Congress Needs to Vote on Election Day

The American culture and workweek demands a change to the current Election Day. It’s just time.

If every politician believes that “your vote counts”, then why does the government make voting so inconvenient?

The workday is divided into 3 parts with some people employed as teachers during the day, others as nurses in the evening, and then those who work graveyard shift at a factory. It can be difficult for some voters to find sitters to watch their children or adults in their care. At times, voting must be squished into a young family’s already busy schedule between sports practice and homework and dinner. At the end of a grueling day standing in line to vote may be the last of their worries. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. in most states so employed voters have an hour or two before work or after work to cast a ballot – when you throw the possibility of crowds, traffic, and inclement weather into the mix voting seems cumbersome.

But how did we even get here? In 1845, Congress chose the Tuesday after the first Monday in November as the federal General Election Day. At that time, agriculture was the nation’s major industry and farmers were busy tending to their livestock and crops until harvest; which normally ended by November. Tuesday was selected because it did not interfere with farmers taking their yield to market or parishioners attending church on Sunday.

America has changed in the past 170 years…we no longer live in that little house on the prairie. We can go to an ATM to get money whenever we want instead of going to a teller during regular banking hours. If you want Twizzlers at midnight you can go to a convenient store instead of waiting until the supermarket opens in the morning. Businesses have changed their operating hours to adapt to Americans’ lifestyles.

Why is our government so reluctant to do the same? Because politicians use it to their advantage. As long as they get their supporters to cast a ballot they could care less about anyone else. They make sure that their donors, political associates, campaign workers, friends, and family get out to vote. Campaigners will also try to curry favor by providing transportation to the polls for senior citizens who don’t drive. With those votes locked in, candidates just have to cross their fingers and hope that their message (rhetoric) will inspire (fool) others into casting a ballot in their favor too.

Candidates also depend on statistics like public opinion polls, voter registration, and past election results to calculate their chances of winning office. They love when people vote the straight party ticket: choosing party over an individual’s personal principles.

The inconvenience of the designated day for the general elections is one of the contributing factors to lower voter turnout – second only to the nation’s overall dissatisfaction with their choice of candidates and/or political parties.

People need an incentive to vote and be able to do it at their leisure: so give voters a small tax credit and allow them to do it on a Saturday. More people are likely to vote when they get compensated for it and have free time rather than on a hectic mid-week workday. There are a few states that do allow voting on Saturdays but it needs to become a national mandate. While we’re at it, move the General Election Day to the second Saturday in November so that outgoing politicians have less time to be lame ducks. And we should receive a receipt after voting just like the receipts we get after a retail purchase – we’re going to need it to file for that voting tax credit!

Furthermore, all Primary Elections should be moved to one Saturday as well. The majority of primaries are held during the workweek between Tuesday and Thursday. The other problem with primaries is that they are staggered over six months which enables the media to build up momentum for a candidate they believe is better suited for office rather than reporting on the candidate the public seems to prefer. At times, more practical and popular candidates have lost their bids because people voted based on the outcome of previous primaries. It can turn into a process of elimination where loyal supports vote otherwise because their choice’s chances of winning the nomination seems impossible because he/she lost a few primaries. Unfortunately, they play into the media’s theory that “Mr. Jones lost in the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries, how could he possibly win the White House in November?” The media wants to wrap up the primaries as soon as possible despite the fact that the season lasts from January to June.

Voting on Saturdays is vital to preserving democracy in America. It would allow more people to participate in the process and help revive people’s pride and trust in the government and politicians. There needs to be a national conversation to discuss the details, but it can be done. Anyone who dismisses the idea is just trying to protect an outdated voting system that benefits them. And yes, there are some people who work on Saturdays – but people and work schedules seem to be a little bit more flexible on the weekends than on a weekday.

Americans should have the ability to exercise their right to vote when it is convenient for them, not the government, not the candidates, and not the media. Voters should be more concerned about choosing a candidate – not choosing whether they have the time to vote.

Once we change the day of all elections to Saturdays, then we can address the Electoral College – another outdated and unfair voting system.