Election Day Should be a Federal Holiday

Every election cycle, there are some stories that never change. One of the most commonly reported stories is that America’s voter turnout rate is terrible. It’s so bad that every four years, despite choosing who the most powerful man in the world will be, a bit more than half of voting-eligible Americans actually bother to vote. That is pathetic, but there are reasons for it. Chief among those reasons is that voting in America is absurdly difficult.

Consider that there are 235 million voting-eligible Americans. They have, depending on where they live, a 12-hour window on a Tuesday in November to vote. However, in order to vote, they must comply with the laws of the state in which they live, and those laws vary greatly from state to state. The process, in other words, is not uniform. However, the experience is. There are too few polling stations and they are poorly equipped. The result is long lines stretching out the door into often unpleasant weather conditions. This process is so anachronistic, inefficient and unpleasant that the Byzantines would be proud to call it their own.

We can do better. This isn’t 1789. At the very least, we can make Election Day a federal holiday. There are other reforms that can be made, as well, including the adoption of early voting and the standardization of election laws. The registration process also needs to be more visible. Every voting-eligible citizen should be reminded that they can register and be provided with the means to do so at every available opportunity. Whether you are turning 18; obtaining or renewing a driver’s license; filing taxes; or registering for Medicare, Medicaid or Obamacare, the first question you should be asked is this: Are you registered to vote?

Originally printed as a letter to the editor of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Click here to view.

This letter has been revised for clarity by the author.