Should ELECTION DAY be a National Holiday

[Roy Hersh]

I know that in most countries, supposedly about 80% of the "free world's" elections are held on either a weekend or the election day is a holiday, so EVERYBODY can get out there and vote.

We know that in the USA it always falls on a Tuesday and it is the first one in November. Anybody with a job in which they don't own the company ... they need to get permission to leave work to go and vote, or they come in late and risk getting in trouble, even fired. This seems to be illogical to me in a place where voter turn out has historically been low for even Presidential elections, every four years. Does it seem to make sense that this coming Tues. (in future elections) could easily be made a National holiday so everyone could get out there and use their Constitutional right to place a vote?

Or am I just one of those fanatics believing that voting is not just a right, but the right thing to do?

Regardless of who you are planning to vote for ... exercise "your right" to vote. If you don't ... you sure as heck have no right to bitch afterwards!

[Andy Velebil]

I have never understood why election day is in the middle of the week. I've always thought they would get a much better turn out if it was held on a weekend day. Especially now that many companies are using modified work schedules (9/80, 4/10, 3/12, etc) it is even harder to make it to vote. Making it a holiday is even better, that way there is no excuse for not voting.

[Glenn E.]

Every company that I have worked for has always said that employees are free to leave work early in order to vote, but I think that making it a national holiday would be a good idea.

[Eric Ifune]

I have a feeling that if it were a holiday, many people would go off and do other things than vote. I've voted with absentee ballots frequently over the past 20 years, and haven't had any problems. Just a little foresight is needed. Now with early voting being pushed, it should be even easier.

[Ronald Wortel]

The Netherlands belongs to the 20% of countries where election day is a weekday. It's always a Wednesday. But to make it easier for working people, polls are open until from 8AM to 8PM.

[Derek T.]

We always vote on a weekday in the UK. I think it might always be on a Thursday but that bit might be wrong.

Polling stations are normally open for 12 hours so everyone can vote even if they are working that day.

Elections are very popular with UK children as all the schools are used as polling stations so they get a day off

[Roy Hersh]

Amazingly, with all the trouble we had in 2000 with "dimpled chads" and other proclivities of the voting experience, things were supposed to be working far better in 2004 to ensure that voting was easy, consistent and all votes would be counted. Well for the 3rd election in a row, many of the same issues still exist while other new ones have materialized. You'd figure that the USA, one of the leaders in technology, would have been able to get it right by now. Very sad, however it did not come into play with the outcome being so lopsided but still, it is something that this country really needs to address once and for all.

[Derek T.]

Amazingly, with all the trouble we had in 2000 with "dimpled chads" and other proclivities of the voting experience, things were supposed to be working far better in 2004 to ensure that voting was easy, consistent and all votes would be counted. Well for the 3rd election in a row, many of the same issues still exist while other new ones have materialized. You'd figure that the USA, one of the leaders in technology, would have been able to get it right by now. Very sad, however it did not come into play with the outcome being so lopsided but still, it is something that this country really needs to address once and for all.

Go back to bits of paper, a pen, a cross and a black box with a slot in the top - it works, it doesn't break down and it is easy to count. Sometimes progress isn't necessary or good