countries where election day is a national holiday

Approximately two million people who work for the federal government would be given a paid day off, and private companies might follow suit. Consider, for example, the national days of France and Germany: the former marks the French revolution, in 1789, and the latter marks the German reunification in 1990. [17] Countries such as France, Mexico, and India also observe federal holidays for elections. Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. In-person polls open Sunday at 12:01am, close Saturday at 11:59pm. OK, so why Tuesday? 5. Most of these 19 states' policies only cover general elections, though. [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. November 7, 2023. [36]. Twenty-seven of the 36 member countries, hold their elections on the weekend. 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. A number of bills like the Weekend Voting Act have been proposed in Congress over the years, often by Democrats. 3. [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. We are very proud that we are mentioned in the Bible. Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey agrees. Most National Days are fixed, exceptions to this are shown below. 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.However, some countries, or regions within a country, which hold elections on a weekday declare election day a public holiday. ], ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "Election Day National Holiday Top 3 Pros and Cons. "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. To combat these efforts, lawmakers nationally have introduced HR1 (the John Lewis Act) and S1, which would enact a number of important provisions: improve ballot access, create nonpartisan redistricting commissions to reduce gerrymandering, provide automatic voter registration when people turn 18, allow at least 15 days of early voting,mandate that presidential candidates disclosure their federal tax returns, and require greater disclosure of so-called dark money campaign contributions. This year, Election . / CBS News. 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. [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. Furthermore, making this small shift would celebrate the purpose and sacrifice of our fighting forces. At least 10 dead after winter storm slams South, Midwest, The Saturday Six: Dental device controversy, scientist's bug find and more, Indonesia fuel depot fire kills 18; more than a dozen missing, Biden had cancerous skin lesion removed last month, doctor says, Tom Sizemore, actor known for "Saving Private Ryan" and "Heat," dies at 61, Defense lawyers in Idaho killings case want gag order kept, Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murders of wife and son. It's amazing how much of the map is green, indicating countries that celebrate a national independence day every year. And even a number of the blue countries, such as Australia and Canada, are actually the product of colonialism. 1. Runoffs take place on the last Sunday of the same October. This article was published more than10 years ago. First Sunday of July until 2018. By Monday morning, nearly 60 million had already voted early across the country, closing in on half of 2016's total voter turnout. [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. Mr. CHRISTENSEN: One of the biggest countries that uses compulsory voting is Australia. [3] In 1800, 83% of the American labor force was agrarian, but today only 11% of total US employment is agriculture-related. 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. Should People Who Have Completed Felony Sentences Be Allowed to Vote? 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 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. In Australia, all citizens of age to vote are required, and if they fail to do so, they face fines. Some countries, about 27 of them, make voting compulsory. Elections Project, which is close to the complete voter . 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? Compulsory voting does not necessarily guarantee 100% turnout rates, however, though they still see higher rates than countries which do not require it. 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. In 2007, the country held the world's first general Internet election. 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. But none of those states have considerably high turnout compared to those where it isn't a holiday. And some countries, like Australia, require people to vote by subjecting those who dont to a minor fine equivalent to a traffic ticket. [14], Pew Research Center found that 71% of Democrats and 59% of Republicans support making Election Day a federal holiday. Four more states only provide time off for biennial, even-year elections: Delaware, Louisiana, Michigan and New Hampshire. A National Day is a date for a country to celebrate its nationhood. 0:00. For rest of the festival holidays the declaration . 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). For federal offices (president, vice president, and United States Congress) and most gubernatorial offices (all except for . 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. Because Saturday and Sunday are Sabbath days for devout Jews and Christians, elections would probably have to be held over the two-day period creating a need for more poll workers and a process for securing ballots overnight, Victoria Shineman, a University of Pittsburgh political science professor, wrote in The Washington Post. While the Republican efforts are shrouded in their supposed desire to protect the integrity of elections, there is no evidence of significant voter fraud in recent elections, including presidential election in 2020. 1, which adds a new paid holiday for federal employees every other year. WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - Election Day should be a holiday for workers in the United States, President Joe Biden said on Thursday. Opponents say it allows only a few states to select the president. In the US, Election Day is not a national holiday. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 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. There is a "need to make voting more accessible, to make it more of a civic duty, to make sure that people don't have to choose between their job and their ability to cast the ballot are issues that are more prominent today than ever before," she told CBS News. by country by date 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. But it is not a federal holiday. Other politicians, businesses, and advocacy groups have voiced their approval of celebrating Election Day as a national holiday. In Estonia, a national ID card (required for every citizen in the country) can be used to vote remotely. But they never go far and die in committee without a vote. 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. 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. 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. It is very, very hard to change core American traditions.. Should the Voting Age Be Lowered to 16? 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. 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. The ideal solution is simple: Congress should make Election Day a national holiday, or move Election Day to the weekend. Disclaimer: Dates and Events correct at time of printing but may change without our knowledge. ", Obama: "Absolutely. 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. Monday in early September. Without this simple step toward turning out as many Americans as possible to vote, any reform will be incomplete. South Korea and Israel hold theirs during the week, but have made the day a federal holiday. 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%. The US ranks 26th out of 32 for voter turnout among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. Some countries, about 27 of them,make voting compulsory. Consider the pandemic, which has not given essential workers more time off. 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. 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. Elections to the Bundestag may be held on another public holiday. 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. History of Election Day It is the day when popular ballots are held to select public officials. Thats not to say no one has tried. 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. Younger generations are also more likely to participate in political discussions online, which shows that a move towards digitizing the political and voting processes may not be too far off. 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. Because the impact of a federal holiday is far-reaching, many states and workplaces would likely follow suit. 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. About 54 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots in the 2012 presidential contest between Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney, according to the Pew Research Center. 0:58. While the majority of US states have voter leave laws that guarantee certain employees a modicum of time off to vote, no federal law currently mandates that employees get time off to cast their ballots. It worked. [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. as well as other partner offers and accept our. 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. 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. As a holiday, that means several millions of people would have the day off from work or school, making it way . A simple but effective change, however, could be made in election timing. Passing voting rights reform will be a crucial component of this response, as would making Election Day a national holiday. 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. 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. 3) Britain and Denmark have no national days. https://www.britannica.com/question/Should-election-day-be-made-a-national-holiday. Or is it an optimistic idea that would exclude already disadvantaged voters while failing to increase turnout? Of these countries, 27 hold their national elections on a weekend. Usually Wednesday. The COVID-19 pandemic convinced. But while . 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. Lists national days around the world by country or date. 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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.

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