# Should Election Day Be a National Holiday? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 27, 2009, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-election-day-be-a-national-holiday/483185 "2009-01-27T04:42:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-election-day-be-a-national-holiday/483185/1 "2009-01-27T04:42:55Z")
This is something I have been considering for some time now. I may have even posted it on these message boards quite some time back. I honestly don’t recall. Anyways, should Election Day be a national holiday in the U.S.? Sure some people would just take the time to lay around all day doing nothing. Let them, I say. But it would also make it easier for other people to make it to the polls that day. And since we are proud to be a democracy, it kind of makes sense for this day to be a holiday, no? Christmas is a national holiday in the U.S. after all. So why not Election Day? Thank you to everyone to replies:) ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-election-day-be-a-national-holiday/483185/2 "2009-01-27T04:56:11Z")
It would just be a day off for me because I will already have sent off my mail-in ballot before then. That is one of the many benefits of living in Oregon. I think making it a national holiday or having a fine for not voting like in Australia would make more people take a more active role in civic affairs, which is a good thing, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-election-day-be-a-national-holiday/483185/3 "2009-01-27T04:59:01Z")
To promote participation I’d like to see more states have early voting like we do here in TN. Still, election day off sounds good to me. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-election-day-be-a-national-holiday/483185/4 "2009-01-27T05:01:41Z")
Yes, it should be. It is here in South Africa. The way I see it, democracy \> capitalism. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-election-day-be-a-national-holiday/483185/5 "2009-01-27T05:05:59Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Yes, it should be. It is here in South Africa. The way I see it, democracy \> capitalism. It’s not like it would stop private businesses from being open, either. (Well, I dunno how it is in SA, but here in the US, it wouldn’t) So hell yeah, it should be! ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-election-day-be-a-national-holiday/483185/6 "2009-01-27T05:10:21Z")
Maybe we should make the Fourth of July election day. Having it in November is just an old agrarian custom, to fit it in after the harvest and before winter sets in. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-election-day-be-a-national-holiday/483185/7 "2009-01-27T05:26:58Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Maybe we should make the Fourth of July election day. Having it in November is just an old agrarian custom, to fit it in after the harvest and before winter sets in. Then we have to have a president-elect wait until the following January 20th to be sworn in, unless we have a constitutional amendment to change it. If election day is so important to warrant a national holiday (presumably to encourage people to vote), then make it a full court press. The only thing open would be the polls. Everything, and I mean everything, would be closed - all offices, businesses, stores, restaurants, bars, the lot. Make all public transportation free to get people to the polls. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-election-day-be-a-national-holiday/483185/8 "2009-01-27T05:28:43Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Maybe we should make the Fourth of July election day. Having it in November is just an old agrarian custom, to fit it in after the harvest and before winter sets in. Even if Inauguration Day could be moved, you’d probably have even less of a voter turnout than we have now. Who’d want to spend time in lines at the polls when there’s barbecues and other fun summer stuff to be had? ---
**Author:** ![audit1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@audit1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audit1)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-election-day-be-a-national-holiday/483185/9 "2009-01-27T06:57:42Z")
What about off year elections? Primaries? Special elections? Run-off elections? ---
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-election-day-be-a-national-holiday/483185/10 "2009-01-27T07:16:08Z")
I don’t have a problem with making election day a holiday, but there are so many things fundamentally wrong with our voting process, that I’m not sure that alone would help. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-election-day-be-a-national-holiday/483185/11 "2009-01-27T08:55:56Z")
How about having the polls open during an entire weekend, but not closing things down? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-election-day-be-a-national-holiday/483185/12 "2009-01-27T10:10:54Z")
It’s a bad idea. People would make it a four day weekend and go for a short break somewhere. Hard to vote in Houston if you’re skiing in Aspen. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-election-day-be-a-national-holiday/483185/13 "2009-01-27T13:13:37Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > Even if Inauguration Day could be moved, you’d probably have even less of a voter turnout than we have now. Who’d want to spend time in lines at the polls when there’s barbecues and other fun summer stuff to be had? Make computer-voting so safe, fast, and accurate that you vote at home on 7/4 and the election is effective on 8/1. Then Americans won’t miss the important things in life, such as parades and barbecues, and all the stores, bars and whore houses can open as usual. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-election-day-be-a-national-holiday/483185/14 "2009-01-27T13:26:54Z")
I am for it. Also, make it slap dab in the middle of the week, Wednesday. If you make it any other day, some folks are gonna be tempted to make a 3 or 4 day gettaway weekend out of it. Heck, make it Martin Luther Kings celebratory election day and its a win win. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-election-day-be-a-national-holiday/483185/15 "2009-01-27T14:45:29Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > How about having the polls open during an entire weekend, but not closing things down? That makes sense. Some people wouldn’t vote on a Sunday for religious reasons, some people wouldn’t vote on a Saturday, but I don’t think anybody observes both. ---
**Author:** ![Auntbeast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Auntbeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Auntbeast)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-election-day-be-a-national-holiday/483185/16 "2009-01-27T16:01:30Z")
I’d be all for it, then I could at last be a poll worker! Of course, once upon a time, I was a webmaster for a county elections site and I had to monitor the real time election results all night. No, I didn’t get any extra time off during the day to go vote. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-election-day-be-a-national-holiday/483185/17 "2009-01-27T16:31:43Z")
Not in favor of it. But I am in favor of making universal early voting. There is no reason we need to have an election DAY, why not an election WEEK so folks have more flexibility in their schedule whhen to go. ---
**Author:** ![Phatlewt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a698b9/32.png) [@Phatlewt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phatlewt)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-election-day-be-a-national-holiday/483185/18 "2009-01-27T16:47:36Z")
No, but there shouldn’t be just one election day. It should be election two-weeks. Most states have no-excuse early voting by mail or in person… ( [15 states remain in the dumb ages](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Early_voting_US_states.svg)) There’s no reason that I can think of why elections must be limited to one day. If people are allowed to vote any time in a two week window, a holiday isn’t necessary, and more people will be able to have the time to vote. On preview… What **Gangster Octopus** said… ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-election-day-be-a-national-holiday/483185/19 "2009-01-27T16:57:10Z")
Over here, elections are always held on Sundays. I believe it’s a good thing, for I suspect the participation rate would drop significantly otherwise. It definitely makes voting much more convenient, besides avoiding long queues (since votes aren’t concentrated just before and after business hours). There’s however the issue of what we call “fishers’ vote”, that is, people not voting because they’d rather go to the countryside fishing on a sunny Sunday. ---
**Author:** ![Ro\_Carter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7feea3/32.png) [@Ro\_Carter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ro_Carter)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-election-day-be-a-national-holiday/483185/20 "2009-01-27T16:58:42Z")
Personally, I think Inauguration Day would be a better one to have off. I am all for online voting, however. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-election-day-be-a-national-holiday/483185.md?page=2)