Voting - Why can't we do it on the week-end?

[phantom power]

France had 80% voter turnout today. 60% is considered a political earthquake here. And one of the reasons is this:

American voter participation is terrible, and has been for half a century. So why do we vote on Tuesday? Absolutely no good reason. Recent laws to restrict the franchise haven’t made things any better. This year, we teamed up with Participant Media’s TakePart.com to ask presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich how they’d protect your right to vote. You can join us by signing our petition in support of The Weekend Voting Act which would move Election Day to the weekend so more people can vote.

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/why-cant-we-do-it-on-week-end.html

[Turbineguy]

1. And waste a good weekend?

How would we get a clown like GW Bush if we did that?

[mmonk]

2. What do you think this is, a democracy?

[saras]

3. We vote on Tuesday because it USED TO be a respected national ritual.

I'm in a vote-by-mail state, and I love it, except for the fact that it cannot, by nature, be made secure. But neither can any other system America uses, and both parties are absolutely adamant about NOT creating transparent, inexpensive, honest elections.

[Retrograde]

11. A historical reason why voting is on Tuesday

In the early days of the US, voters had to travel to their county seat to cast their votes. Since the country was mostly rural, this was a long trip by foot or horsepower for most people, often requiring a full day of travel. Now, one couldn't travel on Sunday, since that was the Sabbath for the vast majority of voters, so Monday was out. That left Tuesday, so voters could take Monday and Wednesday as travel days, and have a full day to conduct political and other business in what passed for the local big town. This was back when there were property requirements to vote. Can't afford to take three days to vote? Then no democracy for you!

[theaocp]

4. Highly recommended. K&R n/t

[Pisces]

5. We could, Repukes oppose because too many poor working minorities would be able to participate.

[MrMickeysMom]

6. Add this to the recipe...

On Sunday...

Leading up to this, let's string up the Koch brothers and getting rid of the pole tax and all the other shit that they passed through the state legislation.

NO lubrication!

[Edweird]

7. Or make it a mandatory national holiday.

You don't have to vote, but you can't get anything else done: it's all closed.

[goclark]

8. The " stop the votes" laws set up by the Rethugs

have fixed so that many won't be able to vote on the days scheduled to vote.

If we don't stop this mess soon, ROVE and his Elves will have this one in their pockets.

[Retrograde]

9. People will come up with just as many excuses for not voting

It will penalize the people who have to work on weekends. It's unfair to families with two working parents: the weekends are family time. It will disenfranchise people whose religions forbid work on their Sabbath.

France is a much smaller country than the US, much more secular, and more homogenous culturarlly. I'd like to see the US go with the system California uses now: vote by mail available for anyone who requests it, voting in person available at the county registrar's office for a month before the election, and 13 hours for in-person voting on election day. And turnout is still low.

[treestar]

10. It is in the Constitution, I think

And it was considered a holiday.

[TBF]

12. You want to let poor people vote?

WTF are you thinking??



*sarcasm tag*

[Odin2005]

13. Religious people would whine.

Fundy Christians would whine if it were on Sunday.

Orthodox Jews would if it were on Saturday.

Muslims would whine if it were on Friday.

[liberal N proud]

14. Why does it have to be done in one day?

And yet the results are known almost before all the polls are closed.

Another tool to keep people out of the polls.

[Kalidurga]

15. I would vote for Sunday voting....

so many things close early anyway.

[surrealAmerican]

16. Many of us can.

It's called "early voting".


This is from the City of Chicago's website:

All 51 locations will be open Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Three locations (the Board's offices at 69 W. Washington, Welles Park and Mount Greenwood Park) will be open Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and also will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays.

[obxhead]

17. National election days should be considered a national holiday

and employers should be REQUIRED to close for election day.