Topics Explainers Politics US Evergreen US Explainers YOU MIGHT LIKE Here are five reasons why Election Day should be a national holiday. Some businesses may close, but their hourly paid employees will either have to use a PTO day or not get paid.. 0:58. ", "National Electoral Code Article 53 and 148", Report of the 2014 National Lawyers Guild Bolivian Election Observation Delegation, Voting hours for elections in EU Member States, "The Parliamentary Electoral System in Denmark", Consultation Report on Review of Electoral Arrangements, "India Elects 2019: The World's Largest Election, Explained", "Six Nations match at the centre of row over election date - Independent.ie", "With full term possible, Netanyahu may outlast Ben-Gurion (and Obama)", Confessionalism and Electoral Reform in Lebanon, "Voters reminded not to reveal voting intention at Sunday's polling", "Malaysia's election on a Wednesday favors PM, opposition says", "Elections in Mexico and the US: Comparisons and contrasts", "Law on Election of Councillors and Members of Parliament", "Election Days General Elections 1853-2011", "The main features of the Norwegian electoral system", "Tribunal Electoral de Panam convoca a elecciones generales de 2024", "Peru Can Give U.S. [ 18][ 19] Con 1 More people would vote if they had more time to cast their ballots Furthermore, celebrating our democracy publicly would send the message that we value each others citizenship as much as we value honoring past presidents. [13], Donald Green, PhD, Burgess Professor of Political Science at Columbia University, found that nonpartisan community parties celebrating Election Day in 2005, 2006, and 2016 increased voter participation between 2.6 percentage points and about 4 percentage points. Some countries use electronic voting machines, such as India, while others rely on paper ballots, such as Zimbabwe. Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters. Of these countries, 27 hold their national elections on a weekend. With those options early in-person voting and more voter awareness on how to vote by mail voter turnout appears to be trending upward. Americans are working all the time. 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%. Should the United States Use the Electoral College in Presidential Elections? by country by date The US isn't the only developed country that faces this criticism, however. The United States has held federal elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years since 1845. [18][19], Federal law doesnt require private employers to give employees paid federal holidays. Could that ever happen in the U.S.? There are many ways to boost voter turnout expanding early voting, automatically registering voters, and improving civic education programs . In Switzerland, only one canton (or member state) requires voting; it is voluntary all other cantons of the country. Thats not to say no one has tried. Sundays are the most common day for elections, but this is less true in the Anglosphere; Saturdays are used in New Zealand and Australia, and weekdays for the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. American election laws have been reformed before with minimal impact on voter turnout which remains low compared to other democracies around the world. Presidential and semipresidential systems, Constituencies: districting and apportionment. [31] Same-day registration boosts turnout by 5%, and universal implementation of it would have added as many as 4.8 million voters in the 2016 election, according to Danielle Root, JD, and Liz Kennedy, JD, from the Center for American Progress. Countries like Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Mexico also showed high voter turnout rates by having holidays. [31][32] Trying one of these alternatives would avoid the negative economic impact of closing businesses for Election Day. And so while it's very understandable that people are trying to find ways to make it more convenient for people to vote, it's very likely that Election Day as a national holiday would actually hurt the voters who most need more options," Becker said. 4) The outliers are few but tell you a lot about those . The outliers are a tiny minority, and only two countries have no formal national day at all. As for Denmark, it has a national liberation day and some people celebrate international worker's day, but neither is a public holiday. 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. Without this simple step toward turning out as many Americans as possible to vote, any reform will be incomplete. The United States is out of step with the rest of the world: elections are held on weekends in 27 of the 36 OECD countries. Tuesday is Election Day, but only in some parts of the country will voters get the day off to cast their ballots. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Other countries take heroic efforts to ensure that people can vote if they desire. The U.S. House of Representatives just passed H.R. "Election Day should be a national holiday so that everyone has the time and opportunity to vote," Sanders' website reads. But some think it should be. Argentina has instated compulsory voting laws, but only sees about 76% 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. 3. procon@eb.com, 2022 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. 3) Britain and Denmark have no national days. In some states where they don't have mail-in ballots, voting can take a lot of time out of the day. Explain your answers. ProCon.org is the institutional or organization author for all ProCon.org pages. ], ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons. a list of voting rights provisions he would support. Essential reporting and analysis from correspondents around the world. These efforts challenge fundamental values of American democracy and constitute a serious threat to the one person, one vote principle. Many Americans know that Election Day is a Tuesday, but few know why. In the United States, it varies from state to state and even county to county, so the idea that one entire country might use the same voting method is actually pretty unique to Americans! Hailey said the country needs a "cultural shift" to prioritize voting. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is a group that includes 36 countries. Sunday: the second Sunday of March for Congress, and the second Sunday of May for President and Vice President. Whether election day should be made a national holiday is debated. However, those numbers may be attributed to a combination of factors not solely because their elections occur on non-work days. By comparison,. 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 designateelection day a national holiday. It's amazing how much of the map is green, indicating countries that celebrate a national independence day every year. October 26, 2020 / 10:57 AM 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. Runoffs take place on the last Sunday of the same October. Voter turnout in the U.S. is generally quite low, trailing behind that of other developed democracies around the world, according to another Pew study. Third Monday of October every four years, or after Parliament is dissolved by the. And even a number of the blue countries, such as Australia and Canada, are actually the product of colonialism. 2. 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. 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. Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. [1], An election day usually culminates in an election night when the results of the election are tallied and winners are announced.[2]. Would making Election Day a federal holiday increase voter turnout and celebrate democracy? In the 2016 presidential election, 14% of registered voters cited being too busy or having a conflicting schedule as the main reason they didnt cast their ballots, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data. ", Others, however, are skeptical that creating a national holiday would increase voter turnout. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. When turnout is high, it becomes increasingly fruitless for politicians to play to their base in ways that allow a vocal minority to rule, which is how many American leaders currently operate. 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. Rather, federal elections are held on the third Monday of October, every four years . By Monday morning, nearly 60 million had already voted early across the country, closing in on half of 2016's total voter turnout. 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. But some election analysts told CBS News that making Election Day a holiday is not a way to make voting easier. Lists national days around the world by country or date. 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. 1, which adds a new paid holiday for federal employees every other year. Vanita Gupta, CEO of the Leadership Conference on Human and Civil Rights, is working to increase voter participation and decrease voter disenfranchisement. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. For more information on how to vote, head over to our TurboVote module. Delaware Hawaii Kentucky Louisiana Montana New Jersey New York Ohio Puerto Rico Virginia West Virginia While Tuesdays have been custom for elections in the United States, Sunday is the day of. Over the course of three days, Estonians could vote by placing their state-issued ID cards (which have an electronic chip . Sunday: first Sunday of February for the President, Vice-President, and Legislative Assembly; second Sunday of February for municipal elections. Managing Editor Countries that hold the ballot before Sunday are not permitted to announce results until all other countries have finished voting. 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. Updates? Puerto Rico's voter turnout has gone as high as 80 . 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. 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. [36]. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. [7] A handful of states have made election day a state holiday, including New York, Hawaii, Kentucky, and, in Apr. Plus, some experts say moving to weekend voting could substantially increase the cost of running elections. 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. 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. An ordinary act of Congress could move Election Day to a Saturday or make it a holiday, thereby giving more people more . [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. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Saturday, but can be any day of the week, such as when a Saturday conflicts with a holiday. 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. 3. Saudi Arabia's marks the 1932 unification of the country. Tuesday was chosen because it was most convenient for farmers traveling by horse and buggy at the time. States such as Georgia and Iowa already have passed restrictive measures and many others appear poised to do the same thing. 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. In Sweden, for example, 83% of registered voters participated in the 2014 national . Countries that have weekend or holiday elections do tend to have better turnout overall. Elections Project, which is close to the complete voter . 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. However, for the most part, most countries vote in person at the voting booth, and while countries may alter the length of election periods andthe equipment used in voting from election to election, it still tends to have many of the same features. CBS News reporter covering climate change and energy. 26 th January (Republic Day), 15 th August (Independence Day) and 2 nd October (Gandhi Jayanti). Whether accurate or not, elected officials likely think that making it easier to vote would advantage one party at the expense of the other party.. 1. TOP QUESTION Concentrating voters into a single day risks congesting polling places, even more so than some already are. It is the day when popular ballots are held to select public officials. Disclaimer: Dates and Events correct at time of printing but may change without our knowledge. 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. - 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. 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. Traditionally elections are held over two days, starting on a Friday afternoon and ending the following Saturday afternoon. [15] Israel and South Korea make national elections a holiday to avoid economic hardship for voters. South Korea and Israel hold theirs during the week, but have made the day a federal holiday. While countries like Belgium, Sweden, and Turkey saw more than 80% of their estimated voting-age population cast votes in recent elections, less than 56% of the estimated voting-age population in the US voted during the 2016 presidential election. 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. [14][35] In Australia, where voting is mandatory, elections are celebrated with parties and barbeques nationwide, resulting in turnout rates around 90%. The U.S. is one of only nine member nations that have weekday voting. (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.). Sweden came second with 82.6%. Executive director and founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research David Becker argues that increasing turnout is a nuanced problem that can't be fixed by declaring a holiday. "Election day should be a national holiday" is a claim of policy because we are discussing a policy which searches a solution for the presented argument. Compulsory voting does not necessarily guarantee 100% turnout rates, however, though they still see higher rates than countries which do not require it. [10][11]] Proponents say teens are knowledgeable enough to vote. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Proponents say the Electoral College ensures everyone selects the president. And that election saw the second highest voter turnout in 20 years. [ 17] Countries such as France, Mexico, and India also observe federal holidays for elections. It is very, very hard to change core American traditions.. Ralph Northam signed into law a measure that, among other things, makes Election Day a state holiday in the commonwealth. It would take an act of Congress to make Election Day a national holiday, and there is currently a bill proposing to designate "Democracy Day" as a national election holiday before a special committee. The Evolution of American Voting Rights in 242 Years Shows How Far Weve Come -- and How Far We Still Have to Go, businessinsider.com, Sep. 24, 2019, University of Houston Digital History, "Agriculture, digitalhistory.uh.edu (accessed Sep. 24, 2019), USDA, "Ag and Food Sectors and the Economy, ers.usda.gov, Sep. 20, 2019, Legal Information Institute, "5 U.S. Code 6103. Georgias voter suppression bill is an assault on our democracy, Republicans in 48 states have introduced 389 bills, Tracking regulatory changes in the Biden era. Sometimes, specific ballot measures can influence voter turnout: in the UK, the Brexit vote resulted in a 72% turnout, slightly higher than the average of 69%. [8][15] A holiday for elections sidesteps the issue of a weekend election, which could conflict with religious obligations. This article is about the general term "election day" worldwide. ", "An overall look at Vietnam's election law", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Election_day&oldid=1136894393. [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. Presented by:Defense Language and National Security Education Office, 60% of the eligible voting population vast a vote, looked at a few different methods of voting. Japan formally celebrates the anniversary of an ancient mythical emperor, although the holiday is mostly ignored today, due in part to its connections with Japan's ugly imperial history. Vote.org has called on Amazon, Disney, McDonald's and others to offer paid time off for employees to vote and or work the polls. Some say a holiday would increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote while celebrating democracy. In a number of states, polling places have been closed in minority neighborhoods, which has created long lines and tremendous inconvenience for affected votersinconvenience with a cost, especially for those paid hourly wages. It is set by statute as "the Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November.". Part of HuffPost Home & Living. Election Day in the United States of America is the Tuesday following the first Monday in November. Sign up for notifications from Insider! Experts told CBS News that it's no coincidence this is occurring in a year when Americans have more time and more ways to vote than ever before. Congress would shore up the peoples right to vote while guaranteeing the time to engage in this fundamental right. Most of these 19 states' policies only cover general elections, though. 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. Rather than make it a national holiday where inevitably people will still have to work, change election day to election week. Should Election Day be a national holiday?