Do you think election day should be a national holiday?

[JumpyTheFrog]

Do you think election day should be a national holiday? Our local polls are open today 6:30am-7:30pm and this could still make it difficult for people working 12 hour shifts to vote. We do have early voting available, but it seems like it would be good to expand the hours.

[Daria]

I think employers should be obligated to give paid time off for voting, by arranging shifts or whatever.  I think it should be up to the employer whether they accommodate this by making it a day off, or by staggering shifts, or whatever. 

 

In my experience many of the people working 12 hours days are in jobs like nursing where a national holiday wouldn't mean that they're off, just that they're paid more.

[clementine]

If there was a way to prove that you actually voted, I wish you could get paid time off for the hour(s) of work that was missed.  

 

But I suppose some people would find a way to abuse the system anyway.  

[Carol in Cal.]

No, but I think we should vote on weekends, over a two day period.

[regentrude]

No, because even on a national holiday, there are people who have to work. Employers should be required to give time off for voting.

It would make things much easier if elections were held on Sundays, as is the case in many other countries.

 

But in the end, I do not see a big problem since people who are unable to vote on election day have the opportunity to vote by mail in ballot, or in some states early.

[Loowit]

It wouldn't make any sense to have it as a national holiday, not all states vote in person.  Our state is votes by mail.

[bettyandbob]

No, but I think we should vote on weekends, over a two day period.

 

 

I work weekends. Often both days. 

 

I do think there should be more flexibility on voting. The people who have the easiest time making arrangements to get to the polls are those in higher level management positions, who are able to say "I'll be coming in late (or early) on Tuesday and working later (or earlier). People who work shift schedules do not have that flexibility. People who work multiple part time jobs without benefits often have no flexibility--they work the shifts they can get. If I can know my schedule ahead, sometimes I do early voting. 

[creekland]

I wouldn't have minded having today off since it got up to 74.  ;)

 

I still voted (after work), but I agree that there should be some system to ensure everyone who wants to vote can vote without losing pay.

[HS Mom in NC]

We can vote by mail and vote early. No need to go in person to vote but many people drop their mail in vote at the polls in person because most people don't trust the post office with important things.

 

Here are the state laws for voting leave: https://www.shrm.org/LegalIssues/StateandLocalResources/StateandLocalStatutesandRegulations/Documents/statevotinglaw.pdf

 

 

[marbel]

I'd rather see vote by mail.  It actually doesn't have to be by mail.  I used to vote at the public library - a locked box was there for our sealed ballot envelopes.  My husband and I would complete our ballots at home, then I'd take them and let the kids drop them in the box.  Of course my husband could have taken his own.  There were a lot of places one could drop their ballots off if one did not want to use the mail.

 

It was, to me, a very civilized way to vote.  I think even more so after I came to PA, which allows people to have signs and hand out flyers to people as they approach the polling place.  I mean, like right outside the door.  Then there was that voter intimidation case in Philadelphia a few years back; that wouldn't be possible if people could vote at home.

[Word Nerd]

No, because it's unnecessary and I think it's up to the voter to be informed and vote early, by mail, or work something out with their employer. It's not that difficult. I managed to do it while living in another country. 

[Pam in CT]

We have absentee voting and early voting, and our polls are open from 6a-8p, so I think most people are able to work something out as long as they're organized and plan accordingly.

 

 

 

We can vote by mail and vote early. No need to go in person to vote but many people drop their mail in vote at the polls in person because most people don't trust the post office with important things.

 

Here are the state laws for voting leave: https://www.shrm.org/LegalIssues/StateandLocalResources/StateandLocalStatutesandRegulations/Documents/statevotinglaw.pdf

Interesting - thanks for this.  I guess if a state isn't listed (CT isn't, forex) there is no legislation addressing the issue?

[Ali in OR]

We've had vote by mail (and only by mail) in OR for maybe 10 years? It works very well--it's nice to be able to peruse the voter's manual at the kitchen table, reading all of the arguments for and against a particular measure at your leisure. We can discuss how we're voting with our kids and they watch us do it. We can vote a few weeks before election day or drop off our ballots on election day if we didn't get to it earlier.

[MEmama]

We've had vote by mail (and only by mail) in OR for maybe 10 years? It works very well--it's nice to be able to peruse the voter's manual at the kitchen table, reading all of the arguments for and against a particular measure at your leisure. We can discuss how we're voting with our kids and they watch us do it. We can vote a few weeks before election day or drop off our ballots on election day if we didn't get to it earlier.

We missed going to the polls when we lived in Oregon. It felt so anticlimactic, with no sense of community. I know it's popular, though.

[sassenach]

With the advent of vote by mail, no, I think a holiday is unnecessary.

[73349]

I would like people to be guaranteed enough time off to vote. I used to work an hour from my assigned polling place, and there can be last-minute changes that will affect how people vote.

My state legislature  has significantly reduced early voting hours because they didn't like how much people were using them. :(

With the majority of eligible voters not voting in most elections, anything that increases participation would be an improvement IMO.

[J-rap]

No, but businesses should be required to allow their employees a longer lunch hour or a late start or whatever it takes in order for them to vote.  And then the employees in return should be required to bring back some kind of a "I voted" receipt to show that they actually voted!

[bettyandbob]

where I live, you are not supposed to voted absentee or early unless your reason fits into specific categories--"work schedule issues" is not one of the categories. They don't really check whether people are being honest about their reasons for early or absentee voting, but it always makes me pause and think "do I really have an excuse that fits here" when I review the form before voting. 

[Cinder]

I think if it was made a holiday it would just be another excuse for retailers to turn it into a big shopping extravaganza.

 

 

[Arctic Bunny]

Interesting! For some reason, I assumed other countries would be the same as us :) Employers are obligated to give their employees the opportunity to vote on Election Day. We also have advance polls about a week before, and now you don't need a reason to vote early. You can also fill out a form if you are in a different constituency on Election Day.

[meena]

No. Our area is good about having pre-Election Day voting for major races as well as mail-in ballots for major and minor. DH works out of state and still manages to vote despite not being around for many elections. In many cases, where there's a will there's a way--at least where we live.

 

Editing to clarify that by major I mean county/state/federal. Minor=municipal.

[regentrude]

Interesting! For some reason, I assumed other countries would be the same as us

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Election_day

 

The vast majority of countries vote on Sundays.

[mamaraby]

I work weekends. Often both days.

 

I do think there should be more flexibility on voting. The people who have the easiest time making arrangements to get to the polls are those in higher level management positions, who are able to say "I'll be coming in late (or early) on Tuesday and working later (or earlier). People who work shift schedules do not have that flexibility. People who work multiple part time jobs without benefits often have no flexibility--they work the shifts they can get. If I can know my schedule ahead, sometimes I do early voting.

This. Dh rarely has weekends off. Our state cut down on the amount of time available to vote by absentee ballot and has generally made voting more difficult these days. They've also elimintaed extended voting hours that used to make it easier for people to vote.

 

I don't know that making it a national holiday would help nor would voting on Sundays - there are 24/7 jobs that will never all be able to take off. I do think that we need to make it easier to vote, though, not harder.

[vonfirmath]

I'd rather see vote by mail.  It actually doesn't have to be by mail.  I used to vote at the public library - a locked box was there for our sealed ballot envelopes.  My husband and I would complete our ballots at home, then I'd take them and let the kids drop them in the box.  Of course my husband could have taken his own.  There were a lot of places one could drop their ballots off if one did not want to use the mail.

 

It was, to me, a very civilized way to vote.  I think even more so after I came to PA, which allows people to have signs and hand out flyers to people as they approach the polling place.  I mean, like right outside the door.  Then there was that voter intimidation case in Philadelphia a few years back; that wouldn't be possible if people could vote at home.

 

I had friends in WA that were very thankful they had the option (At the time) to vote in their polling places. They both agreed if they had been vote by mail only, as long as they were at home/going to college on their parents dime), their parents would have sat down and dictated how they voted without recourse. Being able to go privately into a polling booth and vote only for who THEY wanted to was quite Valuable.

 

[LucyStoner]

Our entire state votes by mail. Problem solved.

[Daria]

Our entire state votes by mail. Problem solved.

 

Doesn't that create a whole different set of issues?  How do people who can't read or rely on technology to read vote?

[Frances]

We missed going to the polls when we lived in Oregon. It felt so anticlimactic, with no sense of community. I know it's popular, though.

I also missed the sense of community at first, but now I prefer it. I really like being able to leisurely sit down with the ballot and the voter's pamphlet and slowly complete my ballot, looking up more information as I go.

 

We also now have automatic registration when you get your driver's license. Personally, I think it should be as easy as possible to register and vote. Documented cases of voter fraud are incredibly rare.

[Arcadia]

I was married on election day in my own country and anniversary is again on an election day here :lol:

 

I can't vote here. I don't mind election day being a national holiday :)

 

Interesting! For some reason, I assumed other countries would be the same as us :)

Singapore's election day is a national holiday and it was on Friday this year so most people had a long weekend to enjoy.

[Catwoman]

No. I see no need for Election Day to be a holiday.

[LucyStoner]

Doesn't that create a whole different set of issues? How do people who can't read or rely on technology to read vote?

Before vote by mail we still had a printed paper ballot here (a majority of WA voters are ***adamant*** about keeping our paper ballot).

 

Most disabled or vision impaired voters have historically opted to vote absentee/mail rather than go to the polls. We've had the choice for decades.

 

Everyone I personally know who needs assistance voting *vastly* prefers the mail in option. They can have a friend or caregiver help them in the manner they are most comfortable. If they don't want to get help from someone, they have the option of accessing an assisted voting unit/AVU (with accessibility options for vision and other impairments) for 18 days before the election. Meaning that instead of having to make time on Election Day, they can choose what day to run that errand that works best for them.

 

The only people I know who are unhappy with this change able bodied older retired folks without jobs to worry about who liked the tradition of going to the polls or liked being paid to work at the polls.

 

I've always voted by mail myself, before it was universal, and much prefer it. There are drop boxes for ballots open until 8 or 9 on Election Day for those who don't want to bother with a stamp.

 

Zero lines. More days to vote. Able to research/double check as you fill out your ballot. Faster results posted. More or less the same system that most voters in need of assistance have long used here. AVU available if needed/wanted. I don't see the downsides.

[Mergath]

Interesting! For some reason, I assumed other countries would be the same as us :) Employers are obligated to give their employees the opportunity to vote on Election Day. We also have advance polls about a week before, and now you don't need a reason to vote early. You can also fill out a form if you are in a different constituency on Election Day.

That's the law here in Minnesota, that your employer has to give yout time to go vote without deducting it from salary or wages. I'm shocked. I thought it was like that in every state. I never realized there were people who couldn't vote (before mail voting, at least) because they couldn't get time off of work. :(

[TechWife]

No, I don't think it should be a national holiday. Many people stop to vote on their way to/from work as they pass their polling place. I think voting numbers might actually go down if it were a holiday because this "drive by" traffic would be reduced. Voting day would just turn into a day of sales. 

 

In my area, polls are open 12 1/2 hours, there is early voting and absentee voting. Early voting is available both on weekdays and weekends. I think those that want to vote have the opportunity to do so. 

 

FWIW, employers that both I and my husband have worked for have allowed long lunch hours, late arrival and early departure to allow employees time to vote. Pay was not affected. 

 

[TechWife]

I also missed the sense of community at first, but now I prefer it. I really like being able to leisurely sit down with the ballot and the voter's pamphlet and slowly complete my ballot, looking up more information as I go.

 

 

 

We can take notes into the ballot area - as far as I know there aren't any laws against that. I've seen people with voters guides, handwritten notes, newspaper articles, etc.. I don't even think they can prevent you from using a cell phone if you want to look something up on the internet. 

[Daria]

We can take notes into the ballot area - as far as I know there aren't any laws against that. I've seen people with voters guides, handwritten notes, newspaper articles, etc.. I don't even think they can prevent you from using a cell phone if you want to look something up on the internet. 

 

Here cell phones must be off in the polling places.  I'm not sure if that's federal law or state.

[LucyStoner]

We can take notes into the ballot area - as far as I know there aren't any laws against that. I've seen people with voters guides, handwritten notes, newspaper articles, etc.. I don't even think they can prevent you from using a cell phone if you want to look something up on the internet.

Call me nuts but I prefer to be at my own kitchen table with a nice beverage and no one waiting in line behind me. Way easier. Way less likely to get tripped up by ballot wording. Very leisurely pace. We usually do it at the same time and talk about the whole process with our kids.

[Farrar]

I think there will always be some people who wish to vote in person and some jurisdictions where it makes the most sense. I support both the vote being moved to weekends and increasing mail in vote access and options.

 

I'm generally for all the things that make voting easier. Automatic registration, same day registration, vote consolidation, moving Election Day, keeping polls open late, etc. etc.

 

Here, early voting is pretty common and it's nice because you don't have to vote at your polling location. Of course, my polling location can be seen from my house so I usually just go that day.

[LucyStoner]

We've had vote by mail (and only by mail) in OR for maybe 10 years? It works very well--it's nice to be able to peruse the voter's manual at the kitchen table, reading all of the arguments for and against a particular measure at your leisure. We can discuss how we're voting with our kids and they watch us do it. We can vote a few weeks before election day or drop off our ballots on election day if we didn't get to it earlier.

Time flies. Oregon got all mail voting in 1998 and the practice was wide spread via open request absentee before that. So far WA and CO are the only other states on this model.

 

I love that voter registration is automatic in Oregon. I wish it was that way here.

[KungFuPanda]

I think all of the people who want to vote are doing so. A holiday wouldn't change the voter turnout.

[umsami]

Yes, or there should be universal vote by mail or some other way to help people participate.  

 

I like that my state has early voting for about 10 days before election day, which really helps.  

[Spy Car]

No, because we're going to need the tax revenues in case my guy (woman? ) wins :D

 

Bill

[Farrar]

I think all of the people who want to vote are doing so. A holiday wouldn't change the voter turnout.

I don't know that a holiday would either, but I don't think everyone who wants to vote is simply because places that do early voting or make mail in ballots much easier or make voter registration much easier do see more people voting. So there are things we can be doing that do make it easier, even if a holiday might not be one, or might not be worth the expense.

[Ewe Mama]

No.

[El...]

I would like a holiday, because I think it would say something about how we view the importance of the event as a nation.  Let's dump Columbus, and take a day off for Election Day!  (I know it isn't that simple.)

[Lanny]

No, I don't think election day should be a National Holiday. Here in Colombia, all elections are on Sundays. Fewer people work on Sundays, and their employers should (IMHO) be sure that they are able to vote, if they are working on Election Day.

[Word Nerd]

I would like a holiday, because I think it would say something about how we view the importance of the event as a nation. Let's dump Columbus, and take a day off for Election Day! (I know it isn't that simple.)

I've never had that day off at work or school.

[AmandaVT]

Where we live, it's not necessary. DH and I like to vote early, so we go to our little town hall, vote in one of the conference rooms, taking as much time as we need and get an apple (usually) on our way out. Very relaxing. we've voted at the polls a few times and it's a similar experience - no wait, we bring donations to the food bank, very friendly, community oriented. The volunteers hand out candy as you leave. If every polling location was like ours, there would be no need to change anything. We can be in and out in less than 15 min, which is fairly easily absorbed by a lunch break and you can vote early and go in on a day off if you work on election day. 

 

My dad hasn't been able to vote in the past few elections because the wait was over 5 hrs! He's always been interested in politics and enjoys the process. Took me to vote at my first election. In 2012, he stood outside (over 70 yrs old) in the rain for over 2 hrs and ended up leaving because it was getting late and there was no end in sight for the line. 

 

Every election day, I see similar stories on the news. People waiting in lines for hours and hours and hours on end. So I think that it does need to be easier for everyone to vote. I'm not sure if a holiday would do it though. Maybe just allowing everyone to vote early like we have here would help.

[Pam in CT]

I am interested to hear that in other regions, there is a crunch for appropriate spaces for polling and also that teachers/kids are in school.  In the northeast, the schools close.  Good large places with tons of parking.  And lots of parents are compelled to shuffle their regular work routine anyway in order to care for their kids.  I always assumed that was the norm everywhere -- I guess not.

[Pam in CT]

Where we live, it's not necessary. DH and I like to vote early, so we go to our little town hall, vote in one of the conference rooms, taking as much time as we need and get an apple (usually) on our way out. Very relaxing. we've voted at the polls a few times and it's a similar experience - no wait, we bring donations to the food bank, very friendly, community oriented. The volunteers hand out candy as you leave. If every polling location was like ours, there would be no need to change anything. We can be in and out in less than 15 min, which is fairly easily absorbed by a lunch break and you can vote early and go in on a day off if you work on election day. 

 

My dad hasn't been able to vote in the past few elections because the wait was over 5 hrs! He's always been interested in politics and enjoys the process. Took me to vote at my first election. In 2012, he stood outside (over 70 yrs old) in the rain for over 2 hrs and ended up leaving because it was getting late and there was no end in sight for the line. 

 

Every election day, I see similar stories on the news. People waiting in lines for hours and hours and hours on end. So I think that it does need to be easier for everyone to vote. I'm not sure if a holiday would do it though. Maybe just allowing everyone to vote early like we have here would help.

 

Gracious.  That is an abomination.  If I can ask -- what state?  That truly is a compelling argument for early voting, which we've had here as well and works admirably.

 

I worked at our polls yesterday.  At no point from 6a to 1p when I left were there ever more than 4 people in line (maybe 6 minutes).  Our town is small, but really it's just a matter of getting the number of check-in workers properly matched to the number of registered voters.  It's not rocket science, just math.  There's no excuse for what happened to your dad.

[LucyStoner]

I am interested to hear that in other regions, there is a crunch for appropriate spaces for polling and also that teachers/kids are in school.  In the northeast, the schools close.  Good large places with tons of parking.  And lots of parents are compelled to shuffle their regular work routine anyway in order to care for their kids.  I always assumed that was the norm everywhere -- I guess not.

 

In my city when we still had polling places, they were often in schools and churches.  The schools remained open to students on Election day, but gym class was cancelled.  

[SKL]

No, there are enough options for voting that we don't need to give people the whole day off (or even part of a day).