We need an Election Day Holiday

[Rustynaerduwell]

America is a liberal majority nation in which the liberal majority does not vote in the same numbers that the conservative minority votes. If everybody voted we'd have a better, more representative democracy. The best way to get everybody to vote is to give them the day off with pay (but) only if they vote.

[bearsfootball516]

1. There are so many mind-blowingly obvious ways to increase turnout. This is one of them.

Make election day a holiday. Could also make it election weekend instead of election day. Have voting take place on the first Saturday/Sunday of November. Turnout would absolutely skyrocket.

[Dave Starsky]

2. Turn Veteran's Day into Election Day.

1) It happens around the same time as the current Election Day.
2) It wouldn't add any other holidays to our schedule.
3) I can think of no greater tribute to our veterans than by celebrating the democracy that they fight and/or die for.
4) Memorial Day and Independence Day have now become veterans' holidays, as well.

[sunonmars]

3. GOP does not want skyrocket turnout.....

[thucythucy]

5. A two or three day election

would be hugely helpful, allowing working people a better chance of being able to make it to the polls.

But why keep the election in November, when weather is so often crappy, especially in northern (blue) states?

The original reason for having elections the first Tuesday in November was to give farmers (at that time the vast majority of voters) a chance to travel to the polls. By the beginning of November the crops were in, and farmers often had a bit of down time. The point is, elections were originally timed to make it more convenient for voters to vote. Now the timing has the opposite effect.

We could shift the election to June and that alone would increase turnout.

Not that Republicans would ever support anything that gives working people a more equal chance to vote.

[Hortensis]

22. :) A Tuesday as always, when communities come together

to celebrate this incredibly special event with special activities, concerts, picnics, speeches, fundracing races, parties, church events, and so on. And of course for those who haven't, to vote, register, etc.

No long weekends, many would take off, some who would have voted even missing it.

[Lee-Lee]

4. You realize you can't force private employers to give a day off, right?

People float this idea all the time as if it was possible to just wave a wand and grant everyone a day off.

That’s not how it works. The government in this nation doesn’t have the power to declare private employers must give a holiday, even unpaid much less paid.

If you declare a holiday then Federal workers get the day off. State and municipal workers also if they decide to, but in many cases they don’t. That is it.

Private jobs don’t. Some follow a convention for things like July 4 or Memorial Day, but a whole lot don’t. And a whole lot would not regardless, there are a lot of industries where you can’t just close shop for a day.

Seriously, do you think that plan would even be remotely workable? I won’t even get into the legal aspects, just from a logistical standpoint it’s not workable. You can’t shut down a nation and give everyone a day off with pay.

[thucythucy]

7. I think a better solution would be what some European democracies do--

open voting up to two or even three days, making sure one of those days fell on a weekend. You could time it to include an already existing national holiday, but expanding how much time the polls were open would make voting much more accessible to working people, people who have small kids, people who care for ill of disabled family members, etc.

[crazycatlady]

23. Many states do have early voting which can include weekends

Others have all mail in voting or no reason absentee.

As far as small children go-- this is a good opportunity to educate them on the importance of voting. My parents took me to vote from 7 months through middle school (I was very ill in HS during the presidential election and couldn't leave the house). When my sister was born, we would each go with a different parent. My sister and BIL now bring their kids to the polls with them.

[Lurker Deluxe]

8. Heh

Sure you can ...

Just not exactly sure where you would go to vote, there would not be anyplace open.

Are we giving poll workers the day off too?

[Voltaire2]

16. Poll workers are volunteers wher I live.

I guess your state is different.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

13. And just imagine the Election Day Sales!

Retail workers would be scheduled 12 hours having no opportunity at all to vote. This idea of a federal holiday for election day keeps on being floated, and it's obvious that those floating it just don't get it that a significant number of people don't work 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday with holidays off. They do shift work. They work weekends. They work holidays.

[Lee-Lee]

17. I always have to wonder about the people proposing this idea

It’s obvious they are eithe inexperienced or they have lived fairly blessed and sheltered lives.

Let’s say you could order all retail stores, restaurants, and all other private businesses to close.

You are still left with your police, fire, EMS, hospital workers, power plant workers, radio and TV station crews, public transportation workers and so many more that are essential for society to work.

And then let’s look at the logistics of the “everybody gets a day off” on private industry. What would it take for all truck drivers to all be at home on one day? It would be a disruption of the freight system starting several days in as the companies start moving truckers near home, and several days to recover.

I worked for a paper mill for several years and while I was there we did a full cold mill shutdown for the first time in 25 years. To shut it down for one day requires the start of it a week out as supplies stop, processes stop, equipment gets shut down, etc. to do it all at once would require staring shutting down processes 5-6 days out to reach a point where everything was down for the one day, then a 5-6 day restart process. It would put people out of work more than the one day, some 1-4 days ahead and some 1-4 days after as there is nothing left to do when their step goes cold.

It’s an insane idea to even propose

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

24. Right. Someone who has never worked anything but a "normal"

day job with weekends and holidays off, hasn't a clue what it's like for the others. It's like they don't even get it, when they go out to eat after work, that the server is a shift worker. Or, as you pointed out, police, fire, EMS, and so on.

Most of my working life has been shift work, and I generally liked it except for never getting a holiday off, and never even getting a day off in lieu of. As I often point out, I worked 40 hours a week, every week (and often more because of involuntary overtime) fifty weeks a year.

And thank you for describing what was involved in the full cold mill shutdown. I have never worked in a factory of any kind, so there would be a lot related to that kind of work that I never think about.

Which is why at least two full weeks of early voting is far, far better than election day being a holiday. I think that suggestion comes mainly from those unfortunate enough to live in one of the very backward states that has no early voting at all. Here's a link to an excellent article on this, including a map showing which states have early voting, no early voting, and so on.

http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/absentee-and-early-voting.aspx

[Lee-Lee]

31. Yeah Early Voting is the much better answer

We have it here in NC although the GOP has been trying to mess with the hours (making it fewer days but more hours on the remaining days and cutting out Sundays. The hours thing I can see both ways and it actually helped me having polling places open longer even if it was fewer days, but the cutting out Sunday voting was a direct assault on black turnout since many black churches go in groups to early vote after services). Even when the monkeyed with schedule was in effect it was still a much easier way to vote.

[FreeState]

19. At least here in CA businesses are required to give you time off to vote

edit to add link:

http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/time-vote-notices/

[MichMan]

26. Exactly

Some people take buses and taxis to vote. How would they get to the polls if those drivers had the day off too?

[YessirAtsaFact]

30. The government can change wage and hour laws to make employers pay triple time

For work on Election Day.

For that matter, the government can absolutely make operating any non-essential business on Election Day a crime.

[Drahthaardogs]

6. Part of me worries people would then say

"I can't be bothered to vote on my extra day off"

[Lee-Lee]

11. The same people who don't vote now would not want to waste a "free" day off

I expect your right.

The problem isn’t access to the polls, between Election Day, early voting and absentee ballots that isn’t difficult. The problem is that people don’t care enough.

Giving them the day off would not motivate them more. And a full day off would possibly be more likely to take them away from home and their polling place all day for recreational activities.

[BSdetect]

9. Its a way to suppress turnout.

In Australia it is always held on a Saturday.

Electoral boundaries are determined independently.

There are postal votes IN EVERY STATE.

Voting is compulsory.

There are plenty of voting sites so waiting is minimal.

The USA is so messed up re voting.

[malaise]

10. That or guarantee citizens three hours off from work on election day

so they can vote

[hatrack]

12. NO, we need an election weekend . . .

First full weekend in November, 7:00 to 7:00 on both days.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

14. A vastly better solution is to have widespread early voting.

I live in New Mexico where early voting starts several weeks before any election day. I can go to any of the several voting places near me, tell them who I am, and they print up the specific ballot on the spot. This past Thursday I early voted and it was as painless as it could be.

The bit about printing up on the spot the correct ballot is also crucial. There are too many stories of people showing up at the wrong precinct and being unable to vote, or given a "provisional" ballot.

It is, in my opinion, absolutely criminal that so many very populous states have no early voting.

Perhaps doing all voting by mail, the way Oregon, Washington state, and Colorado do is the way of the future.

[Voltaire2]

15. We need comprehensive reform.

Yes of course Election Day should be a holiday- but that is rather low on the list of what has to change.

[Codeine]

18. Anybody who wants to vote is already voting

with the obvious exception of people who have their vote suppressed with voter ID laws and what have you.

But almost nobody is failing to vote because they can’t find the time. They can do a mail-in ballot or early voting. Non-voting comes not from a lack of time but from a lack of motivation and concern.

[rollin74]

20. here in Nevada we have 2 WEEKS of early voting. No excuses not to vote here

if you can’t get your ass to the polls in 2 weeks... it ain’t gonna happen

you can also vote at a multitude of locations across your county
it’s so easy and convenient

[smirkymonkey]

21. I think that would be a great idea, but I think it would be even better to have an election weekend

in addition to the weekday voting. Spread it over 4 days, ending on Tuesday and that way almost everyone would be able to find the time to get out and vote.

[UTUSN]

25. Is tomorrow too soon?!1

[TimeSnowDemos]

27. Even better

Make voting quick and easy.

Here in Ireland voting takes less than 5 mins. The whole process. No lines.

Imagine.

And of course polling stations are open until 10pm.

[lordsummerisle]

28. Washington State and Oregon

have mail-in voting which I understand works very well.

[Retrograde]

29. Why not just go the Oregon or California routes?

Oregon is vote by mail for all: voters can fill out their ballots at leisure and send them in before election day. California offers a varieties of ways to vote, including mail-in (any voter can request a mail ballot; some counties are experimenting with all mail voting this June) and early voting at the county registrars' offices and, in some counties, selected locations. Mail-in ballots can also be dropped off at many locations in each county, or at any polling place on election day. Moreover, employers are required to give employees up to 3 hours off to vote if they need it.

And still people find excuses.

[Rhiannon12866]

32. Absolutely! But it'll be a tough fight at this point

The Republicans continue to do everything they can think of to depress voter turnout, especially among those populations likely to vote Democratic.