LAT: Why vote on Tuesdays?

[highplainsdem]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-trailvote20-2008jul20,0,5567312.story

July 20, 2008


Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) recently wandered around Capitol Hill armed with a video camera and a question: Why do we vote on Tuesdays?

"Um. . . . "

That was the response from most people -- even lawmakers.

"Don't be embarrassed if you don't know the answer," Israel reassured his perplexed interviewees. "Hardly anybody does, including most members of Congress."

Israel made the video to push the Weekend Voting Act, legislation he introduced last month that would switch the days on which federal elections are held from Tuesdays to Saturdays and Sundays, when, presumably, more people would be able to cast ballots.

The clip is posted at Why Tuesday?, a website dedicated to increasing voter turnout.

Jacob Soboroff, the site's director (and the son of former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Steve Soboroff), has crisscrossed the country on behalf of Why Tuesday?, posting video interviews with many big-name politicians, including Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain.

Obama said he would support a shift to weekend voting. McCain didn't take a stance on that issue, but promised Soboroff that he would do anything to increase voter participation.

-snip-

Back then, farmers needed to vote on a day that wouldn't interfere with the three-day Sabbath or Wednesday, which was market day.

Today, according to Soboroff, 1 in 4 people who don't vote say it's because weekdays are inconvenient.

I have to admit I didn't know why we vote on Tuesday.

Link to the Why Tuesday website

http://www.whytuesday.org/

[davidpdx]

1. This part is priceless

McCain didn't take a stance on that issue, but promised Soboroff that he would do anything to increase voter participation.

I wonder if that includes paying Diebold to fix the election.

[Muttocracy]

2. I have always thought a voting holiday would have been the right MLK memorial

It would be OK on a Tuesday if it was really a holiday. I worry about whether weekend voting would really increase participation since there are a lot of other distractions on weekends (ditto for Monday or Monday holiday)

I've also heard about it being a matter of people driving (via horse I mean) on Monday to get to the town where they could vote.

[Cosmocat]

9. YEP ...

right on both accounts ...

I don't think weekend voting would make a difference at all, people would be traveling or doing whatever they do on weekends ...

I also think it should stay Tuesday, but be a national holiday, either changing it to a standard holiday or simply making a voting holiday ... I also think other incentives can be put into place - for instance a tax refund of kind if you can produce your voting stub ... I don't like the lottery thing so much, been done I think and hasn't helped ...

[roseBudd]

13. Many lower paid workers are unable to come in late if there is a line at the polls

Tuesday voting favors those with better jobs/employers and those who drive, especially now with photo ID laws pushed by Republicans.

[Muttocracy]

15. I guess I was thinking lower income folks were more likely to work on weekends

than standard M-F 9-5 sort of hours. I think it's always going to be harder for that group. :(

[MonkeyFunk]

3. We need weekend voting

48 hours of voting.

The big obstacle is staffing polling places.

[CreekDog]

4. i'm okay with that, but if we had a more civic minded culture

we could get 80% turnout on Tuesdays.

[MonkeyFunk]

5. I think it's a more subtle issue than lack of civic-mindedness.

A lot of people don't vote because they're relatively content with the way things are. Many don't vote because they honestly don't think there's much of a difference between the choices they have. I disagree with them, but it's not evidence that they're not civic-minded.

I also don't know if, say, doubling voter turnout would change anything.

[CreekDog]

6. voting is a civic duty

i sincerely doubt that many more people than those who actually vote could define citizenship or know much about our system of government.

and i guess i'm pretty cynical, but i for instance know many people who could go on and on about very complex topics that are not related to their jobs or schooling but don't know anything about government or take the time to vote.

in other words, they certainly could but they don't.

yes, there are the small number of people that are incredibly active in the community that don't vote, but by far, the most active do tend to vote.

oh and to your other point, about if it would change anything? well, high voter turnout might not change anything, but the higher level of citizenship and knowledge and participation that leads to more voting --that would drastically change the nation.

as it is now, Obama has to talk in soundbites and can't go into detail on policy because the voters he's trying to snag won't listen closely and can get misled easily due to limited attention spans and impatience with complex issues (that seem more complex by not wanting to pay attention to them).

so the whole tendency is just screwing up the country massively.

[MonkeyFunk]

7. yes

but if people just don't care about politics, SHOULD we try to get them to vote?

My concern is for people who WANT to vote but have difficulty doing so. People who work long days are often disenfranchised - look at the lines at polling places, usually in poor or minority areas. It's for THOSE people I want two days of weekend voting.

But for those who don't care enough to vote? Who am I to tell them to do so?

[CreekDog]

8. yes, i agree 100% with your post

:hi:

[amandabeech]

12. You'd have to pay folks.

Many people who man polling stations are retirees and stay-at-home moms, at least in my experience in manning the polls.

Most of these groups are busy on the weekends.

I don't have children, and can be away from my VERY seniors for a weekend.

Perhaps some others without kids would come in for a 4 hour shift, but I think that getting people to stay all day or for an 8-hour shift would be more difficult.

Consequently, $$$ may be necessary.

[rug]

10. My guess is there was no voting on Sundays and they allowed one day to travel to the polling site.

[rox63]

11. I think voting should take place over the weekend

Have the polls open on Saturday and Sunday for the whole weekend. That way, the church-going folks could vote on Saturday, the observant Jews could vote on Sundays, and everyone else could find a few minutes to stop by the polls at some point over the weekend.

[Clark2008]

14. I knew this.

We were taught this in school.

And, they say Tennessee has a crappy educational system.

:shrug: