And even a number of the blue countries, such as Australia and Canada, are actually the product of colonialism. As Congress continues to grapple with voting rights legislation this week, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has used his considerable influence as the Senates key swing vote to set the terms of the debate. List of national independence days - Wikipedia This article was published more than10 years ago. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is a group that includes 36 countries. 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. [36]. [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. It is the day when popular ballots are held to select public officials. Election Day in the United States is the annual day for general elections of federal public officials.It is statutorily set by the U.S. government as "the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November", i.e. But while . Office Holidays provides calendars with dates and information on public holidays and bank holidays in key countries around the world. High turnout means that people are successfully exercising their rights-a good in itselfbut it also ensures the continuing health of majority rule. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Its hard to say. Thats not to say no one has tried. 3. 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. Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey agrees. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. Presidential and semipresidential systems, Constituencies: districting and apportionment. For federal offices (president, vice president, and United States Congress) and most gubernatorial offices (all except for . Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. 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. Start the discussion over on our Facebook page, and let us know about civic engagement in your town, state, or country! 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. 4. Ralph Northam signed into law a measure that, among other things, makes Election Day a state holiday in the commonwealth. 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. Saudi Arabia's marks the 1932 unification of the country. Declaring Election Day a holiday has been proposed various times in Congress; it's a popular idea. In Sweden, for example, 83% of registered voters participated in the 2014 national . But Gupta said that there's been a "lack of political will" to give the initiative some momentum. 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. History of Election Day Such low voter turnout rates in the United States have various reasons why many Americans decide not to vote, but one main reason is not giving them time to vote and cast their ballots. Would Making Election Day a Federal Holiday Boost U.S. Voter Turnout By comparison,. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. 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. ", "An overall look at Vietnam's election law", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Election_day&oldid=1136894393. [25], According to the AFL-CIO, 30 states require employers to allow employees time off for voting. Election Day should be a 'day off,' U.S. President Joe Biden says Election results only announced for 1 of Nigeria's 36 states procon@eb.com, 2022 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Other politicians, businesses, and advocacy groups have voiced their approval of celebrating Election Day as a national 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. We also know that countries that have marked their election days as federal events see higher voting turnouts than the United States. First Sunday of October. [14], Pew Research Center found that 71% of Democrats and 59% of Republicans support making Election Day a federal holiday. Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters. Most National Days are fixed, exceptions to this are shown below. Some businesses may close, but their hourly paid employees will either have to use a PTO day or not get paid.. Twenty-seven of the 36 member countries, hold their elections on the weekend. 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. 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). If so, how? Is Election Day a national holiday? Why you don't get the day off But it is not a federal holiday. From 2021, the first Sunday of June. Countries which permit absentee ballots, early ballots or postal votes to be cast by mail before the election avoid the problem altogether by enabling voters to vote on a day that is more convenient to them. Some say a holiday would increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote while celebrating democracy. TOP QUESTION Consider the pandemic, which has not given essential workers more time off. Additionally, many of these individuals rely on school days as childcare for their children. However, those numbers may be attributed to a combination of factors not solely because their elections occur on non-work days. Granderson: Why aren't Democrats making election day a state holiday Part of HuffPost Home & Living. As a holiday, that means several millions of people would have the day off from work or school, making it way . It was created in 1992,. At the top of his list: making Election Day a national holiday. Presidential elections are held every four years, in years divisible by four, while the elections to the . They stated, Citizen Day would do more than give our democracy the honor that it deserves; it would help our democracy work better. As old as all of these societies are, their senses of national identity are commemorated by remarkably recent events. Election day - Wikipedia Election Day in the United States - Time and Date Election Day is a state holiday in Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and New York. 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. Usually Wednesday. House Democrats introduced their first piece of legislation in the new Congress this week, an anti-corruption bill that proposes making Election Day a federal holiday and encourages . The outliers are a tiny minority, and only two countries have no formal national day at all. 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. Explore which countries have weekend voting with Pew Research. 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. Here are the four things I found interesting about this once as I mapped it out: 1) Yes, most of the world was shaped by colonialism. 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. Proponents say teens are knowledgeable enough to vote. "Election Day really definitely does need to be a holiday," she said, adding, "We need to be able to have everybody feel like they have a great stake in it.". 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. Is Election Day a national holiday? Why you don't get the day off But they never go far and die in committee without a vote. The US ranks 26th out of 32 for voter turnout among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. Should Election Day in the U.S. be a national holiday? Because the impact of a federal holiday is far-reaching, many states and workplaces would likely follow suit. 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.. Election Day is the day for general elections of public officials in the U.S. Rather, federal elections are held on the third Monday of October, every four years . a list of voting rights provisions he would support. Rose Marcario, CEO, stated, demonstrating your companys commitment to voting will reinforce how essential it is that every eligible voter shows up. On U.S. Election Day, A Look At How Others Vote : NPR Sign up to receive a weekly email update on forthcoming public holidays around the world in your inbox every Sunday. Lists national days around the world by country or date. Examine this opinion article from Evil HR Lady Suzanne Lucas on why election day should not be a national holiday. In 2018, the general election was held on Wednesday. American election laws have been reformed before with minimal impact on voter turnout which remains low compared to other democracies around the world. Is Election Day a federal holiday? Here's what is open, closed Tuesday In Estonia, a national ID card (required for every citizen in the country) can be used to vote remotely. Patriotic Holidays | National Archives Of the nonvoters surveyed by the US Census Bureau about the 2008 presidential election, the 2012 presidential election, and numerous other elections, the most commonly cited reason for not voting was being too busy or having conflicting work schedules. [1], Over time, voting rights expanded from only white, male landowners age 21 and older to include women and people of color, as well as citizens age 18 and up, resulting in a dramatic increase in the voting-eligible population and a shift in voter demographics. 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 their work days. It is set by statute as "the Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November.". In Switzerland, only one canton (or member state) requires voting; it is voluntary all other cantons of the country. Election Day in USA in 2023 | Office Holidays The Freedom to Vote Act would make Election Day a national holiday for federal elections, meaning non-essential federal employees would get a paid day off. The U.S. ranks 26th out of 32 for voter among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. Should Election Day Be a Holiday? - Homepage | Morningside Center for Understanding what happened in the Chicago mayoral race. 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. [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. Countries like Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Mexico also showed high voter turnout rates by having holidays. Some countries, including Belgium and Turkey, see such high voter turnout mainly because of their compulsory voting laws. 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. 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. Passing voting rights reform will be a crucial component of this response, as would making Election Day a national holiday. Why isn't Election Day a national holiday yet? - CNN 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. 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. 1. And I think on Election Day we should have a national holiday which says, 'you don't have to rush to vote.' List two to three ways. Is Election Day a Federal Holiday? - NBC Chicago By law, polling day is a public holiday if it falls on a weekday. Take, for example, Bhutan, which every celebrates the anniversary of Ugyen Wangchuck's 1907 election as the nation's first hereditary king (yes, you read that correctly), but not its 1949 independence. 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. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Should the Voting Age Be Lowered to 16? By Monday morning, nearly 60 million had already voted early across the country, closing in on half of 2016's total voter turnout. Argentina has instated compulsory voting laws, but only sees about 76% voter turnout. Exact date set by the. 5 Reasons Election Day Should Be a National Holiday - Global Citizen [15] Israel and South Korea make national elections a holiday to avoid economic hardship for voters. Should election day be made a national holiday? November 7, 2023. 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. Sunday. [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. If your thoughts have not changed, list two to three ways your better understanding of the other side of the issue now helps you better argue your position. Virginia joined these states in April this year. ", Others, however, are skeptical that creating a national holiday would increase voter turnout. [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. Early voting for the midterms varies by state. 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. Would making Election Day a federal holiday increase voter turnout and celebrate democracy? That means the stock market will be open, and so will. CBS News reporter covering climate change and energy. 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. While some states have made Election Day a civic holiday (though it primarily applies to public workers) and most have laws that require companies to give employees some time off to vote, none of the legislative efforts to enact these changes on a national level have been successful. 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. "Election Day as a national holiday would mean things like perhaps reduced schedules for public transportation, schools being closed, hourly workers perhaps being incentivized to work more with time and a half. 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. Why are other countries better at conducting elections than we are? [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. "I'm not a fan," said Eddie Perez, an election administration and election technology expert at the Open Source Election Technology (OSET) Institute. This is why election day is not a holiday in Canada - blogTO There are many ways to boost voter turnout expanding early voting, automatically registering voters, and improving civic education programs . Elections to the European Parliament take place over a period of four days (i.e., Thursday through to Sunday), according to the election days of the EU members states (as listed above). Nine states classify general elections as holidays: Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Virginia. Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. Is Election Day a national holiday? These people think it should be [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.

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