Consider the pandemic, which has not given essential workers more time off. [31]. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Washington's Birthday Memorial Day Flag Day Independence Day Constitution Day Election Day Veterans Day Bill of Rights Day Martin Luther King Jr. Day Martin Luther King, Jr. Day takes place on third Monday of January each year, near the time of Dr. King's birthday on January 15th. Declaring Election Day a holiday has been proposed various times in Congress; it's a popular idea. Runoffs take place on the last Sunday of the same October. The pros and cons of the felon voting debate include arguments about the social contract, voting while in prison, and paying debts. [17] Countries such as France, Mexico, and India also observe federal holidays for elections. 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. 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. Making the presidential election a national holiday is another way to get people to the polls. He concluded that having an election holiday, by itself, is not an effective strategy to increase voter turnout. [34], Automatic voter registration, by contrast, could register an additional 22 million people and create 7.9 million new voters nationwide within a year. Currently, 22 countries around the world have mandatory voting, and ten of those countries enforce the policy, including Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Peru, and Switzerland. Skip Navigation While young people are generally less likely to vote, they are more motivated by the issue of freedom of speech than older generations. 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. Experts told CBS News that it's no coincidence this is occurring in a year when Americans have more time and more ways to vote than ever before. 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. Theyare still considerably higher than in the United States, which typically sees about 65% on average turn out to vote for major elections. 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. It's amazing how much of the map is green, indicating countries that celebrate a national independence day every year. [12], The idea that voting should be a celebration, not a chore is one argument for turning Election Day into a national holiday, according to Archon Fung, PhD, and Jane Mansbridge, PhD, professors at the Harvard Kennedy School. A National Day is a date for a country to celebrate its nationhood. Some say a holiday would increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote while celebrating democracy. I think, to the best of my knowledge, it's something like $20. 4. All federal elections take place the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Even people youd expect to know, like politicians, have been stumped by this very question. Congress would shore up the peoples right to vote while guaranteeing the time to engage in this fundamental right. 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. 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. For more on the debate about making election day a national holiday, visit ProCon.org. 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. What other improvements could be made to voting and Election Day? Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. ", ProCon.org. 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. The Freedom to Vote Act would make Election Day a national holiday. Think about it. Some countries use electronic voting machines, such as India, while others rely on paper ballots, such as Zimbabwe. Compulsory voting does not necessarily guarantee 100% turnout rates, however, though they still see higher rates than countries which do not require it. 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. For federal offices (president, vice president, and United States Congress) and most gubernatorial offices (all except for . Unlike Singapore, South Korea and Israel, Canada has not declared election days as public holidays. "We should be making it easier for people to vote, not harder. High turnout means that people are successfully exercising their rights-a good in itselfbut it also ensures the continuing health of majority rule. 26 th January (Republic Day), 15 th August (Independence Day) and 2 nd October (Gandhi Jayanti). Nine states classify general elections as holidays: Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Virginia. Most of these 19 states' policies only cover general elections, though. In many other democracies around the world, national elections are held on the weekend or are a federal holiday. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? The U.S. House of Representatives just passed H.R. Office Holidays provides calendars with dates and information on public holidays and bank holidays in key countries around the world. 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. Like Perez, Becker thinks giving voters more time and opportunity to vote is the best approach. Last modified on October 1, 2020. 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. of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents and 59% of Republicans and GOP leaners said they would support 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. Rather than make it a national holiday where inevitably people will still have to work, change election day to election week. Usually Wednesday. It is very, very hard to change core American traditions.. List two to three ways. [28][29], Patagonia, an outdoor clothing retailer, paused operation on Nov. 6, 2018 so that all employees could vote. Four more states only provide time off for biennial, even-year elections: Delaware, Louisiana, Michigan and New Hampshire. 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. 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." 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. There are many ways to boost voter turnout expanding early voting, automatically registering voters, and improving civic education programs . States such as Georgia and Iowa already have passed restrictive measures and many others appear poised to do the same thing. 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. In 2018, the general election was held on Wednesday. Not all of these marked the end of colonialism (for example, Austria's signifies the withdrawal of foreign militaries after World War II and the declaration of neutrality) but the vast majority do. 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. Canada's turnout is about the same as the United States', with an average of 68%, and though one canton in Switzerland has a compulsory voting law, for the country as a whole turnout is around 49%, one of the lowest rates in OECD countries. "We already know how to make voting convenient to voters that's by offering them options, like making an election season rather than election day," he said. [8], Among registered voters in the 2016 US presidential election, being too busy or having a conflicting schedule was the third-highest reason cited for not voting, accounting for 14% of registered voters who did not cast a vote (about 2.7 million people). We're familiar with how voting works in the U.S.when we vote, how we vote, who we vote forbut do you know what voting is like in other countries around the world? Approximately two million people who work for the federal government would be given a paid day off, and private companies might follow suit. [14], Pew Research Center found that 71% of Democrats and 59% of Republicans support making Election Day a federal holiday. Before that point, states could hold their presidential elections on any day within a certain 34-day window. 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. Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. 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. South Korea and Israel hold theirs during the week, but have made the day a federal holiday. 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. For starters, the United States is rather unique in that it schedules its election day on a weekday, let alone a Tuesday. by country by date "With the variety of challenges that election officials face, [making Election Day a holiday] is well down on the list of those things that need to be addressed," Becker said. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. In Thailand, one of the very few countries outside of Europe that was never formally colonized, the king's birthday is celebrated (don't insult him or you might go to jail, per the lese majeste laws). The US isn't the only developed country that faces this criticism, however. Should the Voting Age Be Lowered to 16? 0:00. 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 National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons." Mr. CHRISTENSEN: One of the biggest countries that uses compulsory voting is Australia. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. In the 2016 election, only 56% of voting-age Americans cast their ballots. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is a group that includes 36 countries. 2020, Virginia. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 5. In Australia, all citizens of age to vote are required, and if they fail to do so, they face fines. Because the impact of a federal holiday is far-reaching, many states and workplaces would likely follow suit. 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Rose Marcario, CEO, stated, demonstrating your companys commitment to voting will reinforce how essential it is that every eligible voter shows up. 4) The outliers are few but tell you a lot about those . As of mid-May Republicans in 48 states have introduced 389 bills that would reduce the hours polls are open; forbid people from eating or drinking while waiting in line to vote; close voter registration on Sundays, when Black churches traditionally have organized their members to register and vote; repeal no excuse absentee voting; and create a long list of other barriers to voting. 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. 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. By law, polling day is a public holiday if it falls on a weekday. 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. While these provisions represent major steps in the right direction, they are not enough. Hailey said the country needs a "cultural shift" to prioritize voting. During the 2016 presidential election, less than 56% of the estimated voting-age population in the US voted. 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. This . For more information on how to vote, head over to our TurboVote module. But this arrangement began to raise concerns as travel and communication improved in the 19th century: Results from states that voted earlier could sway the outcome in states that voted later. But while . 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. And that election saw the second highest voter turnout in 20 years. 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. 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. Whether election day should be made a national holiday is debated. 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. South Korea and Israel hold theirs during the week, but have made the day a federal holiday. [10][11]] Why or why not? "[Early and at-home voting] helps prevent bottlenecks for election administrators because it 'flattens the curve' for when ballots are cast by large numbers of voters," Perez said. Do you think it's time for the US to follow their lead? Election officials in various states have predicted historic levels of turnout in 2020, with a chance to reach the highest ever. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. 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. Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey agrees. President Obama likes the idea of changing the way or the day Americans vote. Countries that have weekend or holiday elections do tend to have better turnout overall. In Estonia, a national ID card (required for every citizen in the country) can be used to vote remotely. So, focusing voting efforts to one day doesn't do enough to accommodate everyone, Becker argues. 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. ", Obama: "Absolutely. But none of those states have considerably high turnout compared to those where it isn't a holiday. But they never go far and die in committee without a vote. US voter turnout trails most developed countries. 3) Britain and Denmark have no national days. The correct answer is B. Advertisement Advertisement marberman marberman Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. Election Day isn't a national holiday in the US, but some people think it should be. [16]. A lot of people go to work, or they're in school during the weekday. ", Others, however, are skeptical that creating a national holiday would increase voter turnout. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. And in Australia, there is a fine. 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 expense of the other party, the GOP, said Vincent Hutchings, a University of Michigan political science professor. 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. Here are five reasons why Election Day should be a national holiday. [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. Senator Bernie Sanders has certainly tried heintroducedthe "Democracy Day Act" in 2018, which proposed making Election Day a federal holiday. 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. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Passing voting rights reform will be a crucial component of this response, as would making Election Day a national holiday. Establishing Election Day as a holiday, taken together with the pending federal voting rights reforms, would go a long way towards stabilizing democracy and ensuring basic democratic rights. 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%. 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. On Sunday, Virginia Democratic Gov. The earliest possible date that Election Day can fall on is November 2nd, and the latest possible date is November 8th. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. 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. According to Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus, Australia adopted compulsory voting in 1924 after turnout there dropped to less than 60 percent in 1922. So the question of how you label Ireland goes back to which holiday you consider its national day. Modern life operates around the clock. This map, inspired by a Reddit thread with a similar map, shows the national days of the world's countries. 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. Image 2. By comparison,. Presidential and semipresidential systems, Constituencies: districting and apportionment. 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. It was created in 1992,. Argentina has instated compulsory voting laws, but only sees about 76% voter turnout. 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. ABUJA, Nigeria -- Nigeria's election commission announced the first results late Sunday from the country's closely watched presidential election, but it could days . Georgia grassroots groups helped Biden win. 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. [8][15] A holiday for elections sidesteps the issue of a weekend election, which could conflict with religious obligations. Last week his office released a list of voting rights provisions he would support. 3. In 2007, the country held the world's first general Internet election. 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. He says it's more important to spread voting out over a period of days and methods. As old as all of these societies are, their senses of national identity are commemorated by remarkably recent events. [15] Israel and South Korea make national elections a holiday to avoid economic hardship for voters. Some countries, about 27 of them,make voting compulsory. Change often comes slowly, subtly. 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. Most National Days are fixed, exceptions to this are shown below. Election Day as a holiday is something that exists in other countries, but not in most places in the U.S. It's an issue that comes up a lot, but never really gets much serious public debate. 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. He thinks the increased options afforded by early and mail-in voting could be undermined by making Election Day a holiday, creating "a solution in search of a problem.". Compared to other developed countries, America's voter turnout rate is pretty sad. Omissions? 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. [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. 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. And some countries, like Australia, require people to vote by subjecting those who dont to a minor fine equivalent to a traffic ticket. [email protected], 2022 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. as well as other partner offers and accept our. 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. [ 18][ 19] Con 1 - 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.