Where is Election Day a holiday? - The Fulcrum Traditionally on weekends. Before that point, states could hold their presidential elections on any day within a certain 34-day window. Theyare still considerably higher than in the United States, which typically sees about 65% on average turn out to vote for major elections. In 2018, a Pewstudy found that 65% of Americans favored making Election Day a national holiday. Whether election day in the United States should be made a national holiday is debated. Of these countries, 27 hold their national elections on a weekend. ProCon.org. Saturday, but can be any day of the week, such as when a Saturday conflicts with a holiday. 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. So far this year, hundreds of bills have been introduced that could have the effect of suppressing peoples right to vote. 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%. 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. CBS News reporter covering climate change and energy. It was created in 1992,. Most National Days are fixed, exceptions to this are shown below. Countries that have weekend or holiday elections do tend to have better turnout overall. From 2021, the first Sunday of June. As a holiday, that means several millions of people would have the day off from work or school, making it way . They stated, Citizen Day would do more than give our democracy the honor that it deserves; it would help our democracy work better. Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives. However, some countries, or regions within a country, which hold elections on a weekday declare election day a public holiday. 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. Usually Wednesday. 4) The outliers are few but tell you a lot about those countries. Election Day is observed on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, taking place on November 7 this year. 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. 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.
Election Day should be a 'day off,' U.S. President Joe Biden says 1, which adds a new paid holiday for federal employees every other year. Chicago, Illinois 60654 USA, Natalie Leppard Some countries, including Belgium and Turkey, see such high voter turnout mainly because of their compulsory voting laws. 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. The Freedom to Vote Act would make Election Day a national holiday. And some countries, like Australia, require people to vote by subjecting those who don't to a minor fine equivalent to a traffic ticket. 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. Part of HuffPost Home & Living. It commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a reverend and civil . Some countries use electronic voting machines, such as India, while others rely on paper ballots, such as Zimbabwe. There are some exceptions; as Wednesday was not covered by the available dates, the Netherlands holds elections on Thursday, while Denmark holds elections on Sunday.
Plus, some experts say moving to weekend voting could substantially increase the cost of running elections. Think about that: In most of the world, the sense of national identity is shaped by the act of cutting, or in some cases violently throwing off, the chains of colonialism.
Why are other countries better at conducting elections than we are? Saudi Arabia's marks the 1932 unification of the country. 27 September (Wednesday): Day of the French-speaking Community - commemorates the victory of the patriots against the Dutch army in Brussels in 1830. [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. As for Denmark, it has a national liberation day and some people celebrate international worker's day, but neither is a public holiday. Whether election day should be made a national holiday is debated. 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. 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. Office Holidays provides calendars with dates and information on public holidays and bank holidays in key countries around the world.
Why Election Day is on a Tuesday in November in the U.S. | Pew Research Is Election Day a federal holiday? Here's what is open, closed Tuesday 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. 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. If so, how? 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. Early voting for the midterms varies by state. [1] 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.
Is Election Day a Holiday in Your State? | RepresentUs Because the impact of a federal holiday is far-reaching, many states and workplaces would likely follow suit. But some election analysts told CBS News that making Election Day a holiday is not a way to make voting easier.
Why Election Day Isn't a National Holiday in the US - Business Insider What other improvements could be made to voting and Election Day? For more on the debate about making election day a national holiday, visit ProCon.org. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? 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. According to the country's website detailing their "digital society," online voting has soared from 1.9% in 2005 to 30.5% in 2015. And she thinks corporate America has been leading the way, pointing out several businesses, including Walmart and Coca-Cola, that have announced paid time off and other accommodations to make voting easier for employees on November 3.
After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? [8], In the 2016 presidential election, 55.7% of the American voting-age population cast a ballot. [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. Tuesday is Election Day, but only in some parts of the country will voters get the day off to cast their ballots. Monday in early September. Its hard to say. 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. Read More, Election Day is a holiday in Puerto Rico. 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. 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. Election Day is already a holiday for state employees in more than a dozen states including Kentucky, Michigan, and New York. Puerto Rico's voter turnout has gone as high as 80 . Managing Editor The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is a group that includes 36 countries. Even people youd expect to know, like politicians, have been stumped by this very question.
Make election day a national holiday : r/WhitePeopleTwitter - reddit ", ProCon.org. 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. This article was published more than10 years ago. [10][11]] 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 . Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Topics Explainers Politics US Evergreen US Explainers YOU MIGHT LIKE ", "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. Democracy on the ballot will the remaining election deniers succeed? Image 2. Others have suggested making Veterans Day (Nov. 11), which is already a paid national holiday, Election Day. Think of things such as voter ID laws, lowering the voting age, and abolishing the Electoral College. 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.
Election Day in USA in 2023 | Office Holidays ], [Editors Note: The MLA citation style requires double spacing within entries. The outliers are a tiny minority, and only two countries have no formal national day at all. "If I had my way, and I think it is really important, every . Runoffs take place on the last Sunday of the same October. 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. 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. It worked. Presidential and semipresidential systems, Constituencies: districting and apportionment. Sign up for notifications from Insider! 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. Senator Bernie Sanders has certainly tried heintroducedthe "Democracy Day Act" in 2018, which proposed making Election Day a federal holiday.
What if Election Day were a holiday? - USA TODAY Election Day - Tuesday, Nov. 8 - is a special day, with voters casting ballots across the country. "Election Day really definitely does need to be a holiday," she said, adding, "We need to be able to have everybody feel like they have a great stake in it.". Again, it is not clear that this is demonstrably true but it is a widespread perception. 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. The U.S. House of Representatives just passed H.R. 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. Countries like Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Mexico also showed high voter turnout rates by having holidays. Portugal celebrates the 1580 death of celebrated national poet Luis de Camoes, Spain celebrates Columbus Day (yes, the holiday is a little controversial there as well, although not as much as in the U.S.), the Netherlands celebrates the queen's birthday but it still use her mother's birthday for the date and, in Greenland, the celebrate the longest day of the year. A large Democratic voting rights bill that would have made Election Day a national holiday collapsed in the Senate this year when two senators refused to join their own party in changing. October 26, 2020 / 10:57 AM There is no fixed election day for general elections, although since 1986 every general election has been held on Sunday. 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. Election Day is a state holiday in Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and New York. In-person polls open Sunday at 12:01am, close Saturday at 11:59pm. 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. Estonia is the only country to fully adopt online voting, but other countries, such as Australia, Canada, and Norway, have looked into pursuing it as an option in the future. Sunday: first Sunday of February for the President, Vice-President, and Legislative Assembly; second Sunday of February for municipal elections. South Africa's is from the first democratic elections, in 1994. It can fall on or between November 2 and November 8. 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. [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. Sign up to receive a weekly email update on forthcoming public holidays around the world in your inbox every Sunday. An additional day off school would prove to be problematic for individuals who may not have other readily accessible forms of childcare. [24], People who have already suffered significant disenfranchisement, such as women and people of color, are more likely to be working those low-income jobs that wouldnt get the time off to vote even on a national holiday. It is set by statute as "the Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November.". 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%. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.
Why isn't Election Day a national holiday yet? - CNN Fourth Sunday of October immediately before the end of the current mandates. 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. List two to three ways. America is walking the knifes edge between maintaining and losing democracy. The founding fathers at first only granted white, male property owners the right to vote, so the expansion of voting rights has taken some time. Twenty-seven of the 36 member countries, hold their elections on the weekend. Making Election Day a holiday would not necessarily involve adding a new holiday, which employers might resistparticularly following the addition of Juneteenth as a national holiday last week. "Election Day as a national holiday would mean things like perhaps reduced schedules for public transportation, schools being closed, hourly workers perhaps being incentivized to work more with time and a half. 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.
Should Election Day in the U.S. be a national holiday? Is Election Day a federal holiday? [23], Annie McDonald, Editor of the Berkeley Public Policy Journal, noted that the workers who are least likely to get paid holidays are those who already have less of a voice in the political process: Americans working in retail, hospitality, and service jobs, for example, would most likely not receive the benefit of a paid holiday to vote.
On U.S. Election Day, A Look At How Others Vote : NPR Should election day in the United States be made a national holiday In 2005, the American Bar Association looked at a few different methods of voting: in 1989 in Namibia, voters marked an X on ballots using ink on their fingers; in Bulgaria, rather than marking a ballot, voters pick from any number of sheets of paper representing specific political parties and puts it in a ballot box; and in Ireland, "they designate their top three candidates by numbering them 1, 2, and 3." 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. 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, rules, dates and deadlines vary by state, which can be confusing to some voters.
Is Election Day a national holiday? Why you don't get the day off Executive director and founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research David Becker argues that increasing turnout is a nuanced problem that can't be fixed by declaring a holiday. [31]. American election laws have been reformed before with minimal impact on voter turnout which remains low compared to other democracies around the world. South Korea and Israel hold theirs during the week, but have made the day a federal holiday. History of Election Day He says it's more important to spread voting out over a period of days and methods. Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island and New York have also made Election Day into a state holiday.
Election day should be a national holidayCommentary - CNBC Why not make Election Day a national holiday? - CBS News Meanwhile, in Macedonia this past September, voters chose to stay away from the polls because of the proposed name change for the country. [24] Holidays usually mean more work hours for retail workers, because stores run promotions and sales. Disclaimer: Dates and Events correct at time of printing but may change without our knowledge. "Voting is a fundamental right,. Most recently, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont proposed a bill to designate "Democracy Day" as a national election holiday, which sits before a special committee. Litigation pending before the Supreme Court this term in Brnovich v. DNC, however, threatens to undermine this rule.
By Monday morning, nearly 60 million had already voted early across the country, closing in on half of 2016's total voter turnout.
Sweden came second with 82.6%. The ideal solution is simple: Congress should make Election Day a national holiday, or move Election Day to the weekend. The correct answer is B. Advertisement Advertisement marberman marberman
Election Day should be a national holiday - The GW Hatchet 2020, Virginia. Because of the pandemic, more U.S. voters are exploring alternatives to voting on Election Day, such as early voting and mail-in voting. By comparison, Belgium reported the highest OECD voter turnout: 87.2% in the most recent national election. 0:58. 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. 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. 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. But in many other countries, the government automatically registers voters and holds elections on days that are weekend days or national holidays. Some countries, about 27 of them, make voting compulsory.
5 Reasons Election Day Should Be a National Holiday - Global Citizen If Election Day were a national holiday, how would you ensure hourly and low-income workers would get a chance to vote? 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. 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. Some say a holiday would increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote while celebrating democracy. Consider the pandemic, which has not given essential workers more time off.
$4+ Billion Cost To Give Federal Employees A New Paid Holiday - Forbes Over the course of three days, Estonians could vote by placing their state-issued ID cards (which have an electronic chip . In Estonia, a national ID card (required for every citizen in the country) can be used to vote remotely. 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. November 7, 2023. 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. And I think on Election Day we should have a national holiday which says, 'you don't have to rush to vote.' 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 in the US voted during the 2016 presidential election.