countries where election day is a national holidayjosh james tech net worth

The number of early votes cast before Election Day 2020, as of Nov. 1, neared the 100 million mark according to data aggregated by the U.S. Stay up to date with what you want to know. These efforts challenge fundamental values of American democracy and constitute a serious threat to the one person, one vote principle. "While this would not be a cure-all, it would indicate a national commitment to create a more vibrant democracy.". [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. Usually Wednesday. Election Day isn't a national holiday in the US, but some people think it should be. Most National Days are fixed, exceptions to this are shown below. In some states where they don't have mail-in ballots, voting can take a lot of time out of the day. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. However, rules, dates and deadlines vary by state, which can be confusing to some voters. Four more states only provide time off for biennial, even-year elections: Delaware, Louisiana, Michigan and New Hampshire. 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%. [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. But none of those states have considerably high turnout compared to those where it isn't a holiday. 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. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. Canada's turnout is about the same as the United States', with an average of 68%, and though one canton in Switzerland has a compulsory voting law, for the country as a whole turnout is around 49%, one of the lowest rates in OECD countries. Have you experienced an election day in another country, or do you know how voting works in a place we haven't mentioned here? Will the party listen to them on the issues? As a holiday, that means several millions of people would have the day off from work or school, making it way . Issues also arise when a persons polling place is far from their workplace or when there are long lines to vote during peak times like in the morning before work or in the evening after work. 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. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. 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. 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). Again, it is not clear that this is demonstrably true but it is a widespread perception. Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. 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. Essential reporting and analysis from correspondents around the world. A simple but effective change, however, could be made in election timing. It happens to be on the day the politicians themselves get elected. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Washington's Birthday Memorial Day Flag Day Independence Day Constitution Day Election Day Veterans Day Bill of Rights Day Martin Luther King Jr. Day Martin Luther King, Jr. Day takes place on third Monday of January each year, near the time of Dr. King's birthday on January 15th. [25], According to the AFL-CIO, 30 states require employers to allow employees time off for voting. For more on the debate about making election day a national holiday, visit ProCon.org. Mr. CHRISTENSEN: One of the biggest countries that uses compulsory voting is Australia. In-person polls open Sunday at 12:01am, close Saturday at 11:59pm. Presidential elections are held every four years, in years divisible by four, while the elections to the . 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. A National Day is a date for a country to celebrate its nationhood. 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. Sunday. The Freedom to Vote Act would make Election Day a national holiday. Tuesday is Election Day, but only in some parts of the country will voters get the day off to cast their ballots. As for Denmark, it has a national liberation day and some people celebrate international worker's day, but neither is a public holiday. Read More, Election Day is a holiday in Puerto Rico. By comparison,. However, those numbers may be attributed to a combination of factors not solely because their elections occur on non-work days. It worked. One major reason: It comes down to tradition, Troy said. This . Election Day in the United States of America is the Tuesday following the first Monday in November. 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). In many other democracies around the world, national elections are held on the weekend or are a federal holiday. 2020, Virginia. That's true, although the separate "National Day of Commemoration" occurs on the anniversary of the truce ending the Irish war of independence. US voter turnout trails most developed countries. [26] Caravanas are joyful, noisy parades of cars festooned with flags and other decorations that stream through Puerto Ricos streets ahead of an election and are credited with the islands over 80% voter turnout. 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 expense of the other party, the GOP, said Vincent Hutchings, a University of Michigan political science professor. 1, which adds a new paid holiday for federal employees every other year. 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. First published on October 26, 2020 / 10:57 AM. 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, focusing voting efforts to one day doesn't do enough to accommodate everyone, Becker argues. Estonia is the only country to fully adopt online voting, but other countries, such as Australia, Canada, and Norway, have looked into pursuing it as an option in the future. [14][35] In Australia, where voting is mandatory, elections are celebrated with parties and barbeques nationwide, resulting in turnout rates around 90%. Other politicians, businesses, and advocacy groups have voiced their approval of celebrating Election Day as a national holiday. Whether election day should be made a national holiday is debated. And some countries, like Australia, require people to vote by subjecting those who dont to a minor fine equivalent to a traffic ticket. as well as other partner offers and accept our. Would making Election Day a federal holiday increase voter turnout and celebrate democracy? November 7, 2023. Some say a holiday would increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote while celebrating democracy. 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. In previous elections, that percentage was even higher. [ 17] Countries such as France, Mexico, and India also observe federal holidays for elections. [1] The decision was made taking into account farmers, a large portion of the voting constituency at the time, who would not have been able to travel to polling places in winter months or during planting or harvest times. ", Obama: "Absolutely. ProCon.org is the institutional or organization author for all ProCon.org pages. 2. Tuesday was selected because it was the most convenient. 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. [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). 0:58. The outliers are a tiny minority, and only two countries have no formal national day at all. 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. Whether election day in the United States should be made a national holiday is debated. Declaring Election Day a holiday has been proposed various times in Congress; it's a popular idea. The U.S. House of Representatives just passed H.R. Image 2. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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. Election Day is a state holiday in Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and New York. Its hard to say. 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. 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. 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. "We should be making it easier for people to vote, not harder. Tuesday was chosen because it was most convenient for farmers traveling by horse and buggy at the time. The founding fathers at first only granted white, male property owners the right to vote, so the expansion of voting rights has taken some time. Most of these 19 states' policies only cover general elections, though. Meanwhile, in Macedonia this past September, voters chose to stay away from the polls because of the proposed name change for the country. Others have suggested making Veterans Day (Nov. 11), which is already a paid national holiday, Election Day. 4) The outliers are few but tell you a lot about those . Proper citation depends on your preferred or required style manual. I'll look into this some more and may change it on the map. 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.". And even if it were a federal holiday, that wouldn't ensure that all voting-age Americans would have the day off. So the question of how you label Ireland goes back to which holiday you consider its national day. With those options early in-person voting and more voter awareness on how to vote by mail voter turnout appears to be trending upward. South Africa's is from the first democratic elections, in 1994. In 2007, the country held the world's first general Internet election. To make Election Day a national holiday, it would take an act of Congress, and so far, no bills proposing such action have passed. 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. There are some exceptions; as Wednesday was not covered by the available dates, the Netherlands holds elections on Thursday, while Denmark holds elections on Sunday. 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. 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. - 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. Senator Bernie Sanders has certainly tried heintroducedthe "Democracy Day Act" in 2018, which proposed making Election Day a federal holiday. At the top of his list: making Election Day a national holiday. Britain, after all, developed its political institutions pretty gradually, so there was no real "Bastille Day" moment that defines the modern nation. 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. "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.". Before that point, states could hold their presidential elections on any day within a certain 34-day window. 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. Election officials in various states have predicted historic levels of turnout in 2020, with a chance to reach the highest ever. The correct answer is B. Advertisement Advertisement marberman marberman History of Election Day CBS News reporter covering climate change and energy. 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. "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. Managing Editor During the 2016 presidential election, less than 56% of the estimated voting-age population in the US voted. [28][29], Patagonia, an outdoor clothing retailer, paused operation on Nov. 6, 2018 so that all employees could vote. 25, 2016, Chris Talgo, "Make Election Day a National Holiday? 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. A number of bills like the Weekend Voting Act have been proposed in Congress over the years, often by Democrats. 1. 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. ], [Editors Note: The MLA citation style requires double spacing within entries. Election Day is already a holiday for state employees in more than a dozen states including Kentucky, Michigan, and New York. Theyare still considerably higher than in the United States, which typically sees about 65% on average turn out to vote for major elections. This page was last edited on 1 February 2023, at 18:43. 3. In the 2016 presidential election, 60% of the eligible voting population vast a vote; this year, a staggering 47.5%participated in the midterms, compared to 37% in 2014 and 41% in 2010, the years of other midterm elections. By Monday morning, nearly 60 million had already voted early across the country, closing in on half of 2016's total voter turnout. By comparison, Belgium reported the highest OECD voter turnout: 87.2% in the most recent national election. 3) Britain and Denmark have no national days. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. In fact, in Estonia, the option tovoteonlineis becoming increasingly popular. 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. Start the discussion over on our Facebook page, and let us know about civic engagement in your town, state, or country! And she thinks corporate America has been leading the way, pointing out several businesses, including Walmart and Coca-Cola, that have announced paid time off and other accommodations to make voting easier for employees on November 3. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. To paraphrase one of the commenters on the Reddit thread, is certainly is ironic that the British empire that is indirectly responsible for so many of the world's independence days has no real national day of its own. Incidentally, Australia routinely reaches more than 90. TOP QUESTION 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. There is a simple and straightforward solution: make Election Day a national holiday so that people have the time and freedom to vote without taking time off from work. [31][32] Trying one of these alternatives would avoid the negative economic impact of closing businesses for Election Day. [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. NOW WATCH: Arianna Huffingtons advice to Hillary Clinton, the majority of US states have voter leave laws, You can take time off from work to vote in 30 states here's the full list, voted during the 2016 presidential election, experts say such a scheme is unlikely to fly in the US, The evolution of American voting rights in 242 years shows how far we've come and how far we still have to go, In an interview with President Barack Obama in 2016. 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. 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. 1. 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. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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. But experts say improving voter turnout is a complicated issue that no single silver bullet strategy can solve. 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. States such as Georgia and Iowa already have passed restrictive measures and many others appear poised to do the same thing. Sunday: the second Sunday of March for Congress, and the second Sunday of May for President and Vice President. Proponents say teens are knowledgeable enough to vote. From 2021, the first Sunday of June. Mail-in voting starts 1 month before polls open. "Election Day should be a national holiday so that everyone has the time and opportunity to vote," Sanders' website reads. 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. 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? According to the country's website detailing their "digital society," online voting has soared from 1.9% in 2005 to 30.5% in 2015. Topics Explainers Politics US Evergreen US Explainers YOU MIGHT LIKE Most National Days are fixed, exceptions to this are shown below. But it is not a federal holiday. And I think on Election Day we should have a national holiday which says, 'you don't have to rush to vote.' Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island and New York have also made Election Day into a state holiday. Elections Project, which is close to the complete voter . 27 September (Wednesday): Day of the French-speaking Community - commemorates the victory of the patriots against the Dutch army in Brussels in 1830. It would also blunt the impact of many of these baldly anti-democratic movesopening the doors to the house as Republicans attempt to shut the windows. Accessed February 21, 2023. https://www.procon.org/headlines/election-day-national-holiday-top-3-pros-and-cons/, potential benefits and difficulties of changing election day, election day should not be a national holiday. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Explain your answer. Sign up to receive a weekly email update on forthcoming public holidays around the world in your inbox every Sunday. ], ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons. 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. Regional Belgian public holidays during 2023. 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. Most others are not so recent, but still not so old: Taiwan's, for example, goes back to a 1911 uprising. February 26, 2023, 5:06 AM. Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives. Presidential and semipresidential systems, Constituencies: districting and apportionment. Pro/Con Arguments | Discussion Questions | Take Action | Sources | More Debates, Election Day in the United States has occurred on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November ever since President John Tyler signed an 1845 law establishing a specific voting day for the entire country. The U.S. ranks 26th out of 32 for voter among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. Pew also found that certain issues motivate voters more than others: "health care, poverty and education are the top motivators for political engagement." Unlike Singapore, South Korea and Israel, Canada has not declared election days as public holidays. In Sweden, for example, 83% of registered voters participated in the 2014 national . "We already know how to make voting convenient to voters that's by offering them options, like making an election season rather than election day," he said. 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