All rights reserved. Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. Some say a holiday would increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote while celebrating democracy. Most National Days are fixed, exceptions to this are shown below. 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. Concentrating voters into a single day risks congesting polling places, even more so than some already are. Election Day is not a national holiday in 2022, but some states require employees get paid time off to vote. The founding fathers at first only granted white, male property owners the right to vote, so the expansion of voting rights has taken some time. 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. Other politicians, businesses, and advocacy groups have voiced their approval of celebrating Election Day as a national holiday. 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. Its hard to say. And that election saw the second highest voter turnout in 20 years. "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons." Georgia grassroots groups helped Biden win. 1. Sign up for notifications from Insider! 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. 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. It is set by statute as "the Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November.". 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. And in Australia, there is a fine. We are the only advanced democracy that makes it deliberately difficult for people to vote. Sunday. Sunday: first Sunday of February for the President, Vice-President, and Legislative Assembly; second Sunday of February for municipal elections. Others have suggested making Veterans Day (Nov. 11), which is already a paid national holiday, Election Day. Sign up to receive a weekly email update on forthcoming public holidays around the world in your inbox every Sunday. 3. 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. Last week his office released a list of voting rights provisions he would support. Australia sees around 91%, and 94% in Singapore. Such a change would mostly benefit white-collar workers instead of the lower-income workers its designed to help. 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. It is very, very hard to change core American traditions.. Puerto Rico's voter turnout has gone as high as 80 . Election Day as a holiday is something that exists in other countries, but not in most places in the U.S. It's an issue that comes up a lot, but never really gets much serious public debate. October 26, 2020 / 10:57 AM I think, to the best of my knowledge, it's something like $20. During the 2016 presidential election, less than 56% of the estimated voting-age population in the US voted. ABUJA, Nigeria -- Nigeria's election commission announced the first results late Sunday from the country's closely watched presidential election, but it could days . 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. These numbers also may be indicative of higher turnout for major elections, but may not reflect engagement in local or regional elections. As old as all of these societies are, their senses of national identity are commemorated by remarkably recent events. In an interview published Thursday, President Obama endorsed the idea of holding U.S. federal elections on weekends or national holidays. Research has found that higher trust in the government and democratic process leads to greater voter turnout. 1, which adds a new paid holiday for federal employees every other year. If so, how? 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. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? [ 18][ 19] Con 1 In 2018, the general election was held on Wednesday. Currently, 22 countries around the world have mandatory voting, and ten of those countries enforce the policy, including Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Peru, and Switzerland. Whether election day should be made a national holiday is debated. Saturday, but can be any day of the week, such as when a Saturday conflicts with a holiday. 0:58. Proper citation depends on your preferred or required style manual. [2] Sundays were for rest and worship, and on Wednesdays farmers typically sold their crops at the market, making Tuesdays the best day of the week. "While this would not be a cure-all, it would indicate a national commitment to create a more vibrant democracy.". Should the Voting Age Be Lowered to 16? 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. Should the United States Use the Electoral College in Presidential Elections? 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. 22 June 1986, 29 October 1989, 6 June 1993, 3 March 1996, 12 March 2000, 14 March 2004, 9 March 2008, 20 November 2011, 20 December 2015, 26 June 2016. Some businesses may close, but their hourly paid employees will either have to use a PTO day or not get paid.. 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. House Democrats introduced their first piece of legislation in the new Congress this week, an anti-corruption bill that proposes making Election Day a federal holiday and encourages . However, making National Election Day a holiday will disadvantage low-income and blue . - 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? Could that ever happen in the U.S.? History of Election Day Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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. November 7, 2023. 27 September (Wednesday): Day of the French-speaking Community - commemorates the victory of the patriots against the Dutch army in Brussels in 1830. In many other democracies around the world, national elections are held on the weekend or are a federal holiday. Tuesday was selected because it was the most convenient. From 2021, the first Sunday of June. [16]. 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. 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. Whether election day in the United States should be made a national holiday is debated. 1. [3] In 1800, 83% of the American labor force was agrarian, but today only 11% of total US employment is agriculture-related. These include national, state, and local government representatives at all levels up to the president. 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. 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. 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. Voters in more than one-third of the country enjoy some form of an Election Day holiday, according to RepresentUs. Countries that hold the ballot before Sunday are not permitted to announce results until all other countries have finished voting. Elections Project, which is close to the complete voter . The correct answer is B. Advertisement Advertisement marberman marberman 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Most others are not so recent, but still not so old: Taiwan's, for example, goes back to a 1911 uprising. Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey agrees. Proponents say the Electoral College ensures everyone selects the president. 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. To make Election Day a national holiday, it would take an act of Congress, and so far, no bills proposing such action have passed. 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? Election officials in various states have predicted historic levels of turnout in 2020, with a chance to reach the highest ever. Think about it. [31][32] Trying one of these alternatives would avoid the negative economic impact of closing businesses for Election Day. Tuesday was chosen because it was most convenient for farmers traveling by horse and buggy at the time. 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. Countries outpacing the U.S. include the U.K, Mexico and Canada. 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. Instead, lawmakers could simply move nearby Veterans Day to Election Day, emphasizing that voting is both a service to the country and a celebration of the rights and freedoms for which our servicemembers fight. But it is not a federal holiday. 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. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 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. (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.). Fourth Sunday of October immediately before the end of the current mandates. Some say a holiday would increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote while celebrating democracy. We are very proud that we are mentioned in the Bible. Some countries, including Belgium and Turkey, see such high voter turnout mainly because of their compulsory voting laws. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider A National Day is a date for a country to celebrate its nationhood. 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. The US isn't the only developed country that faces this criticism, however. And she thinks corporate America has been leading the way, pointing out several businesses, including Walmart and Coca-Cola, that have announced paid time off and other accommodations to make voting easier for employees on November 3. As for Denmark, it has a national liberation day and some people celebrate international worker's day, but neither is a public holiday. of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents and 59% of Republicans and GOP leaners said they would support making Election Day a national holiday. But none of those states have considerably high turnout compared to those where it isn't a holiday. And I think on Election Day we should have a national holiday which says, 'you don't have to rush to vote.' Congress would shore up the peoples right to vote while guaranteeing the time to engage in this fundamental right. [10][11]] If Election Day were a national holiday, how would you ensure hourly and low-income workers would get a chance to vote? Declaring Election Day a holiday has been proposed various times in Congress; it's a popular idea. But in many other countries, the government automatically registers voters and holds elections on days that are weekend days or national holidays. 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. ], ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons. But while . February 26, 2023, 5:06 AM. 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. National and Festival Holiday Act, which is applicable to all establishments in the country, irrespective of under which law it is formed it is mandatory to grant leave on following 3 days, i.e. Stay up to date with what you want to know. Consider the potential benefits and difficulties of changing election day. 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. Corrections? Opponents say kids arent mature enough to vote. Four more states only provide time off for biennial, even-year elections: Delaware, Louisiana, Michigan and New Hampshire. WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - Election Day should be a holiday for workers in the United States, President Joe Biden said on Thursday. However, some countries, or regions within a country, which hold elections on a weekday declare election day a public holiday. Voter turnout in the United States is usually considered low, especially in years without a presidential election. 0:00. Litigation pending before the Supreme Court this term in Brnovich v. DNC, however, threatens to undermine this rule. "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.". Experts told CBS News that it's no coincidence this is occurring in a year when Americans have more time and more ways to vote than ever before. Chicago, Illinois 60654 USA, Natalie Leppard Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island and New York have also made Election Day into a state holiday. So, since this effort does not receive bipartisan support, it is difficult to enact.. Skip Navigation Read More, Election Day is a holiday in Puerto Rico. 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). 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. Rose Marcario, CEO, stated, demonstrating your companys commitment to voting will reinforce how essential it is that every eligible voter shows up. [25], According to the AFL-CIO, 30 states require employers to allow employees time off for voting. 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. Explain your answer. 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. Last Tuesday was election day in the United States, and this year we voted in the midterm elections. 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. There are many ways to boost voter turnout expanding early voting, automatically registering voters, and improving civic education programs . But experts say improving voter turnout is a complicated issue that no single silver bullet strategy can solve. Third Monday of October every four years, or after Parliament is dissolved by the. An ordinary act of Congress could move Election Day to a Saturday or make it a holiday, thereby giving more people more . It worked. Managing Editor 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. [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. In the US, Election Day is not a national holiday. 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. 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. As of mid-May Republicans in 48 states have introduced 389 bills that would reduce the hours polls are open; forbid people from eating or drinking while waiting in line to vote; close voter registration on Sundays, when Black churches traditionally have organized their members to register and vote; repeal no excuse absentee voting; and create a long list of other barriers to voting. Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. Explore which countries have weekend voting with Pew Research. 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. It's amazing how much of the map is green, indicating countries that celebrate a national independence day every year. 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. 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. Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters. A lot of people go to work, or they're in school during the weekday. 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. He says it's more important to spread voting out over a period of days and methods. Twenty-seven of the 36 member countries, hold their elections on the weekend. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. 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. Approximately two million people who work for the federal government would be given a paid day off, and private companies might follow suit. Consider the pandemic, which has not given essential workers more time off. Some countries use electronic voting machines, such as India, while others rely on paper ballots, such as Zimbabwe. Many other democracies make election day a holiday and they all have higher voter turnout than we do. 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. 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. Lists national days around the world by country or date. 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. In Estonia, a national ID card (required for every citizen in the country) can be used to vote remotely. 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", "An overall look at Vietnam's election law", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Election_day&oldid=1136894393. With those options early in-person voting and more voter awareness on how to vote by mail voter turnout appears to be trending upward. Over the course of three days, Estonians could vote by placing their state-issued ID cards (which have an electronic chip . Plus, some experts say moving to weekend voting could substantially increase the cost of running elections. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Nine states classify general elections as holidays: Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Virginia. America is walking the knifes edge between maintaining and losing democracy. 26 th January (Republic Day), 15 th August (Independence Day) and 2 nd October (Gandhi Jayanti). 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. In 2018, a Pewstudy found that 65% of Americans favored making 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%. Modern life operates around the clock. Election Day in the United States of America is the Tuesday following the first Monday in November. By comparison, Belgium reported the highest OECD voter turnout: 87.2% in the most recent national election. And even if it were a federal holiday, that wouldn't ensure that all voting-age Americans would have the day off. 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%. Start the discussion over on our Facebook page, and let us know about civic engagement in your town, state, or country! Tuesday is Election Day, but only in some parts of the country will voters get the day off to cast their ballots. In the 2016 election, only 56% of voting-age Americans cast their ballots. OK, so why Tuesday? A number of bills like the Weekend Voting Act have been proposed in Congress over the years, often by Democrats. Incidentally, Australia routinely reaches more than 90. 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. First published on October 26, 2020 / 10:57 AM. Last modified on October 1, 2020. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Here is the relevant passage from Acts 28: Election Day is observed on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, taking place on November 7 this year. Take, for example, Bhutan, which every celebrates the anniversary of Ugyen Wangchuck's 1907 election as the nation's first hereditary king (yes, you read that correctly), but not its 1949 independence. ", Others, however, are skeptical that creating a national holiday would increase voter turnout. While these provisions represent major steps in the right direction, they are not enough. 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! Countries that have weekend or holiday elections do tend to have better turnout overall. 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 . Disclaimer: Dates and Events correct at time of printing but may change without our knowledge. American election laws have been reformed before with minimal impact on voter turnout which remains low compared to other democracies around the world. People literally cannot get to the polling booth because it may close at 7 o'clock and they're working later. All federal elections take place the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. The earliest possible date that Election Day can fall on is November 2nd, and the latest possible date is November 8th. Essential reporting and analysis from correspondents around the world. 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. For federal offices (president, vice president, and United States Congress) and most gubernatorial offices (all except for . as well as other partner offers and accept our. Mr. CHRISTENSEN: One of the biggest countries that uses compulsory voting is Australia. First Sunday of July until 2018. Some countries, about 27 of them,make voting compulsory. [28][29], Patagonia, an outdoor clothing retailer, paused operation on Nov. 6, 2018 so that all employees could vote. Incidentally, Australia routinely reaches more than 90 percent voter turnout, compared to the United States, where average voter turnout in presidential elections since 1965 has been only 54%. Proponents say teens are knowledgeable enough to vote. Americans are working all the time. Usually Wednesday. 3) Britain and Denmark have no national days. This article is about the general term "election day" worldwide. A simple but effective change, however, could be made in election timing. 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.