Whether election day should be made a national holiday is debated. Sign up to receive a weekly email update on forthcoming public holidays around the world in your inbox every Sunday. 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. ProCon.org. Indigenous Peoples Day is a local and state holiday in some parts of the country usually held on Columbus Day that celebrates the cultures of Native Americans. Image 2. In Switzerland, only one canton (or member state) requires voting; it is voluntary all other cantons of the country. October 26, 2020 / 10:57 AM These efforts challenge fundamental values of American democracy and constitute a serious threat to the one person, one vote principle. Rather than make it a national holiday where inevitably people will still have to work, change election day to election week. 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. Election Day is observed on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, taking place on November 7 this year. procon@eb.com, 2022 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. 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. Its hard to say. 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. 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%. Countries like Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Mexico also showed high voter turnout rates by having holidays. 1. Proper citation depends on your preferred or required style manual. According to the country's website detailing their "digital society," online voting has soared from 1.9% in 2005 to 30.5% in 2015. Americans are working all the time. [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. 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. [14][35] In Australia, where voting is mandatory, elections are celebrated with parties and barbeques nationwide, resulting in turnout rates around 90%. 4) The outliers are few but tell you a lot about those countries. Other politicians, businesses, and advocacy groups have voiced their approval of celebrating Election Day as a national holiday. 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. [16]. 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. Democratic rights are much easier to end than they are to restore, so the federal government must respond to the wave of voter suppression overtaking the states with decisive, expansive action. During the 2016 presidential election, less than 56% of the estimated voting-age population in the US voted. [33], Henry Farber, PhD, Hughes-Rogers Professor of Economics at Princeton University, conducted an analysis of states that made Election Day a holiday for state employees. 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. While young people are generally less likely to vote, they are more motivated by the issue of freedom of speech than older generations. Read more: The evolution of American voting rights in 242 years shows how far we've come and how far we still have to go. The result is voter turnout rates of 72.3% and 77.2% respectively, which is 26-32% higher than the United States. Election day is a national holiday. 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. Georgia grassroots groups helped Biden win. 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. 4) The outliers are few but tell you a lot about those . Elections Project, which is close to the complete voter . 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This year, Election . Would making Election Day a federal holiday increase voter turnout and celebrate democracy? [ 17] Countries such as France, Mexico, and India also observe federal holidays for elections. Many other democracies make election day a holiday and they all have higher voter turnout than we do. 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. 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. If Election Day were a national holiday, how would you ensure hourly and low-income workers would get a chance to vote? Managing Editor But none of those states have considerably high turnout compared to those where it isn't a holiday. [24] Holidays usually mean more work hours for retail workers, because stores run promotions and sales. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider [6] Election Day could be made a holiday if a bill were passed by the House and Senate then signed into law by the president. Estonia This tiny Baltic nation is making waves for introducing something that seems completely logical in the digital age -- online voting. Countries that hold the ballot before Sunday are not permitted to announce results until all other countries have finished voting. So the question of how you label Ireland goes back to which holiday you consider its national day. 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. 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. - 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? Making Election Day a holiday would not necessarily involve adding a new holiday, which employers might resistparticularly following the addition of Juneteenth as a national holiday last week. 25, 2016, Chris Talgo, "Make Election Day a National Holiday? It can fall on or between November 2 and November 8. Countries like France, Germany, and India all recognize Election Day as a national holiday or hold elections on the weekend in order to increase voter turnout. Understanding what happened in the Chicago mayoral race. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is a group that includes 36 countries. Learn how and when to remove this template message, Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, 2020 North Macedonian parliamentary election, "THE ELECTORAL CODE OF THE REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA. In fact, in Estonia, the option tovoteonlineis becoming increasingly popular. Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island and New York have also made Election Day into a state holiday. In 2007, the country held the world's first general Internet election. 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. And there is no better way to secure democracy than to ensure that everyone has not only the right to vote, but also the meaningful opportunity to cast their ballots. "We already know how to make voting convenient to voters that's by offering them options, like making an election season rather than election day," he said. 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.". Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. And even a number of the blue countries, such as Australia and Canada, are actually the product of colonialism. 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. 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. Why or why not? of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents and 59% of Republicans and GOP leaners said they would support making Election Day a national holiday. Office Holidays provides calendars with dates and information on public holidays and bank holidays in key countries around the world. Tuesday was selected because it was the most convenient. Sunday. 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. Election Day is always the first Tuesday after November 1st. Right now, federal elections are always held on Tuesdays, because farmers in the 1840s needed multiple days to get to the . Argentina has instated compulsory voting laws, but only sees about 76% voter turnout. All rights reserved. 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. [28][29], Patagonia, an outdoor clothing retailer, paused operation on Nov. 6, 2018 so that all employees could vote. From 2021, the first Sunday of June. 3. 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. 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. History of Election Day But while experts say such a scheme is unlikely to fly in the US, making it easier for people to vote would appear to be a step in the right direction. 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. It was created in 1992,. ], [Editors Note: The MLA citation style requires double spacing within entries. 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. [23], Annie McDonald, Editor of the Berkeley Public Policy Journal, noted that the workers who are least likely to get paid holidays are those who already have less of a voice in the political process: Americans working in retail, hospitality, and service jobs, for example, would most likely not receive the benefit of a paid holiday to vote. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). ABUJA, Nigeria -- Nigeria's election commission announced the first results late Sunday from the country's closely watched presidential election, but it could days . Presidential elections are held every four years, in years divisible by four, while the elections to the . 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. "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons." Election Day is already a holiday for state employees in more than a dozen states including Kentucky, Michigan, and New York. There are many ways to boost voter turnout expanding early voting, automatically registering voters, and improving civic education programs . ", Others, however, are skeptical that creating a national holiday would increase voter turnout. But they never go far and die in committee without a vote. The US isn't the only developed country that faces this criticism, however. 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. Regional Belgian public holidays during 2023. But in many other countries, the government automatically registers voters and holds elections on days that are weekend days or national holidays. Other countries take heroic efforts to ensure that people can vote if they desire. 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. With those options early in-person voting and more voter awareness on how to vote by mail voter turnout appears to be trending upward. 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. First Sunday of October. 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. But some election analysts told CBS News that making Election Day a holiday is not a way to make voting easier. It is very, very hard to change core American traditions which Americans see not only as propping up their democracy but perpetuating its legitimacy, he said. November 7, 2023. Have you experienced an election day in another country, or do you know how voting works in a place we haven't mentioned here? American election laws have been reformed before with minimal impact on voter turnout which remains low compared to other democracies around the world.