For starters, the United States is rather unique in that it schedules its election day on a weekday, let alone a Tuesday. Tuesday was selected because it was the most convenient. Operated 24:7 through the week. Is Election Day a federal holiday? | The US Sun Issues also arise when a persons polling place is far from their workplace or when there are long lines to vote during peak times like in the morning before work or in the evening after work. ", "National Electoral Code Article 53 and 148", Report of the 2014 National Lawyers Guild Bolivian Election Observation Delegation, Voting hours for elections in EU Member States, "The Parliamentary Electoral System in Denmark", Consultation Report on Review of Electoral Arrangements, "India Elects 2019: The World's Largest Election, Explained", "Six Nations match at the centre of row over election date - Independent.ie", "With full term possible, Netanyahu may outlast Ben-Gurion (and Obama)", Confessionalism and Electoral Reform in Lebanon, "Voters reminded not to reveal voting intention at Sunday's polling", "Malaysia's election on a Wednesday favors PM, opposition says", "Elections in Mexico and the US: Comparisons and contrasts", "Law on Election of Councillors and Members of Parliament", "Election Days General Elections 1853-2011", "The main features of the Norwegian electoral system", "Tribunal Electoral de Panam convoca a elecciones generales de 2024", "Peru Can Give U.S. [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. 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. Election Day in the United States of America is the Tuesday following the first Monday in November. 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. I think, to the best of my knowledge, it's something like $20. Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island and New York have also made Election Day into a state holiday. Is Election Day a national holiday? Why you don't get the day off [26] Caravanas are joyful, noisy parades of cars festooned with flags and other decorations that stream through Puerto Ricos streets ahead of an election and are credited with the islands over 80% voter turnout. 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). "We should be making it easier for people to vote, not harder. But they never go far and die in committee without a vote. Senator Bernie Sanders has certainly tried heintroducedthe "Democracy Day Act" in 2018, which proposed making Election Day a federal holiday. Not all of these marked the end of colonialism (for example, Austria's signifies the withdrawal of foreign militaries after World War II and the declaration of neutrality) but the vast majority do. In some of these countries, voting is compulsory, and in most of them, Election Day is a holiday. Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives. February 26, 2023, 5:06 AM. [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. 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. Update: Some readers think that Ireland should also be considered an outlier, as St. Patrick's Day is often considered its primary "national day" and is not really an independence or revolution day. Reformers will be far more successful adding a few days or options or opportunities than trying to undo Election Day.. Japan formally celebrates the anniversary of an ancient mythical emperor, although the holiday is mostly ignored today, due in part to its connections with Japan's ugly imperial history. Explain your answers. A number of bills like the Weekend Voting Act have been proposed in Congress over the years, often by Democrats. However, making National Election Day a holiday will disadvantage low-income and blue . "And we actually have more options than ever before.". 5 Reasons Election Day Should Be a National Holiday - Global Citizen Updates? 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. The United States has held federal elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years since 1845. But while . By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Sign up for notifications from Insider! 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. Before that point, states could hold their presidential elections on any day within a certain 34-day window. In-person polls open Sunday at 12:01am, close Saturday at 11:59pm. First Sunday of July until 2018. Tuesday was chosen because it was most convenient for farmers traveling by horse and buggy at the time. Compulsory voting does not necessarily guarantee 100% turnout rates, however, though they still see higher rates than countries which do not require it. Israel and South Korea hold their elections on weekdays, but they're national holidays. I am from Malta - a tiny EU island nation and today we celebrate the shipwreck of St. Paul on our island. [36]. The Freedom to Vote Act would make Election Day a national holiday. Let us make it as easy as we can," Sanders told CBS News. All rights reserved. Election day is a national holiday. This is the day we cast ballots to select public officials from local to the national government. This article is about the general term "election day" worldwide. 27 September (Wednesday): Day of the French-speaking Community - commemorates the victory of the patriots against the Dutch army in Brussels in 1830. Argentina has instated compulsory voting laws, but only sees about 76% voter turnout. As old as all of these societies are, their senses of national identity are commemorated by remarkably recent events. [25], According to the AFL-CIO, 30 states require employers to allow employees time off for voting. One major reason: It comes down to tradition, Troy said. Litigation pending before the Supreme Court this term in Brnovich v. DNC, however, threatens to undermine this rule. "I'm not a fan," said Eddie Perez, an election administration and election technology expert at the Open Source Election Technology (OSET) Institute. [14][35] In Australia, where voting is mandatory, elections are celebrated with parties and barbeques nationwide, resulting in turnout rates around 90%. This year, Election . 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. Whether accurate or not, elected officials likely think that making it easier to vote would advantage one party at the expense of the other party.. ProCon.org is the institutional or organization author for all ProCon.org pages. Virginia joined these states in April this year. Compared to other developed countries, America's voter turnout rate is pretty sad. Should Election Day Be a Holiday? Here Are Some Pros and Cons By Monday morning, nearly 60 million had already voted early across the country, closing in on half of 2016's total voter turnout. Yet, few of us, especially those who have worked on Capitol Hill, harbor . Regional Belgian public holidays during 2023. However, the issues vary among different demographic groups. Mr. CHRISTENSEN: One of the biggest countries that uses compulsory voting is Australia. Is Election Day a Federal Holiday? - NBC Chicago 3 Countries Where It's Easier To Vote Than the United States Some countries, about 27 of them,make voting compulsory. List two to three ways. This is partially due to the influence of Protestantism, which historically set restrictions on activities other than church-going during the Sabbath (usually considered as falling on a Sunday). 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. Traditionally elections are held over two days, starting on a Friday afternoon and ending the following Saturday afternoon. Here are five reasons why Election Day should be a national holiday. October 26, 2020 / 10:57 AM 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. First published on October 26, 2020 / 10:57 AM. It is the day when popular ballots are held to select public officials. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Election Day is not a national holiday in 2022, but some states require employees get paid time off to vote. And. Such a change would mostly benefit white-collar workers instead of the lower-income workers its designed to help. Vote.org has called on Amazon, Disney, McDonald's and others to offer paid time off for employees to vote and or work the polls. Other politicians, businesses, and advocacy groups have voiced their approval of celebrating Election Day as a national holiday. As you can see, the world is mostly divided between countries that celebrate a national independence day and countries that celebrate a national unification or revolution day. These include national, state, and local government representatives at all levels up to the president. Voter turnout in the United States is usually considered low, especially in years without a presidential election. [3] In 1800, 83% of the American labor force was agrarian, but today only 11% of total US employment is agriculture-related. In many countries, general elections are always held on a Saturday or Sunday, to enable as many voters as possible to participate; while in other countries elections are always held on a weekday. In 2007, the country held the world's first general Internet election. Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. 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. Could that ever happen in the U.S.? That's true, although the separate "National Day of Commemoration" occurs on the anniversary of the truce ending the Irish war of independence. Proponents say the Electoral College ensures everyone selects the president. In Sweden, for example, 83% of registered voters participated in the 2014 national . You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. But some think it should be. On Sunday, Virginia Democratic Gov. There's nothing that would stop voters here from treating a Democracy Day like just another day off.". Canada's turnout is about the same as the United States', with an average of 68%, and though one canton in Switzerland has a compulsory voting law, for the country as a whole turnout is around 49%, one of the lowest rates in OECD countries.

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