So I was rapping with my dad and I asked him why dont they change the voting day to a weekend like Saturday or Sunday. Well he has some very good reasons why they wouldnt. Saturday, religious jews wouldnt vote, Friday, muslims wouldnt vote and Sunday is the sabbath. Well why not make tuesday a national holiday. He says way back in the day, it was a national holiday, but now its not. What would be the problem making it a national holiday now?
I think not having it on a weekend day has more to do with many churches/synagogues/mosques also being polling places (which would have to be able to take voters at all times during the day) rather than any religious issues. I mean, it's not like people of all faiths don't work on their sabbath equivalent. As for a national holiday, it's a great idea, but it wont help everybody. Again, it's not like people don't work on christmas.
We have plenty of national holidays already, people have to work in America--this is not France. Some holidays have already been relegated to the dustbin. When I was a kid we celebrated Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays, but they were consolidated into President's Day to make room for MLK. Columbus Day would have to go every four years to make room for an Election Day national holiday. I don't think it will happen. I think absentee voting (someday online) will be increasingly used instead.
besides, how many people would have the day off and still be apathetic and not vote? i know there is a law here that you have to give an employee two hours off to vote. (time to get there, vote, get back...) i have used that, and yes i used it to vote. i think that apathy is the bigger problem, and a holiday wont do anything to help that.
Well it was a holiday before, so the idea is not that far fetch as some think it is. Nothing I pulled out of my butt, but out of history. Also, how many people would use the day and go vote, who didnt have time before because of job reasons or some other reasons. Being pessimisstic about who is apathetic isnt the answer either.
MM, look up the numbers from the iraqi elections from a few years ago. If I'm not mistaken they had a much larger turn out for thier elections than we have,(per capita) and no one was here threating to kill us if we go stand in a line. People aren't quite as apt to head to the polls as you might think.
I didnt say they where, I said people might be more enthusiatic to go if they had more time and a flexible day to go.
If I had a whole day off to go vote I would probably find something else I needed to do. Taking my two hours to get away from work and go vote, that I'll do.
thats what i think. thats why i think the law like oklahoma's of employers must give employees 2 hours off to go vote is a good compromise. those that want to vote may do so, as the law provides for it. but those that would use a holiday as a free day and still not vote cant abuse the two hour law as bad. sure, people use it for a long lunch. but the employer isnt stuck with a whole day of lost production.
