Countries that have weekend or holiday elections do tend to have better turnout overall. Should the United States Use the Electoral College in Presidential Elections? 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). It shouldnt all come down to just one day. Rochester Hills City Clerk Tina Barton. [27], Companies including Abercrombie & Fitch Co., Farmers Insurance, Kaiser Permanente, Patagonia, and Walmart have joined Make Time to Vote campaign, which encourages employers to provide paid time off, schedule no meetings on Election Day, and give information on mail-in ballots and early voting. Dont believe me? 2. To access extended pro and con arguments, sources, and discussion questions about whether Election Day should be a national holiday, go to ProCon.org. 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. Have you looked at who theyre voting for? He previously reported on the Michigan Legislature for the Michigan Public Radio Network. 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. Chicago, Illinois 60654 USA, Natalie Leppard And who would get squeezed by the holiday? Jake Neher is senior producer for Detroit Today and host of MichMash for 101.9 WDET. Governments are required to On WDETs Detroit Today with Stephen Henderson, Benson emphasized that making Election Day a holiday would make it easier toattractmore election workers. One way to judge that: prioritized legislation. According to the U.S. Census Bureaus data on nonvoters, registered voters from households making more than $150,000 are most likely to say they dont have time to turn out on Election Day. Giving people the day to vote would be the first public holiday in the United States. ], [Editors Note: The MLA citation style requires double spacing within entries. Other countries take heroic efforts to ensure that people can vote if they desire. In the 2016 election, only 56% of voting-age Americans cast their ballots. Another positive: This would turn the day into a celebration of democracy. However, making National Election Day a holiday will disadvantage low-income and blue-collar workers. And even if elections arent routine in the age of Donald Trump, its a nice option to have. Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams, for example, says she lost the 2018 governors race as a victim of some ballot-blocking scheme. Lets assume there wont be an election holiday anytime soon not until Democrats control both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. That, to me,is the real answer, she says. WebAt the opening of Congress this past January, House Democrats introduced a proposal to make Election Day a national holiday. Were a country thatll spend as much this year on ads for video games as presidential campaigns (around $5 billion, according to CNBC). States such as Georgia and Iowa already have passed restrictive measures and many others appear poised to do the same thing. In 2018, Pew Research found that 65% of voters surveyed supported Election Day being a national holiday. Opponents say it allows only a few states to select the president. Such a change would mostly benefit white-collar workers instead of the lower-income workers its designed to help. Both were senior officials in the Clinton administration. Explain your answer. WDET is a community service of Wayne State University. 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. 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. It is very, very hard to change core American traditions.. 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. The result is voter turnout rates of 72.3% and 77.2% respectively, which is 26-32% higher than the United States. 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. And some countries, like Australia, require people to vote by subjecting those who dont to a minor fine equivalent to a traffic ticket. As the chart shows, presidential turnout corresponds with midterm turnout and in 2018, turnout skyrocketed from 36.7% four years previously to 49.6%. I feel the commenter's central thesis is that there are way more Dems in the US then Repubels. Approximately two million people who work for the federal government would be given a paid day off, and private companies might follow suit. Count me out. [24] Holidays usually mean more work hours for retail workers, because stores run promotions and sales. Opponents say kids arent mature enough to vote. I believe Election Day should be a holiday so we can get our maximum participation, says Jacobs. Pew Research Center found 71 percent of Democrats and 59 percent of Republicans support that. Top Issues for Voters. Cheyna has interned with Michigan Radio and freelanced for WKAR public radio in Lansing. List two to three ways. Its hard to say. Although state Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak) says she still supports the idea, but she says Im all-in on an all-of-the-above approach.. Before that point, states could hold their presidential elections on any day within a certain 34-day window. Proponents say teens are knowledgeable enough to vote. 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. Mallory McMorrow (@MalloryMcMorrow) February 3, 2021. Changing the laws and individual policies would be more effective ways to help people vote. https://www.hoover.org/profiles/bill-whalen, federal holiday. Nationally in 2018, turnout was above 50%, with 35 million more voters than the previous midterm election in 2014. While Barton isnt for or against making Election Day a holiday, one thing she is definitely on board with is getting more people to vote. Partly cloudy skies. It deals with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and laws. Over time, voting rights expanded from only white, male landowners age 21 and older to includewomenandpeople of color, as well as citizensage 18 and up, resulting in a dramatic increase in the voting-eligible population and a shift in voter demographics. ProCon.org. Postings about current events are fine, as long as there is a political science angle. Should Election Day be a national holiday? Even some Democrats are saying that it could have unintended consequences. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. Roughly the same odds as Mitch McConnell doing hot yoga with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. ProCon/Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. 13 . Its a move that could de-politicize some of the election reform discussion, as some of the ideas could receivebipartisan support. People of color and low-income Americans already face barriers to vote, and making Election Day a national holiday may not help them. WebElection Day National Holiday; Electoral College; Lowering the Voting Age to 16; Voting Machines; Ronald Reagan; Bill Clinton; Election Day National Holiday: Top 3 Pros and Cons. [31]. 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. This year, more than 30 million Americans had already voted two weeks before todays Election Day an electoral surge never seen before. Litigation pending before the Supreme Court this term in Brnovich v. DNC, however, threatens to undermine this rule. Making Election Day a national holiday will increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote. Why or why not? 1. Accessed April 27, 2023. https://www.procon.org/should-election-day-be-a-national-holiday/. The U.S. ranks 26th out of 32 for voter among Many Americans know that Election Day is a Tuesday, but few know why. Michael Graham is political editor at InsideSources.com. US Political Parties. 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 Election Day Holiday., For purposes of any law relating to Federal employment, the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in 2020 and each even-numbered year thereafter shall be treated in the same manner as a legal public holiday described in section 6103 of title 5, United States Code., It is the sense of Congress that private employers in the United States should give their employees a day off on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in 2020 and each even-numbered year thereafter to enable the employees to cast votes in the elections held on that day., Leave it to a House bill-writer to use 98 words when eight will suffice: Were giving you the day off to vote.. [8], In the 2016 presidential election, 55.7% of the American voting-age population cast a ballot. What other improvements could be made to voting and Election Day? Heres what the Senate Majority Leader had to say about the notion earlier this week: Just what America needs, another paid holiday and a bunch of government workers being paid to go out and work for I assume . In 2016, there were about 245 million Americans 18 and older, according to Pew Research, and only 56% of them voted in the Donald-Trump-vs.-Hillary-Clinton throwdown. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Election Day could be made a holiday if a bill were passed by the House and Senate then signed into law by the president. Election Day holiday: The bill would make Election Day a legal public holiday, making it easier for voters to get to the polls. ProCon.org is the institutional or organization author for all ProCon.org pages. Speaking on MichMash, she explainsthat one of her biggest concerns has to do with the post office. A survey showed U.S. adults would rather have a federal holiday on Election Day than on Christmas Eve, the Friday after Thanksgiving, or St. Patricks Day. Political campaigns can help winning elections. Congress would shore up the peoples right to vote while guaranteeing the time to engage in this fundamental right. This article was published on October 1, 2020, at Britannicas ProCon.org, a nonpartisan issue-information source. Under normal political circumstances, more Americans follow the race to the World Series than to the White House. The entire voter suppression conspiracy being advanced by progressives is nonsense on its face. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? We would put in place automatic voter registration, same-day registration, extended voting days, Election Day as a National Holiday, and other reforms, including mandatory voting (vote or pay a moderate fine) as practiced in Australia, Belgium, and much of Latin America, with a None of the Above option that would trigger a new election if it wins. May improve popularity of a candidate. First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Proponents say the Electoral College ensures everyone selects the president. [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. Useful for voters who are still indecisive. However, rules, dates and deadlines vary by state, which can be confusing to some voters. People who work long shifts, juggle multiple jobs, [25], According to the AFL-CIO, 30 states require employers to allow employees time off for voting. It was a modern record for the Peach State. But experts say improving voter turnout is a complicated issue that no single silver bullet strategy can solve. Folks who follow the news and keep up with current events sometimes forget theyre in the minority. Keep in mind that in the mid-1800s, the U.S. was largely an agricultural society. What America needs isnt more voters. He concluded that having an election holiday, by itself, is not an effective strategy to increase voter turnout. [34], Automatic voter registration, by contrast, could register an additional 22 million people and create 7.9 million new voters nationwide within a year. While these provisions represent major steps in the right direction, they are not enough. WebPros: A day will be marked on your calendar for voting. It is the duty of the state to make exercising this right as accesible as possible by making the election day a holiday. Some countries Winds light and variable. Source: Matthew Haag, "Mitch McConnell Calls Push to Make Election Day a Holiday a Democratic Power Grab," nytimes.com, Jan. 31, 2019, Differences in Conservative and Liberal Brains, The Electoral College: Top 3 Pros and Cons, Coronavirus: Timeline of Comments by Trump and Biden with Context')" href="https://www.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=007115">, Election Day National Holiday: Top 3 Pros and Cons, 2008 Presidential Election (archived 1/19/09), 2012 Presidential Election (archived 1/22/13), 2016 Presidential Election (archived 1/21/17), College Football Playoffs (archived 9/18/12), Insider Trading by Congress (archived 4/18/12). Benson also emphasized the preeminence that she says Election Day should have in our culture, that it should be a day of celebration of our civic duty to elect our leaders a celebration of democracy at a time when democracy is under real threat. [1] Singapore has election day as a federal holiday, and in 2015 this resulted in a voter turnout of 93.6%. For example, one may suggest, if we observe Election Day as a national holiday, then we will be unable to adequately staff and secure polling venues, or worse; it would negatively impact government spending. there are more pros than cons with regard to observing Election Day as a federal holiday. 25, 2016, Chris Talgo, "Make Election Day a National Holiday? The idea that voting should be a celebration, not a chore is one argument for turning Election Day into a national holiday. 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. South Korea and Israel hold theirs during the week, but have made the day a federal holiday. But only 35% bothered to cast un bulletin de votein the second round of Frances parliamentary election (its what comes from loading the ticket with the likes of retired matadors and mathematical savants). Arizona, for example, allows employees who do not have three consecutive hours before or after work when the polls are open to take paid time off to vote at the start or end of work days. 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. Other solutions would more reliably increase voter turnout than a national holiday. John M. Cunningham, "Why Are U.S. Poland, for example, holds elections on weekends. So its more important than ever for you, our listeners and readers, who are able todonate to keep supporting WDETs mission. Please make a gift today. Way too many Americans are voting already. In theory, it seems that any move that would make it easier for Americans to vote would increase participation. Should Election Day Be a National Holiday? But would such a change turn out the voters Democrats covet most? Archived post. Bernie Sanders attempted to pass an Election Day holiday under the "Democracy Day Act" in 2018. Devin Gordon is a Tahlequah business owner. Whether the voter has to go to office or has an important meeting, they may not be able to find any excuse to miss the voting procedure if election day is declared as a national holiday. Tina Barton, a Republican Rochester Hills City Clerk has a lot of those questions, and more. However, those numbers may be attributed to a combination of factors not solely because their elections occur on non-work days. Benson is dreaming big, and in doing so shes getting out in front of a lot of the conspiracy fueled calls for election reform from some Republicans. Election Day could be made a federal holiday if a bill were passed by the House and Senate then signed into law by the president. Cons: Private employers are not required to give their employees federal holidays anyways. Bartons concerns about the possible unintended consequences of an Election Day holiday haveled a Democratic sponsor of legislation to create the holiday to reconsider her bill. 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. [14], Pew Research Center found that 71% of Democrats and 59% of Republicans support making Election Day a federal holiday. 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. Because of the pandemic, more U.S. voters are exploring alternatives to voting on Election Day, such as early voting and mail-in voting. Making Election Day a national holiday will disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Hey, you know who really has high voter turnout? The types of workers least likely to reap the benefits of a federal holiday are those who already struggle to vote, Shineman noted. [16]. 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. 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. You have permission to edit this article. Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Mexico receive high voter turnout due to universal voting and time off. If you can draw a line between Donald Trump and President, your vote counts. It shouldnt all come down to just one day., Despite Olive Branch from Whitmer,GOPShowing No Interest in Cooperation in2021, A Michigan Reporters Harrowing Experience Inside Capitol DuringInsurrection, New Year Means New Democratic Majority on State SupremeCourt. Without this simple step toward turning out as many Americans as possible to vote, any reform will be incomplete. Rose Marcario, CEO, stated, demonstrating your companys commitment to voting will reinforce how essential it is that every eligible voter shows up. 14 . The pros and cons of the felon voting debate include arguments about the social contract, voting while in prison, and paying debts. You may opt-out by. CON. 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. And these two nuggets, stashed inside Section 1903. Would making Election Day a federal holiday increase voter turnout and celebrate democracy? 5. And if they get sick on Monday, the day before the election theyre not trying to get an emergency ballot, or something like that. Ralph Northam signed a bill on Sunday making Election Day a state holiday with the intention of making it easier for voters to cast their ballots in In Texas, for instance, the deadline to register to vote for the Many states have already declared National Election Day a civic holiday, which is an occasion to commemorate America's history, celebrate our rights and responsibilities as citizens, and learn about our constitutional ideals. Terms of Use | Online Privacy Policy, many sweeping changes she would like to see, the conspiracy fueled calls for election reform, On WDETs Detroit Today with Stephen Henderson. But thats not guarantor of a higher turnout. Changing state laws and individual companies policies would be more effective ways to help people vote. harry potter fanfiction harry needs diapers, santa monica low income housing waiting list,
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