Let us make it as easy as we can," Sanders told CBS News. "And we actually have more options than ever before.". Countries like Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Mexico also showed high voter turnout rates by having holidays. Understanding what happened in the Chicago mayoral race. - Zkon o podmienkach vkonu volebnh", "The Effectiveness of Early Voting A Case Study of the Republic of Korea", "Ley Orgnica 5/1985, de 19 de junio, del Rgimen Electoral General", "Elections in Venezuela and Pennsylvania: Lessons in Democracy? 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. Sunday: first Sunday of February for the President, Vice-President, and Legislative Assembly; second Sunday of February for municipal elections. So far this year, hundreds of bills have been introduced that could have the effect of suppressing peoples right to vote. 4) The outliers are few but tell you a lot about those countries. By Monday morning, nearly 60 million had already voted early across the country, closing in on half of 2016's total voter turnout. [23], Annie McDonald, Editor of the Berkeley Public Policy Journal, noted that the workers who are least likely to get paid holidays are those who already have less of a voice in the political process: Americans working in retail, hospitality, and service jobs, for example, would most likely not receive the benefit of a paid holiday to vote. 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. While countries like Belgium, Sweden, and Turkey saw more than 80% of their estimated voting-age population cast votes in recent elections, less than 56% of the estimated voting-age population in the US voted during the 2016 presidential election. 3. Examine this opinion article from Evil HR Lady Suzanne Lucas on why election day should not be a national holiday. Today in my country it is a national holiday as we celebrate the day when St. Paul converted our whole country to Catholicism in AD 60. Rose Marcario, CEO, stated, demonstrating your companys commitment to voting will reinforce how essential it is that every eligible voter shows up. 2. November 7, 2023. What other improvements could be made to voting and Election Day? The name change required at least 50% voter participation, and opponents to the name change advocated not voting at all rather than voting against the measure. 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. South Africa's is from the first democratic elections, in 1994. Tuesday was selected because it was the most convenient. ", "An overall look at Vietnam's election law", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Election_day&oldid=1136894393. Think about that: In most of the world, the sense of national identity is shaped by the act of cutting, or in some cases violently throwing off, the chains of colonialism. For more information on how to vote, head over to our TurboVote module. Explain your answer. All this despite the fact that these types of restrictions have typically been considered illegal under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which requires that elections be equally open to all people. ABUJA, Nigeria -- Nigeria's election commission announced the first results late Sunday from the country's closely watched presidential election, but it could days . These numbers also may be indicative of higher turnout for major elections, but may not reflect engagement in local or regional elections. 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. In 2018, a Pewstudy found that 65% of Americans favored making Election Day a national holiday. For more on the debate about making election day a national holiday, visit ProCon.org. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Britain, after all, developed its political institutions pretty gradually, so there was no real "Bastille Day" moment that defines the modern nation. (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.). 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. And even a number of the blue countries, such as Australia and Canada, are actually the product of colonialism. To make Election Day a national holiday, it would take an act of Congress, and so far, no bills proposing such action have passed. 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. [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. Last Tuesday was election day in the United States, and this year we voted in the midterm elections. By comparison,. Or is it an optimistic idea that would exclude already disadvantaged voters while failing to increase turnout? Israel and South Korea hold their elections on weekdays, but they're national holidays. 3. 25, 2016, Chris Talgo, "Make Election Day a National Holiday? [14][35] In Australia, where voting is mandatory, elections are celebrated with parties and barbeques nationwide, resulting in turnout rates around 90%. It is the day when popular ballots are held to select public officials. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Would making Election Day a federal holiday increase voter turnout and celebrate democracy? The outliers are a tiny minority, and only two countries have no formal national day at all. [31]. A National Day is a date for a country to celebrate its nationhood. During the 2016 presidential election, less than 56% of the estimated voting-age population in the US voted. And I think on Election Day we should have a national holiday which says, 'you don't have to rush to vote.' 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. Meanwhile, in Macedonia this past September, voters chose to stay away from the polls because of the proposed name change for the country. Again, it is not clear that this is demonstrably true but it is a widespread perception. [17] Countries such as France, Mexico, and India also observe federal holidays for elections. Rather than make it a national holiday where inevitably people will still have to work, change election day to election week. 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. ], ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons. Read more: The evolution of American voting rights in 242 years shows how far we've come and how far we still have to go. As for Denmark, it has a national liberation day and some people celebrate international worker's day, but neither is a public holiday. Topics Explainers Politics US Evergreen US Explainers YOU MIGHT LIKE 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. WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - Election Day should be a holiday for workers in the United States, President Joe Biden said on Thursday. 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. In Sweden, for example, 83% of registered voters participated in the 2014 national . States such as Georgia and Iowa already have passed restrictive measures and many others appear poised to do the same thing. 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. Should the United States use the Electoral College in presidential elections? It is set by statute as "the Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November.". [28][29], Patagonia, an outdoor clothing retailer, paused operation on Nov. 6, 2018 so that all employees could vote. Research has found that higher trust in the government and democratic process leads to greater voter turnout. Sunday. 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. Thats not to say no one has tried. 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! 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. 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. Declaring Election Day a holiday has been proposed various times in Congress; it's a popular idea. Traditionally on weekends. Other countries may only require it of certain people, and otherwise make it voluntary for others. Estonia This tiny Baltic nation is making waves for introducing something that seems completely logical in the digital age -- online voting. This article is about the general term "election day" worldwide. "If I had my way, and I think it is really important, every . 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. 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. 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. Vanita Gupta, CEO of the Leadership Conference on Human and Civil Rights, is working to increase voter participation and decrease voter disenfranchisement. 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. Most National Days are fixed, exceptions to this are shown below. We also know that countries that have marked their election days as federal events see higher voting turnouts than the United States. They stated, Citizen Day would do more than give our democracy the honor that it deserves; it would help our democracy work better. 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. Change often comes slowly, subtly. Keep in mind that in the mid-1800s, the U.S. was largely an agricultural society. The correct answer is B. Advertisement Advertisement marberman marberman The US ranks 26th out of 32 for voter turnout among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. If so, how? Image 2. Delaware Hawaii Kentucky Louisiana Montana New Jersey New York Ohio Puerto Rico Virginia West Virginia While Tuesdays have been custom for elections in the United States, Sunday is the day of. 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. Election Day in the United States of America is the Tuesday following the first Monday in November. Australia sees around 91%, and 94% in Singapore. 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. The COVID-19 pandemic convinced. 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. 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. Especially given that 65% of Americans support making election day a national holiday and 43% of voters already live in one of the 19 states with some form of voting holiday. And. 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. 1. Countries like France, Germany, and India all recognize Election Day as a national holiday or hold elections on the weekend in order to increase voter turnout. 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. Office Holidays provides calendars with dates and information on public holidays and bank holidays in key countries around the world. In Australia, all citizens of age to vote are required, and if they fail to do so, they face fines. 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? [ 18][ 19] Con 1 "Election Day should be a national holiday so that everyone has the time and opportunity to vote," Sanders' website reads. Here is the relevant passage from Acts 28: "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. Sign up for notifications from Insider! 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. Election Day - Tuesday, Nov. 8 - is a special day, with voters casting ballots across the country. But they never go far and die in committee without a vote. Here are five reasons why Election Day should be a national holiday. 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. Some say a holiday would increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote while celebrating democracy. For rest of the festival holidays the declaration . [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. 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,".