Should Election Day Become A Federal Holiday? Weighing The Benefits And Drawbacks | ACE
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Election Day is always held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November during an election year. Congress codified this tradition in 1845 to account for

Is it time to make Election Day a federal holiday? 🗳️ Some say it would boost voter turnout and align the U.S. with other democracies, while others argue it could create challenges for hourly workers and cost millions. Dive into the debate over whether a federal voting holiday is the best way to strengthen democracy or if there are better solutions. Check out the full breakdown!

https://ace-usa.org/blog/research/research-votingrights/should-election-day-become-a-federal-holiday-weighing-the-benefits-and-drawbacks/

  • prole
    1·
    1 个月前

    A national holiday isn’t an incentive, it’s just the opportunity. The incentive would be a separate undertaking.

    If people are essentially being paid to vote, they should vote. It’s not that complicated.

    And that’s the fundamental problem with your point of view here. In no universe should making election day a national holiday be considered “paying people to vote.” It’s not a transaction.

    I would love to hear about why my atheist ass should have off for Easter when I don’t celebrate shit that day. Or why my white ass should have off for MLK Day or Juneteenth (oh look, they can make new holidays and it turns out it’s not that big of a fucking deal).

    I mean, I know why it doesn’t work that way as well, but that’s a different conversation. I would just like to understand how you square that up in your mind.

    • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
      1·
      1 个月前

      You’re looking it as a holiday. That’s not what it is. Not energy type of leave gets used by everyone.

      I don’t have any children and never will, so I don’t get paternity leave that I 100% support being given to others.

      I have been injured on the job and taken paid leave for recovery that others didn’t get to take.

      • prole
        1·
        1 个月前

        You’re looking it as a holiday.

        Is this literally not what this entire post was about? About making Election Day a National Holiday?

        What you want to make it is something else entirely. Sounds like you want “paid leave to vote”. These are two very different things as I think we’ve covered.

        Obviously, either one would be better than what we have. But I just think making it a holiday is a much better/easier/cheaper solution, and its win/win/win. I see zero downsides with it that do not involve corporate profits.

        • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
          1·
          1 个月前

          The downside is it probably won’t significantly increase voter turnout. People hate voting negative of long lines. Giving everyone the same day off to vote would just make it that much worse.

          Very few people can honestly say that the lack of a voter holiday is the reason they don’t vote.

          I live in Texas, where voting is famously difficult, but even I have 5 separate locations whets I can vote 7 days a week during early voting. The 21st through the 27th available times are Monday through Friday 8-5, Saturday 7-7, and Sunday is 9-3. The 28th thriving the first is 7-7.

          During those time periods it’s rare to have a line at all, and there’s a ton of groups that will take you to the polling station if you don’t have transportation.

          If someone is too lazy to take 10 minutes to vote during early voting, giving them a day off on election day won’t change their behavior.

          If the goal is to just give people another day off, that’s fine. Just say that. If the goal is to get people to vote, you should tie the benefit to voting.