Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. It is very, very hard to change core American traditions.. "Election day should be a national holiday" is a claim of policy because we are discussing a policy which searches a solution for the presented argument. 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. One major reason: It comes down to tradition, Troy said. According to the country's website detailing their "digital society," online voting has soared from 1.9% in 2005 to 30.5% in 2015. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. And that election saw the second highest voter turnout in 20 years. The types of workers least likely to reap the benefits of a federal holiday are those who already struggle to vote, Shineman noted. Explore which countries have weekend voting with Pew Research. 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. [ 18][ 19] Con 1 For starters, the United States is rather unique in that it schedules its election day on a weekday, let alone a Tuesday. "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. 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). [10][11]] Mr. CHRISTENSEN: One of the biggest countries that uses compulsory voting is Australia. For more on the debate about making election day a national holiday, visit ProCon.org. Because of the pandemic, more U.S. voters are exploring alternatives to voting on Election Day, such as early voting and mail-in voting. Exact date set by the. According to Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus, Australia adopted compulsory voting in 1924 after turnout there dropped to less than 60 percent in 1922. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is a group that includes 36 countries. [email protected], 2022 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Estonia This tiny Baltic nation is making waves for introducing something that seems completely logical in the digital age -- online voting. By comparison, Belgium reported the highest OECD voter turnout: 87.2% in the most recent national election. 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.However, some countries, or regions within a country, which hold elections on a weekday declare election day a public holiday. And even a number of the blue countries, such as Australia and Canada, are actually the product of colonialism. Explain your answers. A Pew Research Center analysis finds that 27 of the 36 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development hold their national elections on the weekend, . However, making National Election Day a holiday will disadvantage low-income and blue . Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. ], ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons. 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.". A National Day is a date for a country to celebrate its nationhood. 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. Some countries use electronic voting machines, such as India, while others rely on paper ballots, such as Zimbabwe. Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. 1. Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. "We should be making it easier for people to vote, not harder. History of Election Day 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. Twenty-seven of the 36 member countries, hold their elections on the weekend. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? Compulsory voting does not necessarily guarantee 100% turnout rates, however, though they still see higher rates than countries which do not require it. 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. Disclaimer: Dates and Events correct at time of printing but may change without our knowledge. 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! It can fall on or between November 2 and November 8. Countries that hold the ballot before Sunday are not permitted to announce results until all other countries have finished voting. 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. [4][5], The United States currently has 10 national holidays, including Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Christmas Day. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Managing Editor ProCon/Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Part of HuffPost Home & Living. Americans are working all the time. It happens to be on the day the politicians themselves get elected. Election Day is observed on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, taking place on November 7 this year. About 54 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots in the 2012 presidential contest between Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney, according to the Pew Research Center. In some of these countries, voting is compulsory, and in most of them, Election Day is a holiday. Let us make it as easy as we can," Sanders told CBS News. 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. Some say a holiday would increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote while celebrating democracy. Office Holidays provides calendars with dates and information on public holidays and bank holidays in key countries around the world. 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%. Most others are not so recent, but still not so old: Taiwan's, for example, goes back to a 1911 uprising. Could that ever happen in the U.S.? Some say a holiday would increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote while celebrating democracy. 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. [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. Would making Election Day a federal holiday increase voter turnout and celebrate democracy? Some countries, about 27 of them,make voting compulsory. There is no fixed election day for general elections, although since 1986 every general election has been held on Sunday. Rather, federal elections are held on the third Monday of October, every four years . 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. [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. Operated 24:7 through the week. An ordinary act of Congress could move Election Day to a Saturday or make it a holiday, thereby giving more people more . By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. To make Election Day a national holiday, it would take an act of Congress, and so far, no bills proposing such action have passed. Here are the proper bibliographic citations for this page according to four style manuals (in alphabetical order): [Editor's Note: The APA citation style requires double spacing within entries. [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. 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. What other improvements could be made to voting and Election Day? Without this simple step toward turning out as many Americans as possible to vote, any reform will be incomplete. As for Denmark, it has a national liberation day and some people celebrate international worker's day, but neither is a public holiday. Theyare still considerably higher than in the United States, which typically sees about 65% on average turn out to vote for major elections. And some countries, like Australia, require people to vote by subjecting those who don't to a minor fine equivalent to a traffic ticket. [8], In the 2016 presidential election, 55.7% of the American voting-age population cast a ballot. Proponents say teens are knowledgeable enough to vote. Elections to the Bundestag may be held on another public holiday. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. ABUJA, Nigeria -- Nigeria's election commission announced the first results late Sunday from the country's closely watched presidential election, but it could days . Should the United States Use the Electoral College in Presidential Elections? [8], Among registered voters in the 2016 US presidential election, being too busy or having a conflicting schedule was the third-highest reason cited for not voting, accounting for 14% of registered voters who did not cast a vote (about 2.7 million people). Runoffs take place on the last Sunday of the same October. Over the course of three days, Estonians could vote by placing their state-issued ID cards (which have an electronic chip . Examine this opinion article from Evil HR Lady Suzanne Lucas on why election day should not be a national holiday. Whether election day should be made a national holiday is debated. According to the Pew Research Center, of the thirty-six nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the U.S. is one of nine that votes on a week day, and one of seven that doesn't designateelection day a national holiday. Furthermore, making this small shift would celebrate the purpose and sacrifice of our fighting forces. 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. 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. 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. "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. In fact, in Estonia, the option tovoteonlineis becoming increasingly popular. In an interview published Thursday, President Obama endorsed the idea of holding U.S. federal elections on weekends or national holidays. Most National Days are fixed, exceptions to this are shown below. The pros and cons of the felon voting debate include arguments about the social contract, voting while in prison, and paying debts. As Congress continues to grapple with voting rights legislation this week, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has used his considerable influence as the Senates key swing vote to set the terms of the debate. 2. [25], According to the AFL-CIO, 30 states require employers to allow employees time off for voting. 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. Last Tuesday was election day in the United States, and this year we voted in the midterm elections. Other politicians, businesses, and advocacy groups have voiced their approval of celebrating Election Day as a national holiday. Third Monday of October every four years, or after Parliament is dissolved by the. The United States has held federal elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years since 1845. 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. We are the only advanced democracy that makes it deliberately difficult for people to vote. However, the issues vary among different demographic groups. [36]. 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. In previous elections, that percentage was even higher. Sunday: first Sunday of February for the President, Vice-President, and Legislative Assembly; second Sunday of February for municipal elections. 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. And in Australia, there is a fine. 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. 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. An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation.Many countries commemorate their independence from a colonial empire.. Not all countries mark independence as a national holiday. Britain, after all, developed its political institutions pretty gradually, so there was no real "Bastille Day" moment that defines the modern nation. Omissions? Election Day isn't a national holiday in the US, but some people think it should be. 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. 3. A surprising map of the worlds national holidays (only two countries have no national day), Belarus sentences Nobel Peace laureate Ales Bialiatski to 10 years in jail, This is Bidens chance to press Scholz on Germanys rearmament, Why Russia and Ukraine are fighting over Bakhmut. For more on the debate about making election day a national holiday, visit ProCon.org. Making the presidential election a national holiday is another way to get people to the polls. But while . With just about six in 10 voters turning out to vote in the U.S., some civil rights advocates are arguing that it's about time to give Americans the day off to vote. 3) Britain and Denmark have no national days. Here are five reasons why Election Day should be a national holiday. Essential reporting and analysis from correspondents around the world. 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. Other countries may only require it of certain people, and otherwise make it voluntary for others. Sign up for notifications from Insider! In Switzerland, only one canton (or member state) requires voting; it is voluntary all other cantons of the country. Again, it is not clear that this is demonstrably true but it is a widespread perception. 2020, Virginia. Others have suggested making Veterans Day (Nov. 11), which is already a paid national holiday, Election Day. "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.". Before that point, states could hold their presidential elections on any day within a certain 34-day window. There are many ways to boost voter turnout expanding early voting, automatically registering voters, and improving civic education programs . Vanita Gupta, CEO of the Leadership Conference on Human and Civil Rights, is working to increase voter participation and decrease voter disenfranchisement. After all, what do our veterans fight for, if not for democracy itself? For other uses, see. Accessed February 21, 2023. https://www.procon.org/headlines/election-day-national-holiday-top-3-pros-and-cons/, potential benefits and difficulties of changing election day, election day should not be a national holiday. Research has found that higher trust in the government and democratic process leads to greater voter turnout. 3. ", Others, however, are skeptical that creating a national holiday would increase voter turnout. 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. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider by country by date However, those numbers may be attributed to a combination of factors not solely because their elections occur on non-work days. [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. Concentrating voters into a single day risks congesting polling places, even more so than some already are. 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. The COVID-19 pandemic convinced. If Election Day were a national holiday, how would you ensure hourly and low-income workers would get a chance to vote? 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 . 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.
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