around the world have mandatory voting, and ten of those countries enforce the policy, including Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Peru, and Switzerland. 0:00. 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. Could that ever happen in the U.S.? Incidentally, Australia routinely reaches more than 90. Election Day is already a holiday for state employees in more than a dozen states including Kentucky, Michigan, and New York. The outliers are a tiny minority, and only two countries have no formal national day at all. 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. However, some countries, or regions within a country, which hold elections on a weekday declare election day a public holiday. 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. ", "An overall look at Vietnam's election law", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Election_day&oldid=1136894393. 26 th January (Republic Day), 15 th August (Independence Day) and 2 nd October (Gandhi Jayanti). 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. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. procon@eb.com, 2022 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. 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. As a holiday, that means several millions of people would have the day off from work or school, making it way . 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. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. 2. And even if it were a federal holiday, that wouldn't ensure that all voting-age Americans would have the day off. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. [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. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Approximately two million people who work for the federal government would be given a paid day off, and private companies might follow suit. 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. Consider the pandemic, which has not given essential workers more time off. Whether election day in the United States should be made a national holiday is debated. It happens to be on the day the politicians themselves get elected. All 435 representatives were up for re-election, as well as a third ofsenators, and countless elections for governors, mayors, state legislators, and local government across the country.