countries where election day is a national holiday

[14], Pew Research Center found that 71% of Democrats and 59% of Republicans support making Election Day a federal holiday. I'll look into this some more and may change it on the map. 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. 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. ", Others, however, are skeptical that creating a national holiday would increase voter turnout. The Evolution of American Voting Rights in 242 Years Shows How Far Weve Come -- and How Far We Still Have to Go, businessinsider.com, Sep. 24, 2019, University of Houston Digital History, "Agriculture, digitalhistory.uh.edu (accessed Sep. 24, 2019), USDA, "Ag and Food Sectors and the Economy, ers.usda.gov, Sep. 20, 2019, Legal Information Institute, "5 U.S. Code 6103. 0:58. [18][19], Federal law doesnt require private employers to give employees paid federal holidays. People literally cannot get to the polling booth because it may close at 7 o'clock and they're working later. Some countries, about 27 of them,make voting compulsory. 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. After all, what do our veterans fight for, if not for democracy itself? Currently, 22 countries around the world have mandatory voting, and ten of those countries enforce the policy, including Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Peru, and Switzerland. But they never go far and die in committee without a vote. This is the day we cast ballots to select public officials from local to the national government. 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. Should the United States use the Electoral College in presidential elections? Would making Election Day a federal holiday increase voter turnout and celebrate democracy? Disclaimer: Dates and Events correct at time of printing but may change without our knowledge. 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. 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. 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. 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. Democracy on the ballot will the remaining election deniers succeed? 0:00. [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. October 26, 2020 / 10:57 AM 2020, Virginia. The ideal solution is simple: Congress should make Election Day a national holiday, or move Election Day to the weekend. Let us make it as easy as we can," Sanders told CBS News. Not all of these marked the end of colonialism (for example, Austria's signifies the withdrawal of foreign militaries after World War II and the declaration of neutrality) but the vast majority do. Mr. CHRISTENSEN: One of the biggest countries that uses compulsory voting is Australia. While young people are generally less likely to vote, they are more motivated by the issue of freedom of speech than older generations. "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. Other countries take heroic efforts to ensure that people can vote if they desire. [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. [1], An election day usually culminates in an election night when the results of the election are tallied and winners are announced.[2]. Image 2. the Tuesday that occurs within November 2 to November 8. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. On Sunday, Virginia Democratic Gov. 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. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Topics Explainers Politics US Evergreen US Explainers YOU MIGHT LIKE [4][5], The United States currently has 10 national holidays, including Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Christmas Day. 25, 2016, Chris Talgo, "Make Election Day a National Holiday? 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 in the US voted during the 2016 presidential election. 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. This year, Election . The US isn't the only developed country that faces this criticism, however. [17] Countries such as France, Mexico, and India also observe federal holidays for elections. 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 . 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. Compulsory voting does not necessarily guarantee 100% turnout rates, however, though they still see higher rates than countries which do not require it. 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. Read more: You can take time off from work to vote in 30 states here's the full list. John M. Cunningham, "Why Are U.S. Countries that have weekend or holiday elections do tend to have better turnout overall. Regional Belgian public holidays during 2023. Updates? Presidential elections are held every four years, in years divisible by four, while the elections to the . That's true, although the separate "National Day of Commemoration" occurs on the anniversary of the truce ending the Irish war of independence. 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. Part of HuffPost Home & Living. 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. 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. Virginia joined these states in April this year. 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. If Election Day were a national holiday, how would you ensure hourly and low-income workers would get a chance to vote? WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - Election Day should be a holiday for workers in the United States, President Joe Biden said on Thursday. Or is it an optimistic idea that would exclude already disadvantaged voters while failing to increase turnout? The bill has no cosponsors, but the concept was supported by every 2020 Democratic candidate for president, excluding Mike Bloomberg and now-nominee Joe Biden. "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. Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey agrees. Concentrating voters into a single day risks congesting polling places, even more so than some already are. 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. 3) Britain and Denmark have no national days. [23], Annie McDonald, Editor of the Berkeley Public Policy Journal, noted that the workers who are least likely to get paid holidays are those who already have less of a voice in the political process: Americans working in retail, hospitality, and service jobs, for example, would most likely not receive the benefit of a paid holiday to vote. It worked. Election Day as a holiday is something that exists in other countries, but not in most places in the U.S. It's an issue that comes up a lot, but never really gets much serious public debate. The result is voter turnout rates of 72.3% and 77.2% respectively, which is 26-32% higher than the United States. 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. [8][15] A holiday for elections sidesteps the issue of a weekend election, which could conflict with religious obligations. First published on October 26, 2020 / 10:57 AM. Updated: 7:01 AM EST November 2, 2020 ATLANTA For many Americans, voting on Election Day is a tradition, and some wonder why it's not a national holiday. This article was published more than10 years ago. Rather, federal elections are held on the third Monday of October, every four years . 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. 1, which adds a new paid holiday for federal employees every other year. Vanita Gupta, CEO of the Leadership Conference on Human and Civil Rights, is working to increase voter participation and decrease voter disenfranchisement. A lot of people go to work, or they're in school during the weekday. 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. 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. Additionally, many of these individuals rely on school days as childcare for their children. Compared to other developed countries, America's voter turnout rate is pretty sad. 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. Sunday. "Election Day should be a national holiday so that everyone has the time and opportunity to vote," Sanders' website reads. 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Think of things such as voter ID laws, lowering the voting age, and abolishing the Electoral College. 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). 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. Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters. 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. However, making National Election Day a holiday will disadvantage low-income and blue . So the question of how you label Ireland goes back to which holiday you consider its national day. And. 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. As old as all of these societies are, their senses of national identity are commemorated by remarkably recent events. [31]. Others have suggested making Veterans Day (Nov. 11), which is already a paid national holiday, Election Day. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider "With the variety of challenges that election officials face, [making Election Day a holiday] is well down on the list of those things that need to be addressed," Becker said. I think, to the best of my knowledge, it's something like $20. In-person polls open Sunday at 12:01am, close Saturday at 11:59pm. Such a change would mostly benefit white-collar workers instead of the lower-income workers its designed to help. 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. The United States has held federal elections on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years since 1845. [36]. This page was last edited on 1 February 2023, at 18:43. 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.