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Make Election Day A Federal Holiday!
Final signature count: 2,343
2,343 signatures toward our 30,000 goal
Sponsor: The Hunger Site
Too many people aren't voting because of work or school conflicts. That needs to change.
The United States of America was founded on the fundamental principal, summed up by Abraham Lincoln in the Gettysburg Address [1], that the government was to be “of the people, by the people, for the people,” and that exists and is preserved solely in the individual’s right to vote. As a democratic republic, citizens have both the right and the duty cast their vote for leaders, laws, and principles.
According to Pew Research Center, however, less than 56 percent of the “voting-age population cast ballots in the 2016 presidential election [2].” That is not a new problem either. In the 2014 midterm election, only 36 percent of the voting-age population voted. Various reasons are cited in each election for not voting, from not liking the candidates to forgetting altogether, but one of the most consistent reasons given each election is that voting conflicts with work or school. In 2014 alone, 35 percent of registered voters said conflicts with work or school were the reason they did not vote [3].
Every eligible citizen of voting age should have unrestricted access to cast their vote in elections, and especially in national elections. Making Election Tuesday a federal holiday would allow everyone to be free of work and school conflicts and give them access to the polls.
Of the 10 current federal holidays [4], seven of them are celebrations of our country in one form or another. Adding Election Tuesday to the list of federal holidays would follow in that tradition. In fact, what could be more of a celebration of America itself than the celebration of the right to vote? It is the core principle of our freedom and liberty.
America is supposed to be the shining example of freedom and democracy in the world. Why, then, do we have an election process that is making it difficult for people to get to the polls? How can we make people choose between voting and working? Sadly, there are too many people who simply cannot afford to give up a day’s wages in exchange for voting. The right to vote, without the ability to vote, is meaningless.
No one should have any obstacle standing between them and a ballot box. Registered voters certainly should not be disenfranchised because they are working or in school. By making Election Tuesday a federal holiday, a large percentage of registered voters would finally be able to cast their vote in national elections. Sign the petition asking the President to make Election Day a Federal Holiday to ensure all eligible Americans are able to cast their vote!
