3. Voter turnout in the U.S. is generally quite low, trailing behind that of other developed democracies around the world, according to another Pew study. 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. Without this simple step toward turning out as many Americans as possible to vote, any reform will be incomplete. 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. It commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a reverend and civil . Why Election Day Isn't a National Holiday in the US - Business Insider Before that point, states could hold their presidential elections on any day within a certain 34-day window. In 1845, when Congress established a national election day, it had to be a Tuesday because farmers went to church on Sunday, went to market on Wednesday, and may have needed a day, Monday, to get to their polling place, Gil Troy an American presidential historian and McGill University professor told HuffPost. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? "And we actually have more options than ever before.". Countries outpacing the U.S. include the U.K, Mexico and Canada. Most National Days are fixed, exceptions to this are shown below. For example, in Ecuador, only literate citizens between 18 and 65 are required to vote; those over 65 or who are not literateare not required. 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. 26K views, 1.2K likes, 65 loves, 454 comments, 23 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Citizen TV Kenya: #FridayNight Essential reporting and analysis from correspondents around the world. Make election day a national holiday : r/WhitePeopleTwitter - reddit "If I had my way, and I think it is really important, every . Is Election Day a federal holiday? Here's what is open, closed Tuesday Election officials in various states have predicted historic levels of turnout in 2020, with a chance to reach the highest ever. 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. Make Election Day a national holiday - Brookings Election Day is the day for general elections of public officials in the U.S. 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. 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. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Some countries, about 27 of them, make voting compulsory. Research has found that higher trust in the government and democratic process leads to greater voter turnout. For rest of the festival holidays the declaration . Election Day is not a national holiday in 2022, but some states require employees get paid time off to vote. 4) The outliers are few but tell you a lot about those . Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. ELECTION DAY - November 7, 2023 - National Today "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. With Juneteenth now a national holiday, could Election Day and US voter turnout trails most developed countries. ", "An overall look at Vietnam's election law", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Election_day&oldid=1136894393. 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 . Election Day in the United States is the annual day for general elections of federal public officials.It is statutorily set by the U.S. government as "the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November", i.e. of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents and 59% of Republicans and GOP leaners said they would support making Election Day a national holiday. Why isn't Election Day a national holiday yet? - CNN These include national, state, and local government representatives at all levels up to the president. As for Denmark, it has a national liberation day and some people celebrate international worker's day, but neither is a public holiday. Argentina has instated compulsory voting laws, but only sees about 76% voter turnout. On Sunday, Virginia Democratic Gov. [31][32] Trying one of these alternatives would avoid the negative economic impact of closing businesses for Election Day. The US ranks 26th out of 32 for voter turnout among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. Why not make Election Day a national holiday? - CBS News Pew also found that certain issues motivate voters more than others: "health care, poverty and education are the top motivators for political engagement." The U.S. ranks 26th out of 32 for voter among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. Is Election Day a Holiday in Your State? | RepresentUs Georgia grassroots groups helped Biden win. This is the day we cast ballots to select public officials from local to the national government. Currently, 22 countries around the world have mandatory voting, and ten of those countries enforce the policy, including Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Peru, and Switzerland. While the Republican efforts are shrouded in their supposed desire to protect the integrity of elections, there is no evidence of significant voter fraud in recent elections, including presidential election in 2020. 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. So far this year, hundreds of bills have been introduced that could have the effect of suppressing peoples right to vote. 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). Should the United States Use the Electoral College in Presidential Elections? Is Election Day a federal holiday? | The US Sun According to the country's website detailing their "digital society," online voting has soared from 1.9% in 2005 to 30.5% in 2015. A surprising map of the world's national holidays (only two countries Maybe Making Election Day a National Holiday Wouldn't Really Work "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. Would making Election Day a federal holiday increase voter turnout and celebrate democracy? Election Day in the United States of America is the Tuesday following the first Monday in November. 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. 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. 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,". This year, Election . Think about it. 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. I am from Malta - a tiny EU island nation and today we celebrate the shipwreck of St. Paul on our island. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. [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. 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. 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. 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. [10][11]] History of Election Day Mr. CHRISTENSEN: One of the biggest countries that uses compulsory voting is Australia. Sign up to receive a weekly email update on forthcoming public holidays around the world in your inbox every Sunday. Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. While no state has proposed reinstating the literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses that effectively ended the burst of African-American franchise during Reconstruction, todays efforts to disenfranchise minority voters are similarly unsubtle. Countries that hold the ballot before Sunday are not permitted to announce results until all other countries have finished voting. 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. Voter turnout in the United States is usually considered low, especially in years without a presidential election. 26 th January (Republic Day), 15 th August (Independence Day) and 2 nd October (Gandhi Jayanti). ], [Editors Note: The MLA citation style requires double spacing within entries. Is Election Day a Federal Holiday? - NBC Chicago Some countries, including Belgium and Turkey, see such high voter turnout mainly because of their compulsory voting laws. 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. by country by date Election day should be a national holidayCommentary - CNBC Most National Days are fixed, exceptions to this are shown below. [28][29], Patagonia, an outdoor clothing retailer, paused operation on Nov. 6, 2018 so that all employees could vote. Countries like Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Mexico also showed high voter turnout rates by having holidays. Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. For more on the debate about making election day a national holiday, visit ProCon.org. However, making National Election Day a holiday will disadvantage low-income and blue . In 2018, the general election was held on Wednesday. There is no fixed election day for general elections, although since 1986 every general election has been held on Sunday. Many other democracies make election day a holiday and they all have higher voter turnout than we do. 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. Office Holidays provides calendars with dates and information on public holidays and bank holidays in key countries around the world. But some election analysts told CBS News that making Election Day a holiday is not a way to make voting easier. 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. In-person polls open Sunday at 12:01am, close Saturday at 11:59pm. [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. 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. Public holidays in Belgium in 2022 and 2023 | Expatica 25, 2016, Chris Talgo, "Make Election Day a National Holiday? While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Tuesday was chosen because it was most convenient for farmers traveling by horse and buggy at the time. 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. Election Day is a state holiday in Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and New York. 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. 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. During the 2016 presidential election, less than 56% of the estimated voting-age population in the US voted. In Estonia, a national ID card (required for every citizen in the country) can be used to vote remotely. In some states where they don't have mail-in ballots, voting can take a lot of time out of the day. [17] Countries such as France, Mexico, and India also observe federal holidays for elections. 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. But Gupta said that there's been a "lack of political will" to give the initiative some momentum. The ideal solution is simple: Congress should make Election Day a national holiday, or move Election Day to the weekend. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is a group that includes 36 countries. Presidential and semipresidential systems, Constituencies: districting and apportionment. Thats not to say no one has tried. Virginia joined these states in April this year. 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. After all, what do our veterans fight for, if not for democracy itself? [25], According to the AFL-CIO, 30 states require employers to allow employees time off for voting. In theory, it seems that any move that would make it easier for Americans to vote would increase participation. At the top of his list: making Election Day a national holiday. Disclaimer: Dates and Events correct at time of printing but may change without our knowledge. Is Election Day a national holiday? Why you don't get the day off 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. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? 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. On U.S. Election Day, A Look At How Others Vote : NPR [ 17] Countries such as France, Mexico, and India also observe federal holidays for elections. It happens to be on the day the politicians themselves get elected. Should Election Day Be a Holiday? Here Are Some Pros and Cons Over the course of three days, Estonians could vote by placing their state-issued ID cards (which have an electronic chip . Opponents say kids arent mature enough to vote. 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. Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. Should election day be made a national holiday? | Britannica A National Day is a date for a country to celebrate its nationhood. But none of those states have considerably high turnout compared to those where it isn't a holiday. Election Day in USA in 2023 | Office Holidays And even a number of the blue countries, such as Australia and Canada, are actually the product of colonialism. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. In 2007, the country held the world's first general Internet election. Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. 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. So, workers having a day off to vote wouldn't be a disruption to the economy, or anything a citizen of our country could deny would be worthwhile and smart thing to do. 3) Britain and Denmark have no national days. If your thoughts have not changed, list two to three ways your better understanding of the other side of the issue now helps you better argue your position. Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey agrees. Voters in more than one-third of the country enjoy some form of an Election Day holiday, according to RepresentUs. Election Day should be a 'day off,' U.S. President Joe Biden says 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. 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. 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. 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. This article is about the general term "election day" worldwide. To make Election Day a national holiday, it would take an act of Congress, and so far, no bills proposing such action have passed. Regional Belgian public holidays during 2023. 1, which adds a new paid holiday for federal employees every other year. The case for making Election Day an official holiday Countries that have weekend or holiday elections do tend to have better turnout overall. Election Day is always the first Tuesday after November 1st. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. [4][5], The United States currently has 10 national holidays, including Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Christmas Day. From 2021, the first Sunday of June. Or is it an optimistic idea that would exclude already disadvantaged voters while failing to increase turnout? Image 2. "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. But some think it should be. 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. Right now, federal elections are always held on Tuesdays, because farmers in the 1840s needed multiple days to get to the . I think, to the best of my knowledge, it's something like $20. Should Election Day Be a Holiday? - Homepage | Morningside Center for We also know that countries that have marked their election days as federal events see higher voting turnouts than the United States. "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.". Passing voting rights reform will be a crucial component of this response, as would making Election Day a national holiday. But experts say improving voter turnout is a complicated issue that no single silver bullet strategy can solve.