countries where election day is a national holiday countries where election day is a national holiday

According to Pew Research data, US voter turnout trails most developed countries. A National Day is a date for a country to celebrate its nationhood. 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. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. "If I had my way, and I think it is really important, every . Fourth Sunday of October immediately before the end of the current mandates. In 2018, the general election was held on Wednesday. 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. [31]. 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. Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives. Making the presidential election a national holiday is another way to get people to the polls. Again, it is not clear that this is demonstrably true but it is a widespread perception. Opponents say kids arent mature enough to vote. 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. 27 September (Wednesday): Day of the French-speaking Community - commemorates the victory of the patriots against the Dutch army in Brussels in 1830. Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey agrees. 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. [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. Updates? This year, Election . Here is the relevant passage from Acts 28: Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. ", ProCon.org. Proponents say the Electoral College ensures everyone selects the president. Australia sees around 91%, and 94% in Singapore. 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. Without this simple step toward turning out as many Americans as possible to vote, any reform will be incomplete. Saturday, but can be any day of the week, such as when a Saturday conflicts with a holiday. 0:00. 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. Other politicians, businesses, and advocacy groups have voiced their approval of celebrating Election Day as a national holiday. Some countries, including Belgium and Turkey, see such high voter turnout mainly because of their compulsory voting laws. Image 2. From 2021, the first Sunday of June. [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. Others say a holiday would disadvantage low-income and blue collar workers and corporations should have better policies for voting time off. Vanita Gupta, CEO of the Leadership Conference on Human and Civil Rights, is working to increase voter participation and decrease voter disenfranchisement. History of Election Day 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. South Korea and Israel hold theirs during the week, but have made the day a federal holiday. And in Australia, there is a fine. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Others have suggested making Veterans Day (Nov. 11), which is already a paid national holiday, Election Day. 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. Most others are not so recent, but still not so old: Taiwan's, for example, goes back to a 1911 uprising. In 2018, a Pewstudy found that 65% of Americans favored making Election Day a national holiday. Sunday: first Sunday of February for the President, Vice-President, and Legislative Assembly; second Sunday of February for municipal elections. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider 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. Executive director and founder of the Center for Election Innovation & Research David Becker argues that increasing turnout is a nuanced problem that can't be fixed by declaring a holiday. Virginia joined these states in April this year. 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. Whether accurate or not, elected officials likely think that making it easier to vote would advantage one party at the expense of the other party.. Last week his office released a list of voting rights provisions he would support. 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. John M. Cunningham, "Why Are U.S. Because of the pandemic, more U.S. voters are exploring alternatives to voting on Election Day, such as early voting and mail-in voting. 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. For more on the debate about making election day a national holiday, visit ProCon.org. 3. 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. According to Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus, Australia adopted compulsory voting in 1924 after turnout there dropped to less than 60 percent in 1922. 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. Right now, federal elections are always held on Tuesdays, because farmers in the 1840s needed multiple days to get to the . 5. Tuesday was chosen because it was most convenient for farmers traveling by horse and buggy at the time. "While this would not be a cure-all, it would indicate a national commitment to create a more vibrant democracy.". In an interview with President Barack Obama in 2016, Dan Corey, editor-in-chief of Rutgers University's official student newspaper, The Daily Targum, asked Obama about what could be done to reverse the US's low voter turnout: The Daily Targum: "You have pointed out many times that voter turnout in the United States is very low, especially compared to other developed nations. 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! For other uses, see. Some countries use electronic voting machines, such as India, while others rely on paper ballots, such as Zimbabwe. Lists national days around the world by country or date. [8], In the 2016 presidential election, 55.7% of the American voting-age population cast a ballot. Many Americans know that Election Day is a Tuesday, but few know why. Most National Days are fixed, exceptions to this are shown below. The U.S. ranks 26th out of 32 for voter among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. What other improvements could be made to voting and Election Day? Whether election day should be made a national holiday is debated. Sunday. Democracy on the ballot will the remaining election deniers succeed? Election Day - Tuesday, Nov. 8 - is a special day, with voters casting ballots across the country. Proponents say teens are knowledgeable enough to vote. Even people youd expect to know, like politicians, have been stumped by this very question. 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. There is no fixed election day for general elections, although since 1986 every general election has been held on Sunday. Rather, federal elections are held on the third Monday of October, every four years . 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. Will the party listen to them on the issues? 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Proper citation depends on your preferred or required style manual. An ordinary act of Congress could move Election Day to a Saturday or make it a holiday, thereby giving more people more . 2. Voter turnout in the United States is usually considered low, especially in years without a presidential election. WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - Election Day should be a holiday for workers in the United States, President Joe Biden said on Thursday. Election Day in the United States of America is the Tuesday following the first Monday in November. As old as all of these societies are, their senses of national identity are commemorated by remarkably recent events. Many other democracies make election day a holiday and they all have higher voter turnout than we do. 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. Election dates are determined by the General Elections Commission (Indonesian: Typically on a Friday, but precise date set by, Municipal, provincial, and regional elections take place on a Sunday, as do elections for the. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? And some countries, like Australia, require people to vote by subjecting those who don't to a minor fine equivalent to a traffic ticket. 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. As a holiday, that means several millions of people would have the day off from work or school, making it way . Like Perez, Becker thinks giving voters more time and opportunity to vote is the best approach. Could that ever happen in the U.S.? Tuesday is Election Day, but only in some parts of the country will voters get the day off to cast their ballots. On Sunday, Virginia Democratic Gov. 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. In Thailand, one of the very few countries outside of Europe that was never formally colonized, the king's birthday is celebrated (don't insult him or you might go to jail, per the lese majeste laws). The result is voter turnout rates of 72.3% and 77.2% respectively, which is 26-32% higher than the United States. 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. October 26, 2020 / 10:57 AM 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. Yet, few of us, especially those who have worked on Capitol Hill, harbor . a list of voting rights provisions he would support. Sign up to receive a weekly email update on forthcoming public holidays around the world in your inbox every Sunday. 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. "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. ", "An overall look at Vietnam's election law", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Election_day&oldid=1136894393. Last modified on October 1, 2020. Georgia grassroots groups helped Biden win. 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. 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. [31][32] Trying one of these alternatives would avoid the negative economic impact of closing businesses for Election Day. Because the impact of a federal holiday is far-reaching, many states and workplaces would likely follow suit. 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 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. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Presidential elections are held every four years, in years divisible by four, while the elections to the . These numbers also may be indicative of higher turnout for major elections, but may not reflect engagement in local or regional elections. However, some countries, or regions within a country, which hold elections on a weekday declare election day a public holiday. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. Pew also found that certain issues motivate voters more than others: "health care, poverty and education are the top motivators for political engagement." We are very proud that we are mentioned in the Bible. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. For more information on how to vote, head over to our TurboVote module. "We should be making it easier for people to vote, not harder. 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. 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. 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. 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 . Or is it an optimistic idea that would exclude already disadvantaged voters while failing to increase turnout? By law, polling day is a public holiday if it falls on a weekday. Read More, Election Day is a holiday in Puerto Rico. If so, how? 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. 4. 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. Consider the pandemic, which has not given essential workers more time off. Election Day is not a national holiday in 2022, but some states require employees get paid time off to vote. [9], Former Editor-in-Chief of the Northwestern University Law Review, Beau C. Tremitiere, JD, stated, The demands of school and work schedules keep millions of Americans, especially those with children or long commutes, from ever getting to their polling stations The ideal solution is simple: Congress should make Election Day a national holiday, or move Election Day to the weekend. [10] A holiday would allow more citizens volunteer at polling places or drive the elderly to vote, and make a difference in states where long lines at the polls keep voters waiting for hours. It would take an act of Congress to make Election Day a national holiday, and there is currently a bill proposing to designate "Democracy Day" as a national election holiday before a special committee. While some states have made Election Day a civic holiday (though it primarily applies to public workers) and most have laws that require companies to give employees some time off to vote, none of the legislative efforts to enact these changes on a national level have been successful. Before that point, states could hold their presidential elections on any day within a certain 34-day window. So the question of how you label Ireland goes back to which holiday you consider its national day. Portugal celebrates the 1580 death of celebrated national poet Luis de Camoes, Spain celebrates Columbus Day (yes, the holiday is a little controversial there as well, although not as much as in the U.S.), the Netherlands celebrates the queen's birthday but it still use her mother's birthday for the date and, in Greenland, the celebrate the longest day of the year. 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. We are the only advanced democracy that makes it deliberately difficult for people to vote. Veterans Day typically is about one week after Election Day so this would involve little disruption in terms of job schedules and monthly routines. Research has found that higher trust in the government and democratic process leads to greater voter turnout. [24] Holidays usually mean more work hours for retail workers, because stores run promotions and sales. In fact, in Estonia, the option tovoteonlineis becoming increasingly popular. 1. Other countries may only require it of certain people, and otherwise make it voluntary for others. 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. Whether election day in the United States should be made a national holiday is debated. For rest of the festival holidays the declaration . Israel and South Korea hold their elections on weekdays, but they're national holidays. [14], Pew Research Center found that 71% of Democrats and 59% of Republicans support making Election Day a federal holiday. Litigation pending before the Supreme Court this term in Brnovich v. DNC, however, threatens to undermine this rule. Countries like Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Mexico also showed high voter turnout rates by having holidays. Countries which permit absentee ballots, early ballots or postal votes to be cast by mail before the election avoid the problem altogether by enabling voters to vote on a day that is more convenient to them. 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. 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Skip Navigation The U.S. House of Representatives just passed H.R. 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. Presented by:Defense Language and National Security Education Office, 60% of the eligible voting population vast a vote, looked at a few different methods of voting. Essential reporting and analysis from correspondents around the world. [3] In 1800, 83% of the American labor force was agrarian, but today only 11% of total US employment is agriculture-related. Passing voting rights reform will be a crucial component of this response, as would making Election Day a national holiday. 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. South Africa's is from the first democratic elections, in 1994. People literally cannot get to the polling booth because it may close at 7 o'clock and they're working later. But some election analysts told CBS News that making Election Day a holiday is not a way to make voting easier. Topics Explainers Politics US Evergreen US Explainers YOU MIGHT LIKE This is the day we cast ballots to select public officials from local to the national government. February 26, 2023, 5:06 AM. Opponents say it allows only a few states to select the president. Office Holidays provides calendars with dates and information on public holidays and bank holidays in key countries around the world. 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. Nine states classify general elections as holidays: Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Virginia. ProCon/Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Compulsory voting does not necessarily guarantee 100% turnout rates, however, though they still see higher rates than countries which do not require it. 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. [ 17] Countries such as France, Mexico, and India also observe federal holidays for elections. The outliers are a tiny minority, and only two countries have no formal national day at all. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. In the 2016 presidential election, 14% of registered voters cited being too busy or having a conflicting schedule as the main reason they didnt cast their ballots, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data. [17] Countries such as France, Mexico, and India also observe federal holidays for elections. the Tuesday that occurs within November 2 to November 8. Twenty-seven of the 36 member countries, hold their elections on the weekend.