countries where election day is a national holiday

Twenty-seven of the 36 member countries, hold their elections on the weekend. First published on October 26, 2020 / 10:57 AM. Is Election Day a Holiday in Your State? | RepresentUs Research has found that higher trust in the government and democratic process leads to greater voter turnout. [ 17] Countries such as France, Mexico, and India also observe federal holidays for elections. 1. While no state has proposed reinstating the literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses that effectively ended the burst of African-American franchise during Reconstruction, todays efforts to disenfranchise minority voters are similarly unsubtle. 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. 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. "We should be making it easier for people to vote, not harder. Tuesday was selected because it was the most convenient. Or is it an optimistic idea that would exclude already disadvantaged voters while failing to increase turnout? Arizona, for example, allows employees who do not have three consecutive hours before or after work when the polls are open to take paid time off to vote at the start or end of their work days. 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. The outliers are a tiny minority, and only two countries have no formal national day at all. From 2021, the first Sunday of June. And there is no better way to secure democracy than to ensure that everyone has not only the right to vote, but also the meaningful opportunity to cast their ballots. This map, inspired by a Reddit thread with a similar map, shows the national days of the world's countries. Most National Days are fixed, exceptions to this are shown below. 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. Runoffs take place on the last Sunday of the same October. 3. 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. [24] Holidays usually mean more work hours for retail workers, because stores run promotions and sales. 2. As you can see, the world is mostly divided between countries that celebrate a national independence day and countries that celebrate a national unification or revolution day. Ralph Northam signed into law a measure that, among other things, makes Election Day a state holiday in the commonwealth. Election Practices in Other Countries That America Could Learn From In fact, in Estonia, the option tovoteonlineis becoming increasingly popular. 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. Chicago, Illinois 60654 USA, Natalie Leppard Russia's national holiday only goes back to 1992, when the Russian Federation was founded. Given this, an Election Day holiday would remove a significant barrier to participation for relatively well-to-do potential voters while doing little to make voting easier for a significant. Election Day in the United States of America is the Tuesday following the first Monday in November. In Sweden, for example, 83% of registered voters participated in the 2014 national . Other countries take heroic efforts to ensure that people can vote if they desire. Many other democracies make election day a holiday and they all have higher voter turnout than we do. 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. I am from Malta - a tiny EU island nation and today we celebrate the shipwreck of St. Paul on our island. 2020, Virginia. Compulsory voting does not necessarily guarantee 100% turnout rates, however, though they still see higher rates than countries which do not require it. And. 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. Countries that hold the ballot before Sunday are not permitted to announce results until all other countries have finished voting. Election Day in the United States - Time and Date Is Election Day a national holiday? Why you don't get the day off Holidays, law.cornell.edu (accessed Sep. 30, 2019), Matthew Haag, "Mitch McConnell Calls Push to Make Election Day a Holiday a Democratic Power Grab," nytimes.com, Jan. 31, 2019, Drew DeSilver, "U.S. Trails Most Developed Countries in Voter Turnout, pewresearch.org, May 21, 2018, Gustavo Lpez and Antonio Flores, "Dislike of Candidates or Campaign Issues Was Most Common Reason for Not Voting in 2016, pewresearch.org, June 1, 2017, Beau C. Tremitiere, "Election Day Should Be a National Holiday, cnbc.com, July 5, 2016, York Dispatch Editorial Board, "Editorial: On Voting, GOP Takes a Holiday from its Senses, yorkdispatch.com, Feb. 1, 2019, Tacey Rychter, "How Compulsory Voting Works: Australians Explain," nytimes.com, Nov. 5, 2018, Archon Fung and Jane Mansbridge, "Lets Vote, Party and Celebrate American Democracy on a New Holiday Called Citizen Day, usatoday.com, Oct. 26, 2018, Thomas MacMillan, "This Might Be the Best Idea for Turning out More Voters in U.S. Elections, nymag.com, July 8, 2017, Drew Desilver, "Weekday Elections Set the U.S. apart from Many Other Advanced Democracies, pewresearch.org, Nov. 6, 2018, Kathy Frankovic, "St. Patricks Day Not So Popular - Americans Would Rather Election Day a Holiday, today.yougov.com, Mar. 3. Sunday: the second Sunday of March for Congress, and the second Sunday of May for President and Vice President. Consider the potential benefits and difficulties of changing election day. Pew also found that certain issues motivate voters more than others: "health care, poverty and education are the top motivators for political engagement." Should the Voting Age Be Lowered to 16? But they never go far and die in committee without a vote. Such a change would mostly benefit white-collar workers instead of the lower-income workers its designed to help. Tuesday was chosen because it was most convenient for farmers traveling by horse and buggy at the time. Is Election Day a federal holiday? Here's what is open, closed Tuesday Understanding what happened in the Chicago mayoral race. Sunday. All 435 representatives were up for re-election, as well as a third ofsenators, and countless elections for governors, mayors, state legislators, and local government across the country. And I think on Election Day we should have a national holiday which says, 'you don't have to rush to vote.' Because the impact of a federal holiday is far-reaching, many states and workplaces would likely follow suit. "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. The bill would also effectively revive Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which requires states with a history of voter discrimination have all changes to their election laws approved by the federal government, updating the law in response to the Supreme Courts 2013 holding in Shelby County v. Holder. As of mid-May Republicans in 48 states have introduced 389 bills that would reduce the hours polls are open; forbid people from eating or drinking while waiting in line to vote; close voter registration on Sundays, when Black churches traditionally have organized their members to register and vote; repeal no excuse absentee voting; and create a long list of other barriers to voting. Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters. 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. Reformers will be far more successful adding a few days or options or opportunities than trying to undo Election Day.. Election Day in USA in 2023 | Office Holidays For rest of the festival holidays the declaration . [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. 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. (And in case youre curious, November was chosen as the month for similar reasons: It was after fall harvest was over but before the cold winter weather set in.). Theyare still considerably higher than in the United States, which typically sees about 65% on average turn out to vote for major elections. So, workers having a day off to vote wouldn't be a disruption to the economy, or anything a citizen of our country could deny would be worthwhile and smart thing to do. The earliest possible date that Election Day can fall on is November 2nd, and the latest possible date is November 8th. 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. Election day should be a national holiday. Which type of claim is this 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. 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. 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. [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. For example, in Ecuador, only literate citizens between 18 and 65 are required to vote; those over 65 or who are not literateare not required. Election Day isn't a national holiday in the US, but some people think it should be. Why Election Day Isn't a National Holiday in the US - Business Insider 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. 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 overall look at Vietnam's election law", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Election_day&oldid=1136894393. "I'm not a fan," said Eddie Perez, an election administration and election technology expert at the Open Source Election Technology (OSET) Institute. But these days, Tuesdays are actually quite inconvenient for many Americans, particularly those who cant take time off work to cast their ballots a problem that disproportionately affects Black, Latino and lower-income voters. Georgia grassroots groups helped Biden win. Today in my country it is a national holiday as we celebrate the day February 26, 2023, 5:06 AM. Why Isn't Election Day A National Holiday In The United States? - HuffPost Maybe that could give us some hint as to the frequent foreign sensitivities and accusations, right or wrong, about Western foreign policy echoing old colonial practices. In an interview published Thursday, President Obama endorsed the idea of holding U.S. federal elections on weekends or national holidays. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. [14][35] In Australia, where voting is mandatory, elections are celebrated with parties and barbeques nationwide, resulting in turnout rates around 90%. 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. Some countries, about 27 of them,make voting compulsory. And even a number of the blue countries, such as Australia and Canada, are actually the product of colonialism. It can fall on or between November 2 and November 8. Read more: You can take time off from work to vote in 30 states here's the full list. For federal offices (president, vice president, and United States Congress) and most gubernatorial offices (all except for . He says it's more important to spread voting out over a period of days and methods. A number of bills like the Weekend Voting Act have been proposed in Congress over the years, often by Democrats. Sunday: first Sunday of February for the President, Vice-President, and Legislative Assembly; second Sunday of February for municipal elections. 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. By law, polling day is a public holiday if it falls on a weekday. Election Day - Tuesday, Nov. 8 - is a special day, with voters casting ballots across the country. 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. Instead, lawmakers could simply move nearby Veterans Day to Election Day, emphasizing that voting is both a service to the country and a celebration of the rights and freedoms for which our servicemembers fight.

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