Argentina has instated compulsory voting laws, but only sees about 76% voter turnout. 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. Rose Marcario, CEO, stated, demonstrating your companys commitment to voting will reinforce how essential it is that every eligible voter shows up. (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.). By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider [24] Holidays usually mean more work hours for retail workers, because stores run promotions and sales. [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. 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. Updates? Explore which countries have weekend voting with Pew Research. Others have suggested making Veterans Day (Nov. 11), which is already a paid national holiday, Election Day. In fact, in Estonia, the option tovoteonlineis becoming increasingly popular. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. 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. [8], In the 2016 presidential election, 55.7% of the American voting-age population cast a ballot. Estonia This tiny Baltic nation is making waves for introducing something that seems completely logical in the digital age -- online voting. 2) Most other countries are shaped by relatively recent revolutions. Third Monday of October every four years, or after Parliament is dissolved by the. Vanita Gupta, CEO of the Leadership Conference on Human and Civil Rights, is working to increase voter participation and decrease voter disenfranchisement. Veterans Day typically is about one week after Election Day so this would involve little disruption in terms of job schedules and monthly routines. ", Obama: "Absolutely. And some countries, like Australia, require people to vote by subjecting those who don't to a minor fine equivalent to a traffic ticket. Election day is a national holiday. "And we actually have more options than ever before.". 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. 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. But in many other countries, the government automatically registers voters and holds elections on days that are weekend days or national holidays. Could that ever happen in the U.S.? And some countries, like Australia, require people to vote by subjecting those who dont to a minor fine equivalent to a traffic ticket. 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. Exact date set by the. Election Day is the day for general elections of public officials in the U.S. - Vincent Hutchings, a University of Michigan political science professor, - Gil Troy, American presidential historian, 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, Joaquin Corbalan / EyeEm via Getty Images, as travel and communication improved in the 19th century, being too busy or having a conflicting schedule, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, substantially increase the cost of running elections, move that would make it easier for Americans to vote, The types of workers least likely to reap the benefits. 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. 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. States such as Georgia and Iowa already have passed restrictive measures and many others appear poised to do the same thing. Election Day is already a holiday for state employees in more than a dozen states including Kentucky, Michigan, and New York. 25, 2016, Chris Talgo, "Make Election Day a National Holiday? ], ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons. Plus, some experts say moving to weekend voting could substantially increase the cost of running elections. Regional Belgian public holidays during 2023. Lessons in How to Hold Elections", "GE2015: First time Polling Day falls on a Friday, but not first time polls held on a weekday", "180/2014 Z.z. 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. 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. Election Day - Tuesday, Nov. 8 - is a special day, with voters casting ballots across the country. 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. 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. However, those numbers may be attributed to a combination of factors not solely because their elections occur on non-work days. However, some countries, or regions within a country, which hold elections on a weekday declare election day a public holiday. ", Others, however, are skeptical that creating a national holiday would increase voter turnout. Research has found that higher trust in the government and democratic process leads to greater voter turnout. Israel and South Korea hold their elections on weekdays, but they're national holidays. American election laws have been reformed before with minimal impact on voter turnout which remains low compared to other democracies around the world. A National Day is a date for a country to celebrate its nationhood. Think about it. "We should be making it easier for people to vote, not harder. 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. 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. There are many ways to boost voter turnout expanding early voting, automatically registering voters, and improving civic education programs . In the 2016 presidential election, 60% of the eligible voting population vast a vote; this year, a staggering 47.5%participated in the midterms, compared to 37% in 2014 and 41% in 2010, the years of other midterm elections. 3. 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). With those options early in-person voting and more voter awareness on how to vote by mail voter turnout appears to be trending upward. Compared to other developed countries, America's voter turnout rate is pretty sad. As for Denmark, it has a national liberation day and some people celebrate international worker's day, but neither is a public holiday. 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. Keep in mind that in the mid-1800s, the U.S. was largely an agricultural society. Additionally, many of these individuals rely on school days as childcare for their children. Election Day isn't a national holiday in the US, but some people think it should be. Some say a holiday would increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote while celebrating democracy. Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters. One major reason: It comes down to tradition, Troy said. And even a number of the blue countries, such as Australia and Canada, are actually the product of colonialism. ProCon/Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. [12], The idea that voting should be a celebration, not a chore is one argument for turning Election Day into a national holiday, according to Archon Fung, PhD, and Jane Mansbridge, PhD, professors at the Harvard Kennedy School. Voters in more than one-third of the country enjoy some form of an Election Day holiday, according to RepresentUs. Let us make it as easy as we can," Sanders told CBS News. [14], Pew Research Center found that 71% of Democrats and 59% of Republicans support making Election Day a federal holiday. ", "An overall look at Vietnam's election law", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Election_day&oldid=1136894393. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. During the 2016 presidential election, less than 56% of the estimated voting-age population in the US voted. 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. Election Day is observed on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, taking place on November 7 this year. "[Early and at-home voting] helps prevent bottlenecks for election administrators because it 'flattens the curve' for when ballots are cast by large numbers of voters," Perez said. 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. In some of these countries, voting is compulsory, and in most of them, Election Day is a holiday. An additional day off school would prove to be problematic for individuals who may not have other readily accessible forms of childcare. [24], People who have already suffered significant disenfranchisement, such as women and people of color, are more likely to be working those low-income jobs that wouldnt get the time off to vote even on a national holiday. These efforts challenge fundamental values of American democracy and constitute a serious threat to the one person, one vote principle. In theory, it seems that any move that would make it easier for Americans to vote would increase participation. They stated, Citizen Day would do more than give our democracy the honor that it deserves; it would help our democracy work better. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Virginia joined these states in April this year. https://www.britannica.com/question/Should-election-day-be-made-a-national-holiday. South Africa's is from the first democratic elections, in 1994. Countries that have weekend or holiday elections do tend to have better turnout overall. 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. 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. Incidentally, Australia routinely reaches more than 90. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). I think, to the best of my knowledge, it's something like $20. 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. People literally cannot get to the polling booth because it may close at 7 o'clock and they're working later. 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. So the question of how you label Ireland goes back to which holiday you consider its national day. 26K views, 1.2K likes, 65 loves, 454 comments, 23 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Citizen TV Kenya: #FridayNight 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. But some election analysts told CBS News that making Election Day a holiday is not a way to make voting easier. The U.S. is one of only nine member nations that have weekday voting. Tuesday is Election Day, but only in some parts of the country will voters get the day off to cast their ballots. a list of voting rights provisions he would support. These numbers also may be indicative of higher turnout for major elections, but may not reflect engagement in local or regional elections. "I'm not a fan," said Eddie Perez, an election administration and election technology expert at the Open Source Election Technology (OSET) Institute. It happens to be on the day the politicians themselves get elected. Part of HuffPost Home & Living. Disclaimer: Dates and Events correct at time of printing but may change without our knowledge. Right now, federal elections are always held on Tuesdays, because farmers in the 1840s needed multiple days to get to the . For starters, the United States is rather unique in that it schedules its election day on a weekday, let alone a Tuesday. While these provisions represent major steps in the right direction, they are not enough. For rest of the festival holidays the declaration . Thats not to say no one has tried.