Until 2009, elections were held over several consecutive Sundays. This map, inspired by a Reddit thread with a similar map, shows the national days of the world's countries. [31][32] Trying one of these alternatives would avoid the negative economic impact of closing businesses for Election Day. 27 September (Wednesday): Day of the French-speaking Community - commemorates the victory of the patriots against the Dutch army in Brussels in 1830. 5. Over the course of three days, Estonians could vote by placing their state-issued ID cards (which have an electronic chip . These include national, state, and local government representatives at all levels up to the president. 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. 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. Read more: You can take time off from work to vote in 30 states here's the full list. 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. 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. 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. ABUJA, Nigeria -- Nigeria's election commission announced the first results late Sunday from the country's closely watched presidential election, but it could days . 11 July (Tuesday): Celebration of the Golden Spurs (Day of the Flemish Community) - celebrates the victory of the count of Flanders and the borough militia against the king of France outside Courtrai. 1. [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 modified on October 1, 2020. Disclaimer: Dates and Events correct at time of printing but may change without our knowledge. 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. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? Proponents say teens are knowledgeable enough to vote. 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. And that election saw the second highest voter turnout in 20 years. Read More, Election Day is a holiday in Puerto Rico. Updated: 7:01 AM EST November 2, 2020 ATLANTA For many Americans, voting on Election Day is a tradition, and some wonder why it's not a national holiday. 1, which adds a new paid holiday for federal employees every other year. Sign up for notifications from Insider! Theyare still considerably higher than in the United States, which typically sees about 65% on average turn out to vote for major elections. Skip Navigation 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. But some election analysts told CBS News that making Election Day a holiday is not a way to make voting easier. And. Currently, 22 countries around the world have mandatory voting, and ten of those countries enforce the policy, including Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Peru, and Switzerland. The bill would also effectively revive Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which requires states with a history of voter discrimination have all changes to their election laws approved by the federal government, updating the law in response to the Supreme Courts 2013 holding in Shelby County v. Holder. Voter turnout in the United States is usually considered low, especially in years without a presidential election. Could that ever happen in the U.S.? 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. At the top of his list: making Election Day a national holiday. As for Denmark, it has a national liberation day and some people celebrate international worker's day, but neither is a public holiday. The outliers are a tiny minority, and only two countries have no formal national day at all. "I'm not a fan," said Eddie Perez, an election administration and election technology expert at the Open Source Election Technology (OSET) Institute. Updates? Would making Election Day a federal holiday increase voter turnout and celebrate democracy? 2020, Virginia. These changes would send a strong rebuke to those who are attempting to scale back voting rights and make it more difficult for African-Americans and Latinos to vote. 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. 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. List two to three ways. "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons." Traditionally on weekends. 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. Veterans Day typically is about one week after Election Day so this would involve little disruption in terms of job schedules and monthly routines. That means the stock market will be open, and so will. Some say a holiday would increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote while celebrating democracy. 1. 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. Four more states only provide time off for biennial, even-year elections: Delaware, Louisiana, Michigan and New Hampshire. 3. Third Monday of October every four years, or after Parliament is dissolved by the. Proponents say the Electoral College ensures everyone selects the president. Usually Wednesday. Maybe that could give us some hint as to the frequent foreign sensitivities and accusations, right or wrong, about Western foreign policy echoing old colonial practices. Newsweek subscription offers > "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. [25], According to the AFL-CIO, 30 states require employers to allow employees time off for voting. Declaring Election Day a holiday has been proposed various times in Congress; it's a popular idea. [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. Australia sees around 91%, and 94% in Singapore. 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. Right now, federal elections are always held on Tuesdays, because farmers in the 1840s needed multiple days to get to the . For federal offices (president, vice president, and United States Congress) and most gubernatorial offices (all except for . 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. [36]. According to Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus, Australia adopted compulsory voting in 1924 after turnout there dropped to less than 60 percent in 1922. Russia's national holiday only goes back to 1992, when the Russian Federation was founded. Sign up to receive a weekly email update on forthcoming public holidays around the world in your inbox every Sunday. 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. "Voting is a fundamental right,. 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. 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. Some say a holiday would increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote while celebrating democracy. [24] Holidays usually mean more work hours for retail workers, because stores run promotions and sales. the Tuesday that occurs within November 2 to November 8. ", Others, however, are skeptical that creating a national holiday would increase voter turnout. But in many other countries, the government automatically registers voters and holds elections on days that are weekend days or national holidays. In Australia, all citizens of age to vote are required, and if they fail to do so, they face fines. Many other democracies make election day a holiday and they all have higher voter turnout than we do. Office Holidays provides calendars with dates and information on public holidays and bank holidays in key countries around the world. After all, what do our veterans fight for, if not for democracy itself? [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. But Gupta said that there's been a "lack of political will" to give the initiative some momentum. Senator Bernie Sanders has certainly tried heintroducedthe "Democracy Day Act" in 2018, which proposed making Election Day a federal holiday. NOW WATCH: Arianna Huffingtons advice to Hillary Clinton, the majority of US states have voter leave laws, You can take time off from work to vote in 30 states here's the full list, voted during the 2016 presidential election, experts say such a scheme is unlikely to fly in the US, The evolution of American voting rights in 242 years shows how far we've come and how far we still have to go, In an interview with President Barack Obama in 2016. There's nothing that would stop voters here from treating a Democracy Day like just another day off.". 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. In-person polls open Sunday at 12:01am, close Saturday at 11:59pm. 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. 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. Election Day is always the first Tuesday after November 1st. This page was last edited on 1 February 2023, at 18:43. procon@eb.com, 2022 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Before that point, states could hold their presidential elections on any day within a certain 34-day window. 0:00. 4. While young people are generally less likely to vote, they are more motivated by the issue of freedom of speech than older generations. The U.S. ranks 26th out of 32 for voter among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? But it is not a federal holiday. [18][19], Federal law doesnt require private employers to give employees paid federal holidays. 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. Rose Marcario, CEO, stated, demonstrating your companys commitment to voting will reinforce how essential it is that every eligible voter shows up. OK, so why Tuesday? ProCon.org. But they never go far and die in committee without a vote. Sweden came second with 82.6%. All rights reserved. Whether election day should be made a national holiday is debated. Traditionally elections are held over two days, starting on a Friday afternoon and ending the following Saturday afternoon. 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. "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.". Tuesday was selected because it was the most convenient. A simple but effective change, however, could be made in election timing. Think about it. Consider this: Even if Election Day were moved to a weekend or turned into a national holiday, retail and service industry employees would still need to work. 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. 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. [4][5], The United States currently has 10 national holidays, including Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Christmas Day. A lot of people go to work, or they're in school during the weekday. 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. Election Day in the United States of America is the Tuesday following the first Monday in November. Consider the potential benefits and difficulties of changing election day. [27], Companies including Abercrombie & Fitch Co., Farmers Insurance, Kaiser Permanente, Patagonia, and Walmart have joined Make Time to Vote campaign, which encourages employers to provide paid time off, schedule no meetings on Election Day, and give information on mail-in ballots and early voting. This is the day we cast ballots to select public officials from local to the national government. It was created in 1992,. Reformers will be far more successful adding a few days or options or opportunities than trying to undo Election Day.. 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. ], [Editors Note: The MLA citation style requires double spacing within entries. Most of these 19 states' policies only cover general elections, though. Stay up to date with what you want to know. A large Democratic voting rights bill that would have made Election Day a national holiday collapsed in the Senate this year when two senators refused to join their own party in changing. The number of early votes cast before Election Day 2020, as of Nov. 1, neared the 100 million mark according to data aggregated by the U.S. 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. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Fourth Sunday of October immediately before the end of the current mandates. ], ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons. Last Tuesday was election day in the United States, and this year we voted in the midterm elections. Arizona, for example, allows employees who do not have three consecutive hours before or after work when the polls are open to take paid time off to vote at the start or end of their work days. And I think on Election Day we should have a national holiday which says, 'you don't have to rush to vote.' It is set by statute as "the Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November.". For more information on how to vote, head over to our TurboVote module. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Ralph Northam signed into law a measure that, among other things, makes Election Day a state holiday in the commonwealth. Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. That's true, although the separate "National Day of Commemoration" occurs on the anniversary of the truce ending the Irish war of independence. 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. From 2021, the first Sunday of June. Most National Days are fixed, exceptions to this are shown below. As for Denmark, it has a national liberation day and some people celebrate international worker's day, but neither is a public holiday. Estonia This tiny Baltic nation is making waves for introducing something that seems completely logical in the digital age -- online voting. Some countries, about 27 of them, make voting compulsory. Election Day is the day for general elections of public officials in the U.S. 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. 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. Saturday, but can be any day of the week, such as when a Saturday conflicts with a holiday. Mr. CHRISTENSEN: One of the biggest countries that uses compulsory voting is Australia. For other uses, see. 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. In Switzerland, only one canton (or member state) requires voting; it is voluntary all other cantons of the country. Plus, some experts say moving to weekend voting could substantially increase the cost of running elections. Nine states classify general elections as holidays: Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Virginia. Should election day be made a national holiday? Managing Editor [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. 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. 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. First Sunday of October. By Monday morning, nearly 60 million had already voted early across the country, closing in on half of 2016's total voter turnout. 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. 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. Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. By comparison,. 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. 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. 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). Essential reporting and analysis from correspondents around the world. Americans are working all the time. They stated, Citizen Day would do more than give our democracy the honor that it deserves; it would help our democracy work better. To make Election Day a national holiday, it would take an act of Congress, and so far, no bills proposing such action have passed. US voter turnout trails most developed countries. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is a group that includes 36 countries. Corrections? And some countries, like Australia, require people to vote by subjecting those who dont to a minor fine equivalent to a traffic ticket. In an interview published Thursday, President Obama endorsed the idea of holding U.S. federal elections on weekends or national holidays. Some countries use electronic voting machines, such as India, while others rely on paper ballots, such as Zimbabwe. Or is it an optimistic idea that would exclude already disadvantaged voters while failing to increase turnout? In Estonia, a national ID card (required for every citizen in the country) can be used to vote remotely. Explore which countries have weekend voting with Pew Research. Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. Virginia joined these states in April this year. Compulsory voting does not necessarily guarantee 100% turnout rates, however, though they still see higher rates than countries which do not require it. 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.". 2. Part of HuffPost Home & Living. 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. A number of bills like the Weekend Voting Act have been proposed in Congress over the years, often by Democrats. In many other democracies around the world, national elections are held on the weekend or are a federal holiday. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. While the majority of US states have voter leave laws that guarantee certain employees a modicum of time off to vote, no federal law currently mandates that employees get time off to cast their ballots. TOP QUESTION Opponents say it allows only a few states to select the president. Others have suggested making Veterans Day (Nov. 11), which is already a paid national holiday, Election Day. So, focusing voting efforts to one day doesn't do enough to accommodate everyone, Becker argues. [1], An election day usually culminates in an election night when the results of the election are tallied and winners are announced.[2]. 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. Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. Most National Days are fixed, exceptions to this are shown below. 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. I think, to the best of my knowledge, it's something like $20. 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. Sunday: first Sunday of February for the President, Vice-President, and Legislative Assembly; second Sunday of February for municipal elections. However, making National Election Day a holiday will disadvantage low-income and blue .

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