Would making Election Day a Federal Holiday improve voter Turnout?

1. 83

   Chuckposted 7 years ago

   Would making Election Day a Federal Holiday improve voter Turnout?
   
   Senator Bernie Sanders and others have called for making Election Day a national holiday as a way to increase voter participation in elections.  Do you think that this would increase voter turnout on Election Day?  Why or Why Not?  Is it lack of time that prevents people from voting or lack of desire?  And, what about people who don't bother to register - wouldn't this just give them a day off from work?

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2. 77

   Kathleen Cochranposted 7 years ago

   People need to be able to register on Election Day.  There is no reason they can't.
   People need to be able to vote at any polling place in their county or state.  With digital ballots, it's just a matter of putting in their zip code.
   We ought to have elections on Saturdays.
   Eventually, people ought to be able to vote online.  If for no other reason, it would save a great deal of money.
   
   We ought to do a lot of things to make voting easier that we don't do.  And there is nothing stopping us except the will to do it.

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   1. 83

      Chuckposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Voter fraud is a problem and registering on election day makes fraud easier. Registration drives often take place during election years in malls & public places & if a person can't take 2 minutes to sign up at a mall how serious a voter are t

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   2. 66

      ptosisposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      @Chuck, there is no voter fraud at all. That is a false reason.

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   3. 48

      bradmasterOCcalposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Chuck
      I so agree with you.
      Ptosis
      How do you know for sure there is no voter fraud, when we can't verify and validate who is voting. What is wrong with Voter id? My local library requires more time and information to get a library card.

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3. 66

   ptosisposted 7 years ago

   
   
   " ... electoral strategy hinges not just on winning votes, but on suppressing the votes of people who they think will oppose them ... Paul Weyrich [said],
   "I don't want everybody to vote. Elections are not won by a majority of people. They never have been from the beginning of our country, and they are not now. As a matter of fact our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down." - rightwingwatch.org
   
   " According to the May 2013 release of the Census Bureau’s November election survey, “black turnout rates in 2012 exceeded that of whites for the first time.  ... Jim Rice says that “people [are] concerned about the new voter laws contend that the ID requirements erect an unnecessary barrier for some voters, which raises an obvious question: Why is it so difficult for some people to get a photo ID?… But for many people, it’s not quite so easy, starting with the birth certificate, which many poor people and recent immigrants may not have at their fingertips. And, of course, people without photo IDs don’t have driver’s licenses, and likely don’t have a car, so getting to government offices—especially in rural areas without public transportation—can be a complicated, time-consuming process, often requiring time off work and the payment of fees.” - thetempest.
   
   Having elections on a work day suppresses voter turnout. "The Brennan Center's ongoing examination of voter fraud claims reveal that voter fraud is very rare, voter impersonation is nearly non-existent" -  brennancenter
   
   ELECTION FRAUD: It's the Voting Machines, Not the Voters. Russia already hacked DNC to change election results in the US. The NSA itself has been hacked by Russia.
   
   To learn more go to http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016- … -election/
   
   http://boingboing.net/2016/08/12/if-the … acked.html

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   1. 48

      bradmasterOCcalposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      ptosis
      Then we need something like the checks and balances that the state of Nevada uses to ensure that the casinos are not cheating.
      So that would mean for presidential elections, there should only be one machine type and they all use the same sw.

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   2. 83

      Chuckposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Immigrants can't legally vote until they become a citizen. When they become a citizen they receive a certificate of citizenship which is sufficient ID. When  my wife became a citizen she & others were able to register to vote at on the spot.

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4. 48

   bradmasterOCcalposted 7 years ago

   Chuck
   
   Most companies give their workers time to vote, but making it another holiday as you say just gives them a paid day off. And there isn't any guarantee that they will even vote. In addition, all those people that do early voting have already voted before election day.
   
   Improving voter turnout would include an election day blackout shutting down the early results and the predictions of who is going to win. When you wake up on the morning after the election, the results are pretty much solid. What is the purpose of watching the race.
   
   My point is that there shouldn't be any indication during the voting hours as to the interim results. So from Hawaii time to East Coast time voting hours, there shouldn't be any news on the election. As you say, it only discourages people that haven't voted to vote.
   
   So NO Election Day Holiday.

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      Misfit Chickposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      I like your reasoning on the early predictions putting a kink in things - that could be done away with & an election holiday could be useful. Again, just by raising the importance of the idea of voting. So many people are wishy-washy about it.

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5. 0

   LoliHeyposted 7 years ago

   The good thing would be that if people had the day off from work, they'd have time to vote.  Lines are long on Presidential election days.  People who have children and work late may not be able to get down the polls.

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   1. 83

      Chuckposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for your comment.  However, many people in this economy are part time or temporary employees paid hourly and they generally not paid for holidays. This could hurt the working poor.

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      Misfit Chickposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      The 'working poor' always suffer. But, there are many young workers who are 'poor' working at banks and things like that who might not go out of their way to vote, otherwise. It think it would help a LOT to put a spotlight of importance on that day.

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6. 86

   tamarawilhiteposted 7 years ago

   No, because we have early voting for one to two weeks before the election that let you vote on almost any weekday.
   The bigger issue is lack of desire, but that isn't something you can or should try to legislate.

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   1. 83

      Chuckposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      I agree.  I signed up for an early mail in ballot almost 10 years ago and every election since then my wife & I have received our ballots in the mail at home, have marked our voting preferences and mailed our ballots back.

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7. 89

   Karen Hellierposted 7 years ago

   I certainly think that making election day a national holiday would bring in more responsible voters who often get so busy with their jobs and families that they don't have the time to vote, or totally forget to do it because of their busy schedules. Mostly I am thinking of moms who are always multi tasking. I think it would bring more voters, but there will still always be those that are just lazy and just enjoy the day off from work without any intention of voting.

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   1. 83

      Chuckposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for your comment.  However, what is preventing these people from registering to vote by mail?

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   2. 75

      Misfit Chickposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Well, YOU may not be in a situation of multitasking with several kids, ha! 'What's so hard about that'? A national election day would both free people up; AND underscore the importance we as a nation place on voting. I like the Internet idea above.

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