Should Election Day be made a national holiday?

[Marvolo]

I think it should be. Elections fall in the work week and most adults either have to go early in the morning, during lunch break, or after work when they are trying to pick up the kids and prepare supper and do things around the house. I think it would help with voter turnout if it was a holiday and we got a day off from work to vote. Its one of our most important rights and arguably the most important day for american citizens so why isnt it a national holiday? Sound off with your thoughts.

Is there anyway to get substantial support for this idea and get congress to make it a holiday?

 

[Schlosser85]

I think so. Work makes it hard/inconvenient for a lot of people to vote.

 

[warhorse78]

Yes. Just swap out President's day for Election Day, since it's about the same thing.

 

[SV Fan]

I say move it to weekends(and allow voting both days)

 

[enterthemadness]

National holiday, keep early voting though.

 

[Marvolo]

Definitely keep early voting. I just really cant believe it isnt a national holiday. It seems like the most obvious day to have one.

 

[chaseter]

This is not the most important day for American citizens. One, our votes don't count as the electoral college makes the decision for us. Two, the people you vote into office don't give a dump about you. Three, the American political system is polar system where your only choices are the idiot on the left or the idiot on the right thanks to campaign finance laws.

 

[Marvolo]

This is not the most important day for American citizens. One, our votes don't count as the electoral college makes the decision for us. Two, the people you vote into office don't give a dumb about you.

The electoral college in most states is required to vote the way the majority votes. I know it is that way in my state.

 

[chaseter]

The electoral college in most states is required to vote the way the majority votes. I know it is that way in my state.

It doesn't matter. There is no point to an electoral college. It is not the will of the people. Popular vote is the will of the people. Places like Wyoming and Alaska, don't mean crap with their allotment of electoral votes. It would also stop these politicians from bombarding places like Ohio or Colorado 24/7. They don't give a crap about Alaska. See how that is idiotic? We have Presidents that lose the popular vote but win the electoral vote. It's stupid.

 

[Marvolo]

It doesn't matter. There is no point to an electoral college. It is not the will of the people. Popular vote is the will of the people. Places like Wyoming and Alaska, don't mean crap with their allotment of electoral votes. It would also stop these politicians from bombarding places like Ohio or Colorado 24/7. They don't give a crap about Alaska. See how that is idiotic? We have Presidents that lose the popular vote but win the electoral vote. It's stupid.

At the time of its inception there was another option the Constitutional Convention was considering. They first wanted the President to be chosen by congress. Imagine that.As far as the number of electoral votes a state gets is proportional to the number of Representatives and Senators the state has in congress which im fine with. And even if we ditched it, states with high populations would still have the most sway in a popular election so candidates would still focus their campaigns there. Some in the convention preferred a populace vote but felt it would be difficult to get a consensus on the proposal due to the prevalence of slavery in the south.

"There was one difficulty of a serious nature attending an immediate choice by the people. The right of suffrage was much more diffusive in the Northern than the Southern states; and the latter could have no influence in the election on the score of Negroes. The substitution of electors obviated this issue and seemed on the whole liable to the fewest objections"

Jame Madison

So you see slavery once again played a part in the foundations of this country. Today it may not be the best system but its the system we got. We can either be cynical about it and accomplish very little or do the best we can with what we got and do something. I would like to see it change some day but until it does i will continue to work with what weve got.

 

[redhawk23]

It doesn't matter. There is no point to an electoral college. It is not the will of the people. Popular vote is the will of the people. Places like Wyoming and Alaska, don't mean crap with their allotment of electoral votes. It would also stop these politicians from bombarding places like Ohio or Colorado 24/7. They don't give a crap about Alaska. See how that is idiotic? We have Presidents that lose the popular vote but win the electoral vote. It's stupid.

That's happened what, twice ever? And most recently it was never even clear that the candidate declared the electorate winner actually was so, it was just settled by the court.

With a population of less than a million, even with out the electoral college, the candidates wouldn't give a damn about Alaska.

For some states it works to their advantage. Candidates would care even less about the 35,000 people in Deleware if their votes didn't count as much as the 700,000 in Alaska.

The candidates would just focus on where the population is, just the same. It would become a largely coastal election.

 

[chaseter]

So twice is ok for higher officials to elect our president? Three times is pushing it? Four is totally over the top!

Popular vote causes the candidate to focus on the country, not a set of states.

 

[The Riddler]

it's a myth that a popular vote would suddenly shift campaigns to focus on only the populous cities. i think i saw a stat the largest 50 or so cities in the US combined only accounted for something like 15% of the US population.

the reason a popular vote works is because regardless of where you are, your vote will have an equal impact. for most states, party lines dictate the outcome, making your vote for the winner redundant or your vote for the loser a complete waste of time.

lastly, doesn't it make more sense for the actual wills of individual people to decide the election? how does it make sense that every election a small handful of swing states will decide its outcome?

 

[Marvolo]

The electors of the electoral college cast their vote based on the majority vote of the popular vote. Our votes still count. It isnt like the electors are willy nilly casting their vote for whoever they choose.

 

[redhawk23]

So twice is ok for higher officials to elect our president? Three times is pushing it? Four is totally over the top!

Popular vote causes the candidate to focus on the country, not a set of states.

The only thing that's over the top is your attitude in pretty much any conversation, anywhere on the Hype.

I agree that the electoral college is problematic but a system that is 97% effective is arguably one of the most successful parts of our political process.

 

[redhawk23]

it's a myth that a popular vote would suddenly shift campaigns to focus on only the populous cities. i think i saw a stat the largest 50 or so cities in the US combined only accounted for something like 15% of the US population.

the reason a popular vote works is because regardless of where you are, your vote will have an equal impact. for most states, party lines dictate the outcome, making your vote for the winner redundant or your vote for the loser a complete waste of time.

lastly, doesn't it make more sense for the actual wills of individual people to decide the election? how does it make sense that every election a small handful of swing states will decide its outcome?

Its not as if the other states don't contribute towards the winner's 270. The problem is the degree to which voting habits can be taken for granted.

 

[Marvolo]

To be clear, this discussion is off topic, but im fine with it as long as it stays civil.

I wonder if it would be possible for us to get a general discussion thread or a lounge in the politics forum? Civility would need to be maintained, but i find at times questions and topics i would like to broach don't fit in any one current thread and rather than create a new thread for every random topic why not have a singular thread for such things. If one of the mods might consider this or is brave enough to try a thread like that in the politics forum i think it might be convenient to have around.

 

[redhawk23]

Furthermore, as much as we might hate to admit it, we must consider the logistics of ever. single. vote. counting.

While I of course believe that every vote should count, and be counted the way it turns out there are votes that discarded for various reasons throughout the voting and counting process. Its disingenuous to claim that the popular vote is absolutely what it is supposed to be.

In many ways the Electoral college smooths out those problems at the margins and 54 times out 56 elections, 97% over the course of centuries, has been successful in peacefully appointing the highest office in the land according to what the vote indicated was the will of the people. Our system is a federal one, power split between different levels of governance. A major part of the original vision was congress picking the president. The electoral college represents a compromise between the power of people and the power of states. It remains consistent with a federal system. You may envision a more democratic, straight to the people approach, that's fine, I can see the advantages of that, but representative government has worked quite well.

 

[Marvolo]

Furthermore, as much as we might hate to admit it, we must consider the logistics of ever. single. vote. counting.

While I of course believe that every vote should count, and be counted the way it turns out there are votes that discarded for various reasons throughout the voting and counting process. Its disingenuous to claim that the popular vote is absolutely what it is supposed to be.

In many ways the Electoral college smooths out those problems at the margins and 54 times out 56 elections, 97% over the course of centuries, has been successful in peacefully appointing the highest office in the land according to what the vote indicated was the will of the people. Our system is a federal one, power split between different levels of governance. A major part of the original vision was congress picking the president. The electoral college represents a compromise between the power of people and the power of states. It remains consistent with a federal system. You may envision a more democratic, straight to the people approach, that's fine, I can see the advantages of that, but representative government has worked quite well.

Something i see more than a little is people who think we are a democracy. We are not a democracy. We are a Federal Constitutional Republic. So while the popular vote system may in fact be more democratic that doesnt matter because we are not an actual democracy.

 

[Nell2ThaIzzay]

The only thing that's over the top is your attitude in pretty much any conversation, anywhere on the Hype.

Glad I'm not the only one who's noticed this.

 

[Pink Ranger]

The problem with making it a national holiday is that it gives an excuse for people to get drunk the night before, which could lead to either lower turnout or some bizarre results.

 

[chaseter]

The only thing that's over the top is your attitude in pretty much any conversation, anywhere on the Hype.

Only on really dumb topics or really uninformed partisan opinions.

 

[chaseter]

Glad I'm not the only one who's noticed this.

That's really only when I reply to the extreme partisans on any of the boards....it only really affects them.

 

[Optimus_Prime_]

Its not as if the other states don't contribute towards the winner's 270. The problem is the degree to which voting habits can be taken for granted.

Yeah. I agree with the Electoral College in theory at least.

 

[Optimus_Prime_]

That's really only when I reply to the extreme partisans on any of the boards....it only really affects them.

...Or perhaps the fact that you went completely off topic just to say something controversial to rile up posters. C'mon dude. The topic is "should this be a national holiday" not "listen to Chaseter get all ******** about the electoral college". Grow up and learn to have an adult conversation.