Question for THR members...

[Autolycus]

Should election day (meaning the day we vote) be a national holiday?

Someone mentioned in another thread that only 20% of voters voted in the last election and that there are more gun owners than there were voters in that election. I dont know if those statistics are true but it still gave me an idea.

Do you all think this would increase the number of voters or decrease? I mean people would have an extra day off so they might go fishing instead of to the polls. Just a thought as we have to look at it from all angles. Or they might take the day to go vote in addition to fishing? Who knows?

Now I realize that this maybe off topic but I was thinking that perhaps if we made it a national holiday and had the polls open earlier and later we could see more voters.

If the mods feel that this should be closed than so be it but I was curious.

 

[mattw]

I say if MLK day is a national holiday then election day should be. Election day is way more important than some of the holidays that we get off from school and work.

 

[RNB65]

No, federal and state employees get more than enough days off at my expense. Election day should be on a Saturday.

 

[mcwjr13]

I would be afraid that too many people would find other things to do. Most people who vote plan ahead to do so i.e. during lunch before / after work just my two cents.

 

[ReadyontheRight]

If you have any trouble voting in the USA, you just do not want to vote. Employers legally have to let you take time off. Anyone can use an absentee ballot, and if you are somehow "infringed" from voting by your employer or your government...you just won the lawsuit lottery!

Why would we want to encourage anyone dumb enough to not vote now to vote?

 

[Steak]

I think turnout would drop

If you give everyone a day off, people would plan for things like a fishing day, ski trip, or just sitting around getting drunk. Even with the limited time during a workday, I am (and do not think I am alone in this) more productive running errands and such on a tuesday than on a Sunday.

 

[Autolycus]

Originally posted by mattw:
I say if MLK day is a national holiday then election day should be. Election day is way more important than some of the holidays that we get off from school and work.

Do you feel the same way about Inauguration day? Washingtons birthday, Columbus day, Christmas, and Thanksgiving?

All of those are federal holidays in addition to MLK day. I would think that MLK day would be more important than Columbus day. Either way Christmas and Thanksgiving should definately be on the list.

 

[mattw]

If you have any trouble voting in the USA, you just do not want to vote. Employers legally have to let you take time off. Anyone can use an absentee ballot, and if you are somehow "infringed" from voting by your employer or your government...you just won the lawsuit lottery!

I did not know this.

Either way Christmas and Thanksgiving should definately be on the list.

Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Electionday are more important to me than MLK day. I don't know what you're trying to say, Tecumseh.

 

[ReadyontheRight]

If you have any trouble voting in the USA, you just do not want to vote. Employers legally have to let you take time off. Anyone can use an absentee ballot, and if you are somehow "infringed" from voting by your employer or your government...you just won the lawsuit lottery!

I did not know this.

I am somewhat mistaken. After a little of the Google, I found that the law depends on your state. 30 of 50 states have laws giving employees the right to take time off from work to vote.

http://www.timetovote.net/voter_leave_laws.html

Regardless, it's hard for me to believe that a day off of work would make more people who really know anything about any issues get out and vote. Unless of course they got a little "get out the vote" $$$.

 

[Deuce1911]

In Alabama, that would turn election day into fishing day.

 

[sm]

No.

Apathy already has 365 days a year...

 

[cbsbyte]

If you made election day a hoilday then most people would sleep in and still not vote.

 

[Autolycus]

Originally posted by mattw:
Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Electionday are more important to me than MLK day. I don't know what you're trying to say, Tecumseh.

What I am trying to say is that Christmas and Thanksgiving are religious in nature. The government is not supposed to recognize or endorse any particular religion. Christmas is a Christian holiday so the government by giving its employees that day off is endorsing a Christian holiday. That is unconstitutional in my opinion unless you let other religions take their holidays off with pay.

Thanksgiving is easier to argue that it is not a religious holiday however there are many religious undertones. But nonetheless I understand the other holidays like the 4th of July as they have a national significance and not a religious one.

MLK was a very important man who deserves to be honored as highly as George Washington and others because he fought for freedom and equality like they did. He changed the nation for the better and helped bring about freedom to an oppressed underclass. I think this is more noble than Columbus day.

Either way I think it would help increase the number of voters. Most employers do have to give you time off however you do have the ability to use an absentee ballot. But remember all the absentee ballots that are not counted or cant be read correctly. Etc.

So I think that perhaps it is a good idea to make it a national holiday. Even if people are apathetic and dont vote we could still vote and go to the range right?

 

[Fly320s]

No.

Election day is merely the last day that one is allowed to vote. There are other ways to cast a vote: early voting and absentee come to mind.

Someone who wants to vote can and will. Those that don't... won't.

 

[Glockfan.45]

I voted no. If people dont care enough to make time to vote I dont want them getting a paid holiday so they can muck up my life by voting for things they know nothing about that will impact me. If you care its because your informed, and if you care you will make time.

 

[LawBot5000]

I think the more important question is what would raise the number of pro gun and pro liberty voters.

Extended early voting helps working people a LOT. I stopped missing elections entirely once I could participate in this. People who work for a living tend to be somewhat more anti-redistributionist.

Another good thing would be including voting registration and voting related hooks alongside shooting sports related activities. For example, automatically register CCW licensees to vote like they do for driver's licenses. Put the local polling station location on the back of their CCW, or at least the website for the state elections commission so they can find their local polling station.

Hold out baits for antis so they can advertise their positions and make attempts against gun rights just before the election. Anything to get gun owners scared or angry.

Felon disenfranchisement laws are great for gun rights. It takes the lower echelons of society (that are disproportionately inclined towards redistributionism and gun control) and removes them from the picture entirely. This pretty much kills anti-gun turnout in Broward and Dade Counties in Florida. As a libertarian I hate seeing people lose fundamental rights for being caught with drugs, but as a political pragmatist, I see these laws being enforced against the supporters of our enemies, so I have to approve for now.

Etc etc and so on.

 

[Sharps Shooter]

"No, federal and state employees get more than enough days off at my expense. Election day should be on a Saturday."

Actually RNB65, in Idaho at least, it's the County Elections Office workers who put together the state and federal elections and count the votes. My wife is one of those workers. She puts in a good many overtime hours at 1.5X her regular pay rate in the weeks preceding a state or federal election. Then Election Day itself is usually an 18 hour day for her. Because of election equipment malfunctions during last year's federal election, my wife was at the office for 39.5 hours straight. That meant she pulled 31.5 hours of overtime pay at taxpayer expense.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not insulted. I don't like paying taxes either. I just don't see how making Election Day fall on a Saturday would save any taxpayer dollars. For that matter, making a holiday out of Election Day wouldn't either. Somebody has to run the elections. If Election Day was on a Saturday or a holiday, come Election Day the workers in the Election Offices would be pulling overtime pay from the time they got to work until they left. Election day would be outside of their regular 40-hour work week and we'd be forking up their premium pay rates.
But to answer the original question, I voted no - making a holiday out of Election Day wouldn't cause more people to vote. I think the people who vote, vote. And those who don't, don't. I vote in every election. If my wife didn't find my signature in a pole book after an election, I'd be in the doghouse for a week!

 

[Rem700SD]

If you really want to make an impact, put all of the primaries in mid february. By that time everyone will have received their W-2s. Put the election day on April 15th as everyone is tallying up what government is really costing them. Just a thought,

Dan

 

[tbtrout]

People do not vote because they are appethetic and feel they have no control over the outcomes of elections, because no matter who they vote for will end up being a crook. If you could get more people to vote the Libertarians would win often.

 

[LawBot5000]

No, the libertarians would still lose because 99% of them have not even half a clue about how politics work. Their problem isnt voter turnout, it is
-the inability to get across a message that doesnt anger or frighten the entire electorate to some extent
-realizing the difference between what they want and what is possible politically
-inability to form coalitions with people they may partly disagree with- they are hardcore political purists

 

[rhubarb]

I voted yes because I think that it is a hassle for most productive people to take time out of their day to vote.

I would agree with RNB65 that a better choice would be to have elections on Saturday.

 

[mp510]

I believe that it would decrease voter turnout. No difference is the best forseeable result. If companies decide to give their employees the day off folks will find things to do a whole lot more important than voting.

 

[Hemicuda]

Since most of the real workforce DOESN'T get holidays off, what good would it do? it'd just be another day to close the post office...

 

[DirksterG30]

I'm not sure I'd want the people voting who do so only because it's a holiday.

 

[xd9fan]

Now you want them to have a national holiday.......are they not treated like Kings and Queens already???

It about the quality of the people running......and there is not much out there.