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. [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). Election officials in various states have predicted historic levels of turnout in 2020, with a chance to reach the highest ever. Here are the four things I found interesting about this once as I mapped it out: 1) Yes, most of the world was shaped by colonialism. 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. That means the stock market will be open, and so will. a list of voting rights provisions he would support. Should Election Day in the U.S. be a national holiday? 2. 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. There's nothing that would stop voters here from treating a Democracy Day like just another day off.". Is Election Day a national holiday? These people think it should be 1. Election day should be a national holidayCommentary - CNBC 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. 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. But they never go far and die in committee without a vote. Saudi Arabia's marks the 1932 unification of the country. To combat these efforts, lawmakers nationally have introduced HR1 (the John Lewis Act) and S1, which would enact a number of important provisions: improve ballot access, create nonpartisan redistricting commissions to reduce gerrymandering, provide automatic voter registration when people turn 18, allow at least 15 days of early voting,mandate that presidential candidates disclosure their federal tax returns, and require greater disclosure of so-called dark money campaign contributions. Here is the relevant passage from Acts 28: We are the only advanced democracy that makes it deliberately difficult for people to vote. Should Election Day be a national holiday? History of Election Day But this arrangement began to raise concerns as travel and communication improved in the 19th century: Results from states that voted earlier could sway the outcome in states that voted later. So the question of how you label Ireland goes back to which holiday you consider its national day. Should election day be made a national holiday? | Britannica People literally cannot get to the polling booth because it may close at 7 o'clock and they're working later. 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. 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. 20, 2018, Annie McDonald, "Ensuring Access to Election Day for All, bppj.berkely.edu, Nov. 6, 2018, Suzanne Lucas, "No, Election Day Should Not Be a Federal Holiday, inc.com, Oct. 24, 2016, Kenneth Quinnell, "Know Your Rights: State Laws on Employee Time off to Vote, aflicio.org, Nov. 5, 2016, Osita Nwanevu, "Maybe Making Election Day a National Holiday Wouldnt Really Work, slate.com, Nov. 3, 2016, Abigail Hess, "A Record 44% of US Employers Will Give Their Workers Paid Time off to Vote This Year, cnbc.com, Oct. 31, 2018, Make Time to Vote, homepage, maketimetovote.org (accessed Sep. 24, 2019), Rose Marcario, "Time to Vote, patagonia.com, Sep. 24, 2018, Danielle Root and Liz Kennedy, "Increasing Voter Participation in America, americanprogress.org, July 11, 2018, Kelly Born, "Increasing Voter Turnout: What, If Anything, Can Be Done?, ssir.org, Apr. Some countries use electronic voting machines, such as India, while others rely on paper ballots, such as Zimbabwe. Granderson: Why aren't Democrats making election day a state holiday A National Day is a date for a country to celebrate its nationhood. Compared to other developed countries, America's voter turnout rate is pretty sad. [1], An election day usually culminates in an election night when the results of the election are tallied and winners are announced.[2]. Usually Wednesday. Why Election Day is on a Tuesday in November in the U.S. | Pew Research ], ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons. Some say a holiday would increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote while celebrating democracy. First published on October 26, 2020 / 10:57 AM. Stay up to date with what you want to know. CBS News reporter covering climate change and energy. 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says, Battleground Tracker: Tight race in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Lindsey Graham appears before Georgia grand jury, House Jan. 6 committee is having conversations with Justice Department, Georgia grand jury investigating Trump wants testimony from Giuliani, Graham, Trump election interference grand jury to hear from Raffensperger, DHS IG says Wolf changed intel report on Russian interference in 2020. 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. An ordinary act of Congress could move Election Day to a Saturday or make it a holiday, thereby giving more people more . Establishing Election Day as a holiday, taken together with the pending federal voting rights reforms, would go a long way towards stabilizing democracy and ensuring basic democratic rights. Modern life operates around the clock. [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. Litigation pending before the Supreme Court this term in Brnovich v. DNC, however, threatens to undermine this rule. Australia sees around 91%, and 94% in Singapore. I am from Malta - a tiny EU island nation and today we celebrate the shipwreck of St. Paul on our island. After all, what do our veterans fight for, if not for democracy itself? Compulsory voting does not necessarily guarantee 100% turnout rates, however, though they still see higher rates than countries which do not require it. 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. [28][29], Patagonia, an outdoor clothing retailer, paused operation on Nov. 6, 2018 so that all employees could vote. Elections Project, which is close to the complete voter . It is set by statute as "the Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November.". Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Is Election Day a national holiday? Why you don't get the day off But it is not a federal holiday. 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? Corrections? 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. 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. And some countries, like Australia, require people to vote by subjecting those who don't to a minor fine equivalent to a traffic ticket. [14], Pew Research Center found that 71% of Democrats and 59% of Republicans support making Election Day a federal holiday. The US isn't the only developed country that faces this criticism, however. Elections to the Bundestag may be held on another public holiday. 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 . Sunday: first Sunday of February for the President, Vice-President, and Legislative Assembly; second Sunday of February for municipal elections. Elections Held on Tuesdays?, britannica.com (accessed Sep. 30, 2019), Evan Andrews, "Election 1010: Why Do We Vote on a Tuesday in November?, history.com, Aug. 31, 2018, Grace Panetta and Olivia Reaney, "Today Is National Voter Registration Day. Why Election Day Should Be A National Holiday [4][5], The United States currently has 10 national holidays, including Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Christmas Day. ", Obama: "Absolutely. "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.". Why not make Election Day a national holiday? - CBS News In 2018, the general election was held on Wednesday. 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.