But a federal holiday doesn’t really help though right? People working at Wendy’s don’t get existing federal holidays off so it wouldn’t change for the majority of people who can’t get to the polling stations because of what job they have.
Giving it the American legal designation of federal holiday won’t help. Barring nonessential businesses from operating on that day and barring the essential businesses from having a shift that lasts longer than eight hours would do a lot. I’m never clear which people mean when they say to make it a holiday.
And that’s why elections in the US are on weekdays. I’m by saying I support this, I would love for elections to be a national holiday or noon on a Saturday or whatever makes them most accessible. I’m just explaining one of the reasons why they are how they are now.
Utterly insane that elections are held on weekdays. I’m so thankful we have mandatory voting, easy early voting, voting by mail, elections on weekends, and protections for employees who need to vote on the day they if they’re working in Australia. We also already have ranked choice voting by single transferable vote as well as proportional representative voting in most jurisdictions (all bicameral parliaments).
Unfortunately we have a beyond-uncomfortable fraction of the population that are totally cool with trying to prevent/discourage people from voting, as long as the near term political benefit is in their favor.
But I’m still glad to hear about other governments doing things for the good of the people. One of these days maybe enough of the US population will realize we can implement things that worked in other countries!
Just have to convince them that other countries exist…
Honestly the election day thing is more of an excuse at this point. Really, you get like a month or maybe two weeks to put your vote in. Most people who didn’t vote just don’t care.
Yeah, as are NT and QLD. My comment was stating that all bicameral parliaments in Australia have proportional representational voting; not that all parliaments in Australia are bicameral.
That’s correct. It’s just a normal weekday.
Makes it easier for the richer people with flexible jobs and the retirees with no jobs to vote.
3 guesses which party is always against making it a federal holiday…
But a federal holiday doesn’t really help though right? People working at Wendy’s don’t get existing federal holidays off so it wouldn’t change for the majority of people who can’t get to the polling stations because of what job they have.
Just because something isn’t a 100% solution doesn’t mean that it doesn’t help.
But it wouldn’t help really at all? Seems like a waste of political capital when mail in ballots/mutliple voting days would actually help something.
It’s not a zero sun game.
Giving it the American legal designation of federal holiday won’t help. Barring nonessential businesses from operating on that day and barring the essential businesses from having a shift that lasts longer than eight hours would do a lot. I’m never clear which people mean when they say to make it a holiday.
A political party that wants to make it harder to vote for politicians… Gee I wonder!
Fortunately I have a flexible job and live in a small town, but it looks like it gets ridiculous in other parts of the country.
Hell, they could just hold it over a weekend. Why does it need to be just one day, let alone a weekday (or more importantly, a work day)?
Because the polls are in buildings that typically are staffed by public sector workers who don’t get paid to be there on weekends.
I’m pretty sure poll workers are volunteers. Maybe it varies by state.
They usually are. But the polls themselves are often in community centers, schools, and other public sector buildings.
And…?
And that’s why elections in the US are on weekdays. I’m by saying I support this, I would love for elections to be a national holiday or noon on a Saturday or whatever makes them most accessible. I’m just explaining one of the reasons why they are how they are now.
Utterly insane that elections are held on weekdays. I’m so thankful we have mandatory voting, easy early voting, voting by mail, elections on weekends, and protections for employees who need to vote on the day they if they’re working in Australia. We also already have ranked choice voting by single transferable vote as well as proportional representative voting in most jurisdictions (all bicameral parliaments).
Unfortunately we have a beyond-uncomfortable fraction of the population that are totally cool with trying to prevent/discourage people from voting, as long as the near term political benefit is in their favor.
But I’m still glad to hear about other governments doing things for the good of the people. One of these days maybe enough of the US population will realize we can implement things that worked in other countries!
Just have to convince them that other countries exist…
Honestly the election day thing is more of an excuse at this point. Really, you get like a month or maybe two weeks to put your vote in. Most people who didn’t vote just don’t care.
ACT is unicameral, and I don’t think we’re the only ones
Yeah, as are NT and QLD. My comment was stating that all bicameral parliaments in Australia have proportional representational voting; not that all parliaments in Australia are bicameral.