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Election Day could be made a holiday if a bill were passed by the U.S Congress then signed into law by <br />the president. Approximately two million people who work for the federal government would then be <br />given a paid day off, and private companies might follow suit. [7] <br />A handful of states have made election day a state holiday, including New York, Hawaii, Kentucky, and <br />Virginia. [36] <br />Would making Election Day a federal holiday increase voter turnout and celebrate democracy? Or is it <br />an optimistic idea that would exclude already disadvantaged voters while failing to increase turnout? <br />Should Election Day Be Made a National Holiday? <br />Pro 1 <br />Making Election Day a national holiday will increase voter turnout by enabling more people to vote. <br />The US ranks 31st out of 50 for voter turnout among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and <br />Development (OECD) countries. [38] <br />In the 2020 presidential election, 62.8% of the American voting -age population cast a ballot. By <br />comparison, Uruguay reported the highest OECD voter turnout: 94.9% in the most recent national <br />election. Turkey came second with 89%. [38] <br />Among American registered voters in the 2016 presidential election, being "too busy" or having a <br />conflicting schedule was the third -highest reason cited for not voting, accounting for 14% of registered <br />voters who did not cast a vote (about 2.7 million people). [9] <br />Former Editor -in -Chief of the Northwestern University Law Review, Beau C. Tremitiere, states, "The <br />demands of school and work schedules keep millions of Americans, especially those with children or <br />long commutes, from ever getting to their polling stations... The ideal solution is simple: Congress should <br />make Election Day a national holiday, or move Election Day to the weekend." [10] <br />A holiday would allow more citizens to volunteer at polling places or drive the elderly to vote, and would <br />make a difference in states where long lines at the polls keep voters waiting for hours. [10][11] <br />Pro 2 <br />Making Election Day a national holiday would turn voting into a celebration of democracy. <br />Election Day is a holiday in Puerto Rico and the day is filled with caravanas—joyful, noisy parades of cars <br />festooned with flags and other decorations that stream through Puerto Rico's streets ahead of an <br />election —that are credited with the island's over 80% voter turnout. [14] [26] [35] <br />In Australia, where voting is mandatory, elections are celebrated with parties and barbecues <br />nationwide, resulting in turnout rates around 90%. [12] <br />The idea that "voting should be a celebration, not a chore" is one argument for turning Election Day into <br />a national holiday, according to Archon Fung and Jane Mansbridge professors at the Harvard Kennedy <br />School. They state, "Citizen Day would do more than give our democracy the honor that it deserves; it <br />would help our democracy work better. More people would vote if they had more time to cast their <br />