It is very, very hard to change core American traditions.. ProCon/Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. However, those numbers may be attributed to a combination of factors not solely because their elections occur on non-work days. 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 designate election day a national holiday. 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. Voter turnout in the United States is usually considered low, especially in years without a presidential election. Explore which countries have weekend voting with Pew Research. of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents and 59% of Republicans and GOP leaners said they would support making Election Day a national holiday. 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. South Korea and Israel hold theirs during the week, but have made the day a federal holiday. A National Day is a date for a country to celebrate its nationhood. Georgias voter suppression bill is an assault on our democracy, Republicans in 48 states have introduced 389 bills, Tracking regulatory changes in the Biden era. 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. 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. Understanding what happened in the Chicago mayoral race. [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. As old as all of these societies are, their senses of national identity are commemorated by remarkably recent events. 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. Puerto Rico's voter turnout has gone as high as 80 . 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. Explain your answers. 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). 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. About 54 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots in the 2012 presidential contest between Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney, according to the Pew Research Center. [25], According to the AFL-CIO, 30 states require employers to allow employees time off for voting. Election Day is a state holiday in Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and New York. There is a "need to make voting more accessible, to make it more of a civic duty, to make sure that people don't have to choose between their job and their ability to cast the ballot are issues that are more prominent today than ever before," she told CBS News. Runoffs take place on the last Sunday of the same October. 22 June 1986, 29 October 1989, 6 June 1993, 3 March 1996, 12 March 2000, 14 March 2004, 9 March 2008, 20 November 2011, 20 December 2015, 26 June 2016. The U.S. ranks 26th out of 32 for voter among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. It is set by statute as "the Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November.". ], ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons. In 2018, the general election was held on Wednesday. In fact, these voters may be more likely to have to work as a result of a federal election holiday, where they may have had time off previously on a random Tuesday in November. Furthermore, making this small shift would celebrate the purpose and sacrifice of our fighting forces. But some think it should be. Until 2009, elections were held over several consecutive Sundays. Over the course of three days, Estonians could vote by placing their state-issued ID cards (which have an electronic chip . Should election day be made a national holiday? 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. ", Others, however, are skeptical that creating a national holiday would increase voter turnout. 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. Yet, few of us, especially those who have worked on Capitol Hill, harbor . List two to three ways. There is a simple and straightforward solution: make Election Day a national holiday so that people have the time and freedom to vote without taking time off from work. Theyare still considerably higher than in the United States, which typically sees about 65% on average turn out to vote for major elections. Election Day is already a holiday for state employees in more than a dozen states including Kentucky, Michigan, and New York. With those options early in-person voting and more voter awareness on how to vote by mail voter turnout appears to be trending upward. Will the party listen to them on the issues? Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Countries which permit absentee ballots, early ballots or postal votes to be cast by mail before the election avoid the problem altogether by enabling voters to vote on a day that is more convenient to them. 2) Most other countries are shaped by relatively recent revolutions. By comparison, Belgium reported the highest OECD voter turnout: 87.2% in the most recent national election. Last modified on October 1, 2020. More people would vote if they had more time to cast their ballots Furthermore, celebrating our democracy publicly would send the message that we value each others citizenship as much as we value honoring past presidents. [13], Donald Green, PhD, Burgess Professor of Political Science at Columbia University, found that nonpartisan community parties celebrating Election Day in 2005, 2006, and 2016 increased voter participation between 2.6 percentage points and about 4 percentage points. John M. Cunningham, "Why Are U.S. A lot of people go to work, or they're in school during the weekday. 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 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 Freedom to Vote Act would make Election Day a national holiday for federal elections, meaning non-essential federal employees would get a paid day off. "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.". These efforts challenge fundamental values of American democracy and constitute a serious threat to the one person, one vote principle. Proponents say teens are knowledgeable enough to vote. Such low voter turnout rates in the United States have various reasons why many Americans decide not to vote, but one main reason is not giving them time to vote and cast their ballots. [24] Holidays usually mean more work hours for retail workers, because stores run promotions and sales. 3. Countries that have weekend or holiday elections do tend to have better turnout overall. So the question of how you label Ireland goes back to which holiday you consider its national day. 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. If Election Day were a national holiday, how would you ensure hourly and low-income workers would get a chance to vote? But none of those states have considerably high turnout compared to those where it isn't a holiday. Fourth Sunday of October immediately before the end of the current mandates. procon@eb.com, 2022 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. 4. During the 2016 presidential election, less than 56% of the estimated voting-age population in the US voted. Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. 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. If so, how? 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. National and Festival Holiday Act, which is applicable to all establishments in the country, irrespective of under which law it is formed it is mandatory to grant leave on following 3 days, i.e. 12, 2019, Ceylan Pumphrey, "Do Businesses Have to Give Federal Holidays Like Presidents Day Off?, blogs.findlaw.com, Feb. 14, 2018, Department of Labor, "Holiday Pay, dol.gov (accessed Sep. 23, 2019), Peggy Emch, "Is Holiday Pay Required by Law?, timesheets.com, 2013, Fast Casual, "Study: Why Hourly Workers Forced to Work Multiple Jobs, fastcasual.com, Apr. 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. Disclaimer: Dates and Events correct at time of printing but may change without our knowledge. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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. It would give people time to vote. as well as other partner offers and accept our. Have you experienced an election day in another country, or do you know how voting works in a place we haven't mentioned here? High turnout means that people are successfully exercising their rights-a good in itselfbut it also ensures the continuing health of majority rule. 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. All federal elections take place the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. First published on October 26, 2020 / 10:57 AM. 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. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is a group that includes 36 countries. 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. Reformers will be far more successful adding a few days or options or opportunities than trying to undo Election Day.. After all, what do our veterans fight for, if not for democracy itself? Elections Held on Tuesdays?, britannica.com (accessed Sep. 30, 2019), Evan Andrews, "Election 1010: Why Do We Vote on a Tuesday in November?, history.com, Aug. 31, 2018, Grace Panetta and Olivia Reaney, "Today Is National Voter Registration Day. Most National Days are fixed, exceptions to this are shown below. Twenty-seven of the 36 member countries, hold their elections on the weekend. Before that point, states could hold their presidential elections on any day within a certain 34-day window. Read More, Election Day is a holiday in Puerto Rico. A number of bills like the Weekend Voting Act have been proposed in Congress over the years, often by Democrats. Declaring Election Day a holiday has been proposed various times in Congress; it's a popular idea. Rather, federal elections are held on the third Monday of October, every four years . 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. It would take an act of Congress to make Election Day a national holiday, and there is currently a bill proposing to designate "Democracy Day" as a national election holiday before a special committee. 3) Britain and Denmark have no national days. 4) The outliers are few but tell you a lot about those countries. February 26, 2023, 5:06 AM. 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. 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. Election day is a national holiday. Chicago, Illinois 60654 USA, Natalie Leppard Passing voting rights reform will be a crucial component of this response, as would making Election Day a national holiday. 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. Some countries use electronic voting machines, such as India, while others rely on paper ballots, such as Zimbabwe. 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. And I think on Election Day we should have a national holiday which says, 'you don't have to rush to vote.' 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. (And in case youre curious, November was chosen as the month for similar reasons: It was after fall harvest was over but before the cold winter weather set in.). Israel and South Korea hold their elections on weekdays, but they're national holidays. So, focusing voting efforts to one day doesn't do enough to accommodate everyone, Becker argues. The types of workers least likely to reap the benefits of a federal holiday are those who already struggle to vote, Shineman noted. By law, polling day is a public holiday if it falls on a weekday. "If I had my way, and I think it is really important, every . American election laws have been reformed before with minimal impact on voter turnout which remains low compared to other democracies around the world. the Tuesday that occurs within November 2 to November 8. Tuesday was selected because it was the most convenient. https://www.britannica.com/question/Should-election-day-be-made-a-national-holiday. Research has found that higher trust in the government and democratic process leads to greater voter turnout. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. If you make election day a federal holiday, youll have all the people who work in these types of jobs still having to work, being inundated with customers who have the day off and they wont have child care because the schools will be closed, Suzanne Lucas, who previously worked in human resources, wrote in a piece for Inc.com. According to Pew Research data, US voter turnout trails most developed countries. 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. WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - Election Day should be a holiday for workers in the United States, President Joe Biden said on Thursday. 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. A simple but effective change, however, could be made in election timing. President Obama likes the idea of changing the way or the day Americans vote. As a holiday, that means several millions of people would have the day off from work or school, making it way .