Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. I'll look into this some more and may change it on the map. Lists national days around the world by country or date. 27 September (Wednesday): Day of the French-speaking Community - commemorates the victory of the patriots against the Dutch army in Brussels in 1830. Approximately two million people who work for the federal government would be given a paid day off, and private companies might follow suit. Runoffs take place on the last Sunday of the same October. 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. Regional Belgian public holidays during 2023. 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. Other politicians, businesses, and advocacy groups have voiced their approval of celebrating Election Day as a national holiday. Other countries may only require it of certain people, and otherwise make it voluntary for others. For federal offices (president, vice president, and United States Congress) and most gubernatorial offices (all except for . The result is voter turnout rates of 72.3% and 77.2% respectively, which is 26-32% higher than the United States. [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. [2] Sundays were for rest and worship, and on Wednesdays farmers typically sold their crops at the market, making Tuesdays the best day of the week. South Korea and Israel hold theirs during the week, but have made the day a federal holiday. As old as all of these societies are, their senses of national identity are commemorated by remarkably recent events. 2. So far this year, hundreds of bills have been introduced that could have the effect of suppressing peoples right to vote. 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. 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. While these provisions represent major steps in the right direction, they are not enough. https://www.britannica.com/question/Should-election-day-be-made-a-national-holiday. Last week his office released a list of voting rights provisions he would support. The Freedom to Vote Act would make Election Day a national holiday. Why Election Day is Held on a Tuesday in November in the U.S. A Boatload of Ballots: Midterm Voter Turnout Hit 50-Year High, Estonia's i-voting: more secure, more popular, Macedonia referendum: Low voter turnout puts country's name change at risk, What Voting and Elections Look Like Around the World, X Marks the Choice: Voting Methods around the World, Defense Language and National Security Education Office. 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. 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. Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters. [24] Holidays usually mean more work hours for retail workers, because stores run promotions and sales. Countries that hold the ballot before Sunday are not permitted to announce results until all other countries have finished voting. Do you think it's time for the US to follow their lead? An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation.Many countries commemorate their independence from a colonial empire.. Not all countries mark independence as a national holiday. Many Americans know that Election Day is a Tuesday, but few know why. Sunday: first Sunday of February for the President, Vice-President, and Legislative Assembly; second Sunday of February for municipal elections. This article was published more than10 years ago. 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. But it is not a federal holiday. Tuesday is Election Day, but only in some parts of the country will voters get the day off to cast their ballots. "Voting is a fundamental right,. And I think on Election Day we should have a national holiday which says, 'you don't have to rush to vote.' [14], Pew Research Center found that 71% of Democrats and 59% of Republicans support making Election Day a federal holiday. [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. 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. Vote.org has called on Amazon, Disney, McDonald's and others to offer paid time off for employees to vote and or work the polls. For other uses, see. The bill has no cosponsors, but the concept was supported by every 2020 Democratic candidate for president, excluding Mike Bloomberg and now-nominee Joe Biden. Some countries, about 27 of them,make voting compulsory. This is partially due to the influence of Protestantism, which historically set restrictions on activities other than church-going during the Sabbath (usually considered as falling on a Sunday). Opponents say kids arent mature enough to vote. Start the discussion over on our Facebook page, and let us know about civic engagement in your town, state, or country! Should the United States Use the Electoral College in Presidential Elections? 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. South Africa's is from the first democratic elections, in 1994. 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. 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. Modern life operates around the clock. According to the Pew Research Center, of the thirty-six nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the U.S. is one of nine that votes on a week day, and one of seven that doesn't designateelection day a national holiday. For more on the debate about making election day a national holiday, visit ProCon.org. Passing voting rights reform will be a crucial component of this response, as would making Election Day a national holiday. All this despite the fact that these types of restrictions have typically been considered illegal under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which requires that elections be equally open to all people. 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. In 2018, the general election was held on Wednesday. Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey agrees. Right now, federal elections are always held on Tuesdays, because farmers in the 1840s needed multiple days to get to the . Election Day - Tuesday, Nov. 8 - is a special day, with voters casting ballots across the country. Election Day is already a holiday for state employees in more than a dozen states including Kentucky, Michigan, and New York. 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. 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. "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.". [1], An election day usually culminates in an election night when the results of the election are tallied and winners are announced.[2]. 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. - Vincent Hutchings, a University of Michigan political science professor, - Gil Troy, American presidential historian, Whether accurate or not, elected officials likely think that making it easier to vote would advantage one party traditionally it is believed to help the Democrats at the, Joaquin Corbalan / EyeEm via Getty Images, as travel and communication improved in the 19th century, being too busy or having a conflicting schedule, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, substantially increase the cost of running elections, move that would make it easier for Americans to vote, The types of workers least likely to reap the benefits. Sunday: the second Sunday of March for Congress, and the second Sunday of May for President and Vice President. Election day is a national holiday. 2. Virginia joined these states in April this year. In Sweden, for example, 83% of registered voters participated in the 2014 national . Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island and New York have also made Election Day into a state holiday. 1. 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. Presidential and semipresidential systems, Constituencies: districting and apportionment. 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. But Gupta said that there's been a "lack of political will" to give the initiative some momentum. Fourth Sunday of October immediately before the end of the current mandates. [6] Election Day could be made a holiday if a bill were passed by the House and Senate then signed into law by the president. 26K views, 1.2K likes, 65 loves, 454 comments, 23 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Citizen TV Kenya: #FridayNight In Australia, all citizens of age to vote are required, and if they fail to do so, they face fines. ", Obama: "Absolutely. By Monday morning, nearly 60 million had already voted early across the country, closing in on half of 2016's total voter turnout. ", "An overall look at Vietnam's election law", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Election_day&oldid=1136894393. 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. [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. Declaring Election Day a holiday has been proposed various times in Congress; it's a popular idea. 25, 2016, Chris Talgo, "Make Election Day a National Holiday? "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. Australia sees around 91%, and 94% in Singapore. 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. [9], Former Editor-in-Chief of the Northwestern University Law Review, Beau C. Tremitiere, JD, stated, The demands of school and work schedules keep millions of Americans, especially those with children or long commutes, from ever getting to their polling stations The ideal solution is simple: Congress should make Election Day a national holiday, or move Election Day to the weekend. [10] A holiday would allow more citizens volunteer at polling places or drive the elderly to vote, and make a difference in states where long lines at the polls keep voters waiting for hours. "We should be making it easier for people to vote, not harder. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. 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,". Proponents say the Electoral College ensures everyone selects the president. Or is it an optimistic idea that would exclude already disadvantaged voters while failing to increase turnout? However, rules, dates and deadlines vary by state, which can be confusing to some voters. Voters in more than one-third of the country enjoy some form of an Election Day holiday, according to RepresentUs. Over the course of three days, Estonians could vote by placing their state-issued ID cards (which have an electronic chip . Because the impact of a federal holiday is far-reaching, many states and workplaces would likely follow suit. It would also blunt the impact of many of these baldly anti-democratic movesopening the doors to the house as Republicans attempt to shut the windows. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Corrections? ProCon/Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Saturday, but can be any day of the week, such as when a Saturday conflicts with a holiday. [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. But these days, Tuesdays are actually quite inconvenient for many Americans, particularly those who cant take time off work to cast their ballots a problem that disproportionately affects Black, Latino and lower-income voters. [15] Israel and South Korea make national elections a holiday to avoid economic hardship for voters. Updates? 1. Until 2009, elections were held over several consecutive Sundays. Explain your answers. "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons." The types of workers least likely to reap the benefits of a federal holiday are those who already struggle to vote, Shineman noted. Third Monday of October every four years, or after Parliament is dissolved by the. 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. But while . And even if it were a federal holiday, that wouldn't ensure that all voting-age Americans would have the day off. Sign up for notifications from Insider! An ordinary act of Congress could move Election Day to a Saturday or make it a holiday, thereby giving more people more . Countries outpacing the U.S. include the U.K, Mexico and Canada. If Election Day were a national holiday, how would you ensure hourly and low-income workers would get a chance to vote? 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Veterans Day typically is about one week after Election Day so this would involve little disruption in terms of job schedules and monthly routines. 0:58. During the 2016 presidential election, less than 56% of the estimated voting-age population in the US voted. 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. So the question of how you label Ireland goes back to which holiday you consider its national day. Voter turnout in the United States is usually considered low, especially in years without a presidential election. 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. 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. 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. The bill would also effectively revive Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which requires states with a history of voter discrimination have all changes to their election laws approved by the federal government, updating the law in response to the Supreme Courts 2013 holding in Shelby County v. Holder. Pro/Con Arguments | Discussion Questions | Take Action | Sources | More Debates, Election Day in the United States has occurred on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November ever since President John Tyler signed an 1845 law establishing a specific voting day for the entire country. In many other democracies around the world, national elections are held on the weekend or are a federal holiday. And in Australia, there is a fine. Roughly 138 million Americans voted in the 2016 presidential election, just 61.4% of the 214,109,360 million who were registered to vote, according to The U.S. Election Assistance Commission. ], [Editors Note: The MLA citation style requires double spacing within entries. 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. It is very, very hard to change core American traditions.. Countries that have weekend or holiday elections do tend to have better turnout overall. Furthermore, making this small shift would celebrate the purpose and sacrifice of our fighting forces. He says it's more important to spread voting out over a period of days and methods. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. 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. Thats not to say no one has tried. ABUJA, Nigeria -- Nigeria's election commission announced the first results late Sunday from the country's closely watched presidential election, but it could days . Without this simple step toward turning out as many Americans as possible to vote, any reform will be incomplete. Election Day is the day for general elections of public officials in the U.S. Compared to other developed countries, America's voter turnout rate is pretty sad. Image 2. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday.
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