[14][35] In Australia, where voting is mandatory, elections are celebrated with parties and barbeques nationwide, resulting in turnout rates around 90%. Whether election day should be made a national holiday is debated. 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. Its hard to say. The US isn't the only developed country that faces this criticism, however. The correct answer is B. Advertisement Advertisement marberman marberman So far this year, hundreds of bills have been introduced that could have the effect of suppressing peoples right to vote. 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. "I'm not a fan," said Eddie Perez, an election administration and election technology expert at the Open Source Election Technology (OSET) Institute. Pew also found that certain issues motivate voters more than others: "health care, poverty and education are the top motivators for political engagement." Argentina has instated compulsory voting laws, but only sees about 76% voter turnout. Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. 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. Elections are federal holidays in Singapore, which, when combined with mandatory voting, resulted in a voter turnout of 93.6% for the 2015 election of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. 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 . Reformers will be far more successful adding a few days or options or opportunities than trying to undo Election Day.. Election Day in the United States of America is the Tuesday following the first Monday in November. Consider the potential benefits and difficulties of changing election day. Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters. ", Obama: "Absolutely. Proponents say the Electoral College ensures everyone selects the president. / CBS News. ProCon.org is the institutional or organization author for all ProCon.org pages. Usually Wednesday. Omissions? 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. As for Denmark, it has a national liberation day and some people celebrate international worker's day, but neither is a public holiday. 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. [9], Former Editor-in-Chief of the Northwestern University Law Review, Beau C. Tremitiere, JD, stated, The demands of school and work schedules keep millions of Americans, especially those with children or long commutes, from ever getting to their polling stations The ideal solution is simple: Congress should make Election Day a national holiday, or move Election Day to the weekend. [10] A holiday would allow more citizens volunteer at polling places or drive the elderly to vote, and make a difference in states where long lines at the polls keep voters waiting for hours. In Sweden, for example, 83% of registered voters participated in the 2014 national . 27 September (Wednesday): Day of the French-speaking Community - commemorates the victory of the patriots against the Dutch army in Brussels in 1830. 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. However, some countries, or regions within a country, which hold elections on a weekday declare election day a public holiday. 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. In India, for example, a polling place is required within two kilometers (about a mile) of every single person in the country of 1.4 billion. 0:58. 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. Because the impact of a federal holiday is far-reaching, many states and workplaces would likely follow suit. 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 designate election day a national holiday. "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. 4. 2. This year, Election . ABUJA, Nigeria -- Nigeria's election commission announced the first results late Sunday from the country's closely watched presidential election, but it could days . 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. Essential reporting and analysis from correspondents around the world. by country by date The COVID-19 pandemic convinced. [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. Virginia joined these states in April this year. Have you experienced an election day in another country, or do you know how voting works in a place we haven't mentioned here? Passing voting rights reform will be a crucial component of this response, as would making Election Day a national holiday. Disclaimer: Dates and Events correct at time of printing but may change without our knowledge. This article is about the general term "election day" worldwide. Even people youd expect to know, like politicians, have been stumped by this very question. All rights reserved. By law, polling day is a public holiday if it falls on a weekday. 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. And in Australia, there is a fine. First Sunday of July until 2018. We are very proud that we are mentioned in the Bible. 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. They stated, Citizen Day would do more than give our democracy the honor that it deserves; it would help our democracy work better. But experts say improving voter turnout is a complicated issue that no single silver bullet strategy can solve. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. Think about it. 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. Election Day is observed on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, taking place on November 7 this year. Given this, an Election Day holiday would remove a significant barrier to participation for relatively well-to-do potential voters while doing little to make voting easier for a significant. 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. It would also blunt the impact of many of these baldly anti-democratic movesopening the doors to the house as Republicans attempt to shut the windows. ], [Editors Note: The MLA citation style requires double spacing within entries. Currently, 22 countries around the world have mandatory voting, and ten of those countries enforce the policy, including Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Peru, and Switzerland. But some election analysts told CBS News that making Election Day a holiday is not a way to make voting easier. That too is a reminder as to how new many of the ideas from that century, such as full enfranchisement and national self-determination, really are. In fact, in Estonia, the option tovoteonlineis becoming increasingly popular. Incidentally, Australia routinely reaches more than 90. CBS News reporter covering climate change and energy. 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. 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. Countries like Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Mexico also showed high voter turnout rates by having holidays. Rose Marcario, CEO, stated, demonstrating your companys commitment to voting will reinforce how essential it is that every eligible voter shows up. 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. Corrections? While young people are generally less likely to vote, they are more motivated by the issue of freedom of speech than older generations. The U.S. is one of only nine member nations that have weekday voting. By comparison,. A lot of people go to work, or they're in school during the weekday. 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. Sign up to receive a weekly email update on forthcoming public holidays around the world in your inbox every Sunday. Below are the proper citations for this page according to four style manuals (in alphabetical order): the Modern Language Association Style Manual (MLA), the Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago), the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), and Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Turabian). Here are five reasons why Election Day should be a national holiday. The ideal solution is simple: Congress should make Election Day a national holiday, or move Election Day to the weekend. For more on the debate about making election day a national holiday, visit ProCon.org. 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. Proper citation depends on your preferred or required style manual. Start the discussion over on our Facebook page, and let us know about civic engagement in your town, state, or country! [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. Election Day is not a national holiday in 2022, but some states require employees get paid time off to vote. 2020, Virginia. What we're proposing isn't that every Election Day becomes a national holiday, just the presidential election, which only takes place once every four years. Approximately two million people who work for the federal government would be given a paid day off, and private companies might follow suit. 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. To look through the stats for voter turnout for other countries, you can visit the website for the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) and explore the data. "If I had my way, and I think it is really important, every . By Monday morning, nearly 60 million had already voted early across the country, closing in on half of 2016's total voter turnout. 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. Mail-in voting starts 1 month before polls open. Thats not to say no one has tried. Tuesday was selected because it was the most convenient. 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. If Election Day were a national holiday, how would you ensure hourly and low-income workers would get a chance to vote? In Estonia, a national ID card (required for every citizen in the country) can be used to vote remotely. 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. These numbers also may be indicative of higher turnout for major elections, but may not reflect engagement in local or regional elections. Democracy on the ballot will the remaining election deniers succeed? Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. While making Election Day a national holiday or moving it to the weekend would by no means be a cure-all, it could be used in conjunction with other strategies like automatic voter registration (nearly 87% of registered voters participated in the 2016 election), restoring voting rights for formerly incarcerated people and removing other barriers such as voter ID requirements and voter roll purges that often disenfranchise people of color. 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. Many other democracies make election day a holiday and they all have higher voter turnout than we do. A number of bills like the Weekend Voting Act have been proposed in Congress over the years, often by Democrats. Saudi Arabia's marks the 1932 unification of the country. Modern life operates around the clock. Hailey said the country needs a "cultural shift" to prioritize voting. 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. It's a reminder of turmoil of the last century a very short span in historical terms and how deeply its events influence the world today. 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. 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. of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents and 59% of Republicans and GOP leaners said they would support making Election Day a national holiday. 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. In 2005, the American Bar Association looked at a few different methods of voting: in 1989 in Namibia, voters marked an X on ballots using ink on their fingers; in Bulgaria, rather than marking a ballot, voters pick from any number of sheets of paper representing specific political parties and puts it in a ballot box; and in Ireland, "they designate their top three candidates by numbering them 1, 2, and 3." The pros and cons of the felon voting debate include arguments about the social contract, voting while in prison, and paying debts. First Sunday of October. It happens to be on the day the politicians themselves get elected. An ordinary act of Congress could move Election Day to a Saturday or make it a holiday, thereby giving more people more . List two to three ways. "Voting is a fundamental right,. - 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? 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 previous elections, that percentage was even higher. I think, to the best of my knowledge, it's something like $20. It worked. [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. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? This . Opponents say it allows only a few states to select the president. Fourth Sunday of October immediately before the end of the current mandates. And even if it were a federal holiday, that wouldn't ensure that all voting-age Americans would have the day off. Voter turnout in the United States is usually considered low, especially in years without a presidential election. Lists national days around the world by country or date. Puerto Rico's voter turnout has gone as high as 80 . The name change required at least 50% voter participation, and opponents to the name change advocated not voting at all rather than voting against the measure. 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. 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. Presidential elections are held every four years, in years divisible by four, while the elections to the . The number of early votes cast before Election Day 2020, as of Nov. 1, neared the 100 million mark according to data aggregated by the U.S. While the majority of US states have voter leave laws that guarantee certain employees a modicum of time off to vote, no federal law currently mandates that employees get time off to cast their ballots. 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? 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. [17] Countries such as France, Mexico, and India also observe federal holidays for elections. 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. [26] Creating laws in all states that let people vote before or after work would be more effective than a national holiday, which would quickly be viewed as just another day off to enjoy. Most others are not so recent, but still not so old: Taiwan's, for example, goes back to a 1911 uprising. [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. 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. In fact, these voters may be more likely to have to work as a result of a federal election holiday, where they may have had time off previously on a random Tuesday in November. 3. 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. The types of workers least likely to reap the benefits of a federal holiday are those who already struggle to vote, Shineman noted. Or is it an optimistic idea that would exclude already disadvantaged voters while failing to increase turnout?