Why do we vote on Tuesdays?
I must admit, I don’t think this is the number 1 issue as to why voter participation is woeful. I think the electoral college has to occupy that number 1 spot. But close behind is the fact that voting day is a work day for most. Add in the fact that in many places the wait to vote can extend for hours, and that is going to hurt voter turnout.
Of course, as with many of the inane rules and laws in America, you have to go back a ways to find out why something is as it is. In this case, Tuesday’s were selected back in the days when horse and buggy was the primary means of transport, and we were not yet an urban society.
There’s an interesting web site, Why Tuesday, that is focused on election reform, with their starting place focused on the day we vote. Here’s the history on Tuesday:
In 1845, before Florida, California, and Texas were states or slavery had been abolished, Congress needed to pick a time for Americans to vote. We were an agrarian society. We traveled by horse and buggy. Farmers needed a day to get to the county seat, a day to vote, and a day to get back, without interfering with the three days of worship. So that left Tuesday and Wednesday, but Wednesday was market day. So, Tuesday it was. In 1875 Congress extended the Tuesday date for national House elections and in 1914 for federal Senate elections.
Not exactly relevant today.
One thing that must change is the day we vote. If it’s in the middle of the week, then it should be a national holiday. Otherwise, shift it to the weekend, so most folks don’t have to decide between half a day’s pay and voting.
Last week, U.S. Representative Steve Israel and U.S. Senator Herb Kohl yesterday introduced the Weekend Voting Act in the Senate and the House.
I’ll be following this, and similar efforts at the state level.
