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. Chicago, Illinois 60654 USA, Natalie Leppard This article is about the general term "election day" worldwide. 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. Election Day is always the first Tuesday after November 1st. Election Day is a state holiday in Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and New York. For federal offices (president, vice president, and United States Congress) and most gubernatorial offices (all except for . 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. Other politicians, businesses, and advocacy groups have voiced their approval of celebrating Election Day as a national holiday. Voting Around the World - Home | CultureReady Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey agrees. 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.". 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. One major reason: It comes down to tradition, Troy said. 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. Or is it an optimistic idea that would exclude already disadvantaged voters while failing to increase turnout? Newsela | Should Election Day become a national holiday? 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%. Concentrating voters into a single day risks congesting polling places, even more so than some already are. [16]. Even people youd expect to know, like politicians, have been stumped by this very question. 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. [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. Election Day National Holiday - Top 3 Pros and Cons - ProCon.org 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. 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. 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. [17] Countries such as France, Mexico, and India also observe federal holidays for elections. Is Election Day a federal holiday? Here's what is open, closed Tuesday 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. However, making National Election Day a holiday will disadvantage low-income and blue . Election day should be a national holiday. Which type of claim is this If so, how? 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. 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. 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. "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. Read More, Election Day is a holiday in Puerto Rico. 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. [31]. Puerto Rico's voter turnout has gone as high as 80 . A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. 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. Reformers will be far more successful adding a few days or options or opportunities than trying to undo Election Day.. Is Election Day a national holiday? Why you don't get the day off [26] Creating laws in all states that let people vote before or after work would be more effective than a national holiday, which would quickly be viewed as just another day off to enjoy. 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. While young people are generally less likely to vote, they are more motivated by the issue of freedom of speech than older generations. At the top of his list: making Election Day a national holiday. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. 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. From 2021, the first Sunday of June. Last week his office released a list of voting rights provisions he would support. [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. 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. 2) Most other countries are shaped by relatively recent revolutions. A lot of people go to work, or they're in school during the weekday. 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. "If I had my way, and I think it is really important, every . These numbers also may be indicative of higher turnout for major elections, but may not reflect engagement in local or regional elections. 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. ProCon.org is the institutional or organization author for all ProCon.org pages. 27 September (Wednesday): Day of the French-speaking Community - commemorates the victory of the patriots against the Dutch army in Brussels in 1830. We also know that countries that have marked their election days as federal events see higher voting turnouts than the United States. $4+ Billion Cost To Give Federal Employees A New Paid Holiday - Forbes 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. Countries that hold the ballot before Sunday are not permitted to announce results until all other countries have finished voting. 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. [8][15] A holiday for elections sidesteps the issue of a weekend election, which could conflict with religious obligations. In a number of states, polling places have been closed in minority neighborhoods, which has created long lines and tremendous inconvenience for affected votersinconvenience with a cost, especially for those paid hourly wages. 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. Sign up to receive a weekly email update on forthcoming public holidays around the world in your inbox every Sunday. In the 2016 election, only 56% of voting-age Americans cast their ballots. I am from Malta - a tiny EU island nation and today we celebrate the shipwreck of St. Paul on our island. 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? 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. Should Election Day Be a Holiday? - Homepage | Morningside Center for Maybe Making Election Day a National Holiday Wouldn't Really Work ", ProCon.org. National Days around the world | Office Holidays For more on the debate about making election day a national holiday, visit ProCon.org. Modern life operates around the clock. House Democrats introduced their first piece of legislation in the new Congress this week, an anti-corruption bill that proposes making Election Day a federal holiday and encourages . 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. Start the discussion over on our Facebook page, and let us know about civic engagement in your town, state, or country! Twenty-seven of the 36 member countries, hold their elections on the weekend. "And we actually have more options than ever before.". 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. The types of workers least likely to reap the benefits of a federal holiday are those who already struggle to vote, Shineman noted. Election day should be a national holidayCommentary - CNBC This . Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. 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. Opponents say kids arent mature enough to vote. And so while it's very understandable that people are trying to find ways to make it more convenient for people to vote, it's very likely that Election Day as a national holiday would actually hurt the voters who most need more options," Becker said. Compared to other developed countries, America's voter turnout rate is pretty sad. 2. It would give people time to vote. Election Day should be a 'day off,' U.S. President Joe Biden says Exact date set by the. By law, polling day is a public holiday if it falls on a weekday. Should the United States Use the Electoral College in Presidential Elections? So far this year, hundreds of bills have been introduced that could have the effect of suppressing peoples right to vote. 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. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? "While this would not be a cure-all, it would indicate a national commitment to create a more vibrant democracy.". Proponents say teens are knowledgeable enough to vote. 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. Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. However, those numbers may be attributed to a combination of factors not solely because their elections occur on non-work days. [8], In the 2016 presidential election, 55.7% of the American voting-age population cast a ballot. OK, so why Tuesday? The outliers are a tiny minority, and only two countries have no formal national day at all. 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. procon@eb.com, 2022 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. It is set by statute as "the Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November.". 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. Election day - Wikipedia A surprising map of the world's national holidays (only two countries Public holidays in Belgium in 2022 and 2023 | Expatica 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. Election Day is observed on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, taking place on November 7 this year. In 2018, a Pewstudy found that 65% of Americans favored making Election Day a national holiday. By Monday morning, nearly 60 million had already voted early across the country, closing in on half of 2016's total voter turnout. Making the presidential election a national holiday is another way to get people to the polls. High turnout means that people are successfully exercising their rights-a good in itselfbut it also ensures the continuing health of majority rule. 4) The outliers are few but tell you a lot about those countries. In some states where they don't have mail-in ballots, voting can take a lot of time out of the day. Election day is a national holiday. 26 th January (Republic Day), 15 th August (Independence Day) and 2 nd October (Gandhi Jayanti). ABUJA, Nigeria -- Nigeria's election commission announced the first results late Sunday from the country's closely watched presidential election, but it could days . 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. [14], Pew Research Center found that 71% of Democrats and 59% of Republicans support making Election Day a federal holiday. Instead, lawmakers could simply move nearby Veterans Day to Election Day, emphasizing that voting is both a service to the country and a celebration of the rights and freedoms for which our servicemembers fight. 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. In the United States, it varies from state to state and even county to county, so the idea that one entire country might use the same voting method is actually pretty unique to Americans! Obama Expresses Support For Making Election Day A National Holiday 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. Presidential elections are held every four years, in years divisible by four, while the elections to the . "We should be making it easier for people to vote, not harder. Britain, after all, developed its political institutions pretty gradually, so there was no real "Bastille Day" moment that defines the modern nation. Before that point, states could hold their presidential elections on any day within a certain 34-day window. In previous elections, that percentage was even higher. 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. Tuesday was chosen because it was most convenient for farmers traveling by horse and buggy at the time. In fact, in Estonia, the option tovoteonlineis becoming increasingly popular. All rights reserved. 1, which adds a new paid holiday for federal employees every other year. Again, it is not clear that this is demonstrably true but it is a widespread perception. The Freedom to Vote Act would make Election Day a national holiday. It can fall on or between November 2 and November 8. CBS News reporter covering climate change and energy. 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). In Estonia, a national ID card (required for every citizen in the country) can be used to vote remotely. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Countries that have weekend or holiday elections do tend to have better turnout overall. 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. There is no fixed election day for general elections, although since 1986 every general election has been held on Sunday. There's nothing that would stop voters here from treating a Democracy Day like just another day off.". Saturday, but can be any day of the week, such as when a Saturday conflicts with a holiday. A National Day is a date for a country to celebrate its nationhood. 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. ], [Editors Note: The MLA citation style requires double spacing within entries. Democracy on the ballot will the remaining election deniers succeed? Is Election Day a federal holiday? The U.S. House of Representatives just passed H.R. 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. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Some countries, about 27 of them, make voting compulsory. [20][21][22] A part-time hourly worker is more likely to have multiple jobs, none of which are likely to offer time off for a national holiday. Should Election Day Be a Holiday? Here Are Some Pros and Cons 3 Countries Where It's Easier To Vote Than the United States 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. 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. It is very, very hard to change core American traditions.. 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. Election Day (United States) - Wikipedia Managing Editor "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons." 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. Below are the proper citations for this page according to four style manuals (in alphabetical order): the Modern Language Association Style Manual (MLA), the Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago), the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), and Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Turabian). Where is Election Day a holiday? - The Fulcrum 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. Explain your answers. Election Day is not a national holiday in 2022, but some states require employees get paid time off to vote. Disclaimer: Dates and Events correct at time of printing but may change without our knowledge. 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. America is walking the knifes edge between maintaining and losing democracy. Election Day in the United States - Time and Date TOP QUESTION Operated 24:7 through the week. Why isn't Election Day a national holiday yet? - CNN Research has found that higher trust in the government and democratic process leads to greater voter turnout. [4][5], The United States currently has 10 national holidays, including Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Christmas Day. It's Time to Make Election Day a National Holiday (Once - HuffPost Would turnout go up if we didn't have to vote on a workday? Tuesday is Election Day, but only in some parts of the country will voters get the day off to cast their ballots. Election Day in the United States of America is the Tuesday following the first Monday in November. South Korea and Israel hold theirs during the week, but have made the day a federal holiday. Theyare still considerably higher than in the United States, which typically sees about 65% on average turn out to vote for major elections. Some countries use electronic voting machines, such as India, while others rely on paper ballots, such as Zimbabwe. 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. Most National Days are fixed, exceptions to this are shown below. According to the country's website detailing their "digital society," online voting has soared from 1.9% in 2005 to 30.5% in 2015. Whether election day should be made a national holiday is debated.
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