countries where election day is a national holiday

In-person polls open Sunday at 12:01am, close Saturday at 11:59pm. Should the United States use the Electoral College in presidential elections? In the 2016 election, only 56% of voting-age Americans cast their ballots. "Election Day should be a national holiday so that everyone has the time and opportunity to vote," Sanders' website reads. In an interview published Thursday, President Obama endorsed the idea of holding U.S. federal elections on weekends or national holidays. 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. ABUJA, Nigeria -- Nigeria's election commission announced the first results late Sunday from the country's closely watched presidential election, but it could days . People literally cannot get to the polling booth because it may close at 7 o'clock and they're working later. 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. In 2018, the general election was held on Wednesday. 5. We are very proud that we are mentioned in the Bible. But while . Many Americans know that Election Day is a Tuesday, but few know why. 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. Argentina has instated compulsory voting laws, but only sees about 76% voter turnout. 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. There is no fixed election day for general elections, although since 1986 every general election has been held on Sunday. They stated, Citizen Day would do more than give our democracy the honor that it deserves; it would help our democracy work better. October 26, 2020 / 10:57 AM Tuesday was chosen because it was most convenient for farmers traveling by horse and buggy at the time. However, those numbers may be attributed to a combination of factors not solely because their elections occur on non-work days. 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. By law, polling day is a public holiday if it falls on a weekday. Some countries, about 27 of them, make voting compulsory. Update: Some readers think that Ireland should also be considered an outlier, as St. Patrick's Day is often considered its primary "national day" and is not really an independence or revolution day. 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. ProCon.org is the institutional or organization author for all ProCon.org pages. Omissions? 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. 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. This is the day we cast ballots to select public officials from local to the national government. Senator Bernie Sanders has certainly tried heintroducedthe "Democracy Day Act" in 2018, which proposed making Election Day a federal holiday. Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. [28][29], Patagonia, an outdoor clothing retailer, paused operation on Nov. 6, 2018 so that all employees could vote. The pros and cons of the felon voting debate include arguments about the social contract, voting while in prison, and paying debts. WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - Election Day should be a holiday for workers in the United States, President Joe Biden said on Thursday. 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. 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. While young people are generally less likely to vote, they are more motivated by the issue of freedom of speech than older generations. Common reasons for a certain day are the date on which a state or country achieved its independence, or the date of the country's patron saint day. Common reasons for a certain day are the date on which a state or country achieved its independence, or the date of the country's patron saint day. Before that point, states could hold their presidential elections on any day within a certain 34-day window. 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. These efforts challenge fundamental values of American democracy and constitute a serious threat to the one person, one vote principle. 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. 2) Most other countries are shaped by relatively recent revolutions. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is a group that includes 36 countries. Think of things such as voter ID laws, lowering the voting age, and abolishing the Electoral College. This article was published more than10 years ago. Most National Days are fixed, exceptions to this are shown below. ", ProCon.org. ", "An overall look at Vietnam's election law", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Election_day&oldid=1136894393. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. The U.S. House of Representatives just passed H.R. 14, 2019, BBC, "Singapore Election: Governing Party Secure Decisive Win, bbc.com, Sep. 12, 2015, Holly Jackson, "It's Time to Make Election Day a Holiday in Law and Spirit," washingtonpost.com, Oct. 22, 2018, BCP Associates, "India Elections 2019 - Declaration of Paid Holiday on Polling Day, bcpassociates.com, Apr. 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. But it is not a federal holiday. Nine states classify general elections as holidays: Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Virginia. 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. But none of those states have considerably high turnout compared to those where it isn't a holiday. In some states where they don't have mail-in ballots, voting can take a lot of time out of the day. Of these countries, 27 hold their national elections on a weekend. Traditionally on weekends. That too is a reminder as to how new many of the ideas from that century, such as full enfranchisement and national self-determination, really are. ], [Editors Note: The MLA citation style requires double spacing within entries. First published on October 26, 2020 / 10:57 AM. "I'm not a fan," said Eddie Perez, an election administration and election technology expert at the Open Source Election Technology (OSET) Institute. 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. One major reason: It comes down to tradition, Troy said. 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. Roughly 138 million Americans voted in the 2016 presidential election, just 61.4% of the 214,109,360 million who were registered to vote, according to The U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Here is the relevant passage from Acts 28: Georgia grassroots groups helped Biden win. Not only would making Election Day a federal holiday increase voter turnout among Americans, which is something that politicians and citizens in general complain about often, but it . This is partially due to the influence of Protestantism, which historically set restrictions on activities other than church-going during the Sabbath (usually considered as falling on a Sunday). South Africa's is from the first democratic elections, in 1994. 1. So, since this effort does not receive bipartisan support, it is difficult to enact.. Saturday, but can be any day of the week, such as when a Saturday conflicts with a holiday. Other countries may only require it of certain people, and otherwise make it voluntary for others. What we're proposing isn't that every Election Day becomes a national holiday, just the presidential election, which only takes place once every four years. Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters. Until 2009, elections were held over several consecutive Sundays. [25], According to the AFL-CIO, 30 states require employers to allow employees time off for voting. [17] Countries such as France, Mexico, and India also observe federal holidays for elections. But in many other countries, the government automatically registers voters and holds elections on days that are weekend days or national holidays. For example, Australia typically has a turnout in the 90 percent or more range, and other nations such as Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Mexico achieve very high turnout via universal voting and time off for voting. Puerto Rico's voter turnout has gone as high as 80 . Election Day is always the first Tuesday after November 1st. Election Day is the day for general elections of public officials in the U.S. 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.". As old as all of these societies are, their senses of national identity are commemorated by remarkably recent events. Presidential elections are held every four years, in years divisible by four, while the elections to the . By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider 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. [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. American election laws have been reformed before with minimal impact on voter turnout which remains low compared to other democracies around the world. Corrections? In 2007, the country held the world's first general Internet election. By Monday morning, nearly 60 million had already voted early across the country, closing in on half of 2016's total voter turnout. [2] 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. Hailey said the country needs a "cultural shift" to prioritize voting. 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. 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. Rather, federal elections are held on the third Monday of October, every four years . "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. 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. "If I had my way, and I think it is really important, every . In Sweden, for example, 83% of registered voters participated in the 2014 national . Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey agrees. This map, inspired by a Reddit thread with a similar map, shows the national days of the world's countries. 22 June 1986, 29 October 1989, 6 June 1993, 3 March 1996, 12 March 2000, 14 March 2004, 9 March 2008, 20 November 2011, 20 December 2015, 26 June 2016. Should the Voting Age Be Lowered to 16? And even a number of the blue countries, such as Australia and Canada, are actually the product of colonialism. 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. We're familiar with how voting works in the U.S.when we vote, how we vote, who we vote forbut do you know what voting is like in other countries around the world? While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Read more: You can take time off from work to vote in 30 states here's the full list. Think about it. A simple but effective change, however, could be made in election timing. Rose Marcario, CEO, stated, demonstrating your companys commitment to voting will reinforce how essential it is that every eligible voter shows up. In Estonia, a national ID card (required for every citizen in the country) can be used to vote remotely. [18][19], Federal law doesnt require private employers to give employees paid federal holidays. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Examine this opinion article from Evil HR Lady Suzanne Lucas on why election day should not be a national holiday. The types of workers least likely to reap the benefits of a federal holiday are those who already struggle to vote, Shineman noted. [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. Plus, some experts say moving to weekend voting could substantially increase the cost of running elections. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? "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. 0:58. Approximately two million people who work for the federal government would be given a paid day off, and private companies might follow suit. 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. Part of HuffPost Home & Living. Election officials in various states have predicted historic levels of turnout in 2020, with a chance to reach the highest ever. Regional Belgian public holidays during 2023. Explain your answer. We also know that countries that have marked their election days as federal events see higher voting turnouts than the United States. 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says, Battleground Tracker: Tight race in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Lindsey Graham appears before Georgia grand jury, House Jan. 6 committee is having conversations with Justice Department, Georgia grand jury investigating Trump wants testimony from Giuliani, Graham, Trump election interference grand jury to hear from Raffensperger, DHS IG says Wolf changed intel report on Russian interference in 2020. Why or why not? 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. Would making Election Day a federal holiday increase voter turnout and celebrate democracy? Think about that: In most of the world, the sense of national identity is shaped by the act of cutting, or in some cases violently throwing off, the chains of colonialism. [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. 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). Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). There are many ways to boost voter turnout expanding early voting, automatically registering voters, and improving civic education programs . Consider the potential benefits and difficulties of changing election day. Politicians, most recently House Democrats in 2019, have also floated the idea of turning a weekday Election Day into a federal holiday, but to no avail. What other improvements could be made to voting and Election Day? However, rules, dates and deadlines vary by state, which can be confusing to some voters. An ordinary act of Congress could move Election Day to a Saturday or make it a holiday, thereby giving more people more . [31]. Australia sees around 91%, and 94% in Singapore. 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. Sunday. 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. So far this year, hundreds of bills have been introduced that could have the effect of suppressing peoples right to vote. Pew also found that certain issues motivate voters more than others: "health care, poverty and education are the top motivators for political engagement." In 2005, the American Bar Association looked at a few different methods of voting: in 1989 in Namibia, voters marked an X on ballots using ink on their fingers; in Bulgaria, rather than marking a ballot, voters pick from any number of sheets of paper representing specific political parties and puts it in a ballot box; and in Ireland, "they designate their top three candidates by numbering them 1, 2, and 3." procon@eb.com, 2022 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. In the US, Election Day is not a national holiday. Israel and South Korea hold their elections on weekdays, but they're national holidays. 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. Many other democracies make election day a holiday and they all have higher voter turnout than we do. Some businesses may close, but their hourly paid employees will either have to use a PTO day or not get paid.. Russia's national holiday only goes back to 1992, when the Russian Federation was founded. Tuesday is Election Day, but only in some parts of the country will voters get the day off to cast their ballots. Newsweek subscription offers > "For example, Australia typically has a turnout in the 90 percent or more range, and other nations such as Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica and Mexico achieve. [8], Among registered voters in the 2016 US presidential election, being too busy or having a conflicting schedule was the third-highest reason cited for not voting, accounting for 14% of registered voters who did not cast a vote (about 2.7 million people). 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. 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. And some countries, like Australia, require people to vote by subjecting those who dont to a minor fine equivalent to a traffic ticket. The U.S. is one of only nine member nations that have weekday voting. I'll look into this some more and may change it on the map. 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. Runoffs take place on the last Sunday of the same October. 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! But experts say improving voter turnout is a complicated issue that no single silver bullet strategy can solve. Reformers will be far more successful adding a few days or options or opportunities than trying to undo Election Day.. Other countries take heroic efforts to ensure that people can vote if they desire. Compared to other developed countries, America's voter turnout rate is pretty sad. 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%. Early voting for the midterms varies by state. According to Pew Research data, US voter turnout trails most developed countries. In many other democracies around the world, national elections are held on the weekend or are a federal holiday. A surprising map of the worlds national holidays (only two countries have no national day), Belarus sentences Nobel Peace laureate Ales Bialiatski to 10 years in jail, This is Bidens chance to press Scholz on Germanys rearmament, Why Russia and Ukraine are fighting over Bakhmut. 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. 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. Election Day is a US State Holiday observed on several states on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November every even-numbered year. [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. 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. Whether election day in the United States should be made a national holiday is debated. Countries outpacing the U.S. include the U.K, Mexico and Canada. 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. Disclaimer: Dates and Events correct at time of printing but may change without our knowledge. [7] A handful of states have made election day a state holiday, including New York, Hawaii, Kentucky, and, in Apr. Let us make it as easy as we can," Sanders told CBS News. Congress would shore up the peoples right to vote while guaranteeing the time to engage in this fundamental right. Should the United States Use the Electoral College in Presidential Elections? In 2018, a Pewstudy found that 65% of Americans favored making Election Day a national holiday. 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. For more on the debate about making election day a national holiday, visit ProCon.org. It is the day when popular ballots are held to select public officials. For other uses, see. Mr. CHRISTENSEN: One of the biggest countries that uses compulsory voting is Australia. The U.S. ranks 26th out of 32 for voter among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. 4. Keep in mind that in the mid-1800s, the U.S. was largely an agricultural society.

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