pros and cons of making election day a national holidayflorida man september 25, 2001
Creating laws in all states that let people vote before or after work would be more effective than a holiday. Colleges should have already canceled Election Day classes. The US ranks 26th out of 32 for voter turnout for Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. But other solutions would more reliably increase turnout. ], ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons. Privacy Policy. 25, 2016, Chris Talgo, "Make Election Day a National Holiday? 5. He previously reported on the Michigan Legislature for the Michigan Public Radio Network. This comes with complications that non-blue states might not like like allowing provisional ballots to be counted, a vote-counting that can be painfully slow (it takes California over a month to certify statewide election results). Make Election Day a federal holiday. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. America is walking the knifes edge between maintaining and losing democracy. For example, although most schools are closed anyway because theyre being used as polling places,not all of them are, which begs the question: If were going to be closing more schools and possibly daycares would that cause childcare problems that would actually make it harder for some people to vote? This would actually make it even easier and validate businesses to give their employees the day off so that they can work the elections and serve as election workers. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. In the Golden State, a majority of voters make their choices by mail rather than going to polling places on Election Day. Lets assume there wont be an election holiday anytime soon not until Democrats control both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. It would give people time to vote. 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. If not, youre out. Some businesses may close, but their hourly paid employees will either have to use a PTO day or not get paid.. Election Day in the United States has occurred on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November ever since PresidentJohn Tylersigned an 1845 law establishing a specific voting day for the entire country. Low 38F. 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. Election Day in the United States is the Tuesday following the first Monday in November of an election year. procon@eb.com, 2023 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. 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. The entire voter suppression conspiracy being advanced by progressives is nonsense on its face. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson wants to make Election Day a state holiday, but some worry about unintended consequences. 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. Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Mexico receive high voter turnout due to universal voting and time off. As part of the weekly series MichMash, hosts Jake Neher Cheyna Roth talk about the cases for and against making Election Day a state holiday. [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. [4][5], The United States currently has 10 national holidays, including Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Christmas Day. Election Day be a National Holiday in the U.S [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. 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). 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. an important step in ensuring the right to vote for all Americans and stabilizing democracy. As the chart shows, presidential turnout corresponds with midterm turnout and in 2018, turnout skyrocketed from 36.7% four years previously to 49.6%. However, those numbers may be attributed to a combination of factors not solely because their elections occur on non-work days. It would only make it harder and more expensive for all candidates to have a fair shot at competing.
