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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM
I'm personally less concerned about it being one day and more that it's a weekday without it being a holiday or something which is liable to squeeze out the time available of some voters to get in line to vote.
It being a federal holiday wouldn't really be all that helpful, I think - the only things required to close on federal holidays are federal offices and banks. Making it a state holiday I think has more on-the-ground bite.
edited 28th Jul '16 8:23:27 AM by megarockman
The damned queen and the relentless knight.Indeed. A Christian holiday stolen from Pagan traditions can be a federal holiday despite separation of church and state, but the day we cast our votes to elect the President of our country? Nope, gotta work that day.
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.... Why is the USA federal government so insistent on making the election done in one day?
Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.It's more the states are, I think - saves on cost on the actual running of elections if it can all be done in one day. Staggering elections is more liable to have a last-state-gets-more-effective-voting-power situation because results/exit polls from other states are liable to be released.
edited 28th Jul '16 8:26:00 AM by megarockman
The damned queen and the relentless knight.Election Day is mandated in the Constitution, interestingly. Changing it requires a constitutional amendment.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"@trick
Because, unless the Republicans really, truly believe they can somehow get supermajorities in two thirds of the US States, changing the constitution to remove the four year term limit is basically not going to happen.
It's the same thing I point out with people saying "Obama's gonna take our gurnz", unless you think he can somehow overcome the 66% threshold, the constitution isn't going anywhere.
No - in fact, there's already been complaints from West Coast states in the past few elections that exit polling of Eastern Time Zone states before the West closes is influencing turnout. Again, I'm wagering the First Amendment is what's covering them.
edited 28th Jul '16 8:52:33 AM by megarockman
The damned queen and the relentless knight.How so? I should think that making Election Day a federal holiday would most heavily impact people who work a 9-5 job which, demographically, skews more heavily towards white, middle-class men. The only demographic the Republican party even caters to at this point.
People with non-standardized work schedules are less put out by having to work that day.
edited 28th Jul '16 8:57:48 AM by TobiasDrake
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.

I for one would be happy to give the FEC enough teeth to force electioneering to not take two bloody years.