Election Day should be a federal holiday

(CNN) -- I know some 800,000 people retweeted that "four more years" image of Barack and Michelle Obama. But a different and much-less-discussed tweet caught my eye on Election Day:

Explain to me how that's not a genius idea?

Of course, it's not an entirely original one. The actor who plays Dwight Schrute on "The Office" made a video about the subject earlier this year. But the best argument I found in favor of an Election Day holiday was in the pages of The Atlantic in 1998. Way back in those Backstreet Boy times, Martin Wattenberg wrote that Election Day should be combined with Veterans' Day to create Veterans' Democracy Day.

"This would send a strong signal about the importance our country attaches to voting," he wrote. "And what better way could there be to honor those who fought for democratic rights than for Americans to vote on what could become known as Veterans' Democracy Day?"

Veterans' Day is celebrated on November 11, which is Sunday this year. (Federal employees have Monday, November 12 off work). The holidays could be combined, Wattenberg says, on the second Tuesday in November.

I love Wattenberg's idea about Veterans' Day because of the message it sends to voters.

For the past month or so, I've been writing about Hawaii's distinction as the state with the lowest voter turnout rate in the 2008 election (and possibly in 2012, but the numbers are still coming in). For one piece of the project, I asked the People of the Internet to send messages to six nonvoters in the Aloha State, trying to convince them to vote. Three of the six caved to the social media pressure, and one, Michael Remen, told me he voted simply because of one of the messages he received. It came from a commenter on CNN iReport's Facebook page:

"Send him a free ticket to Arlington Cemetery and (show) him how many reasons there are to vote, since all those there died for that right, here and abroad."

"I thought that was a really powerful statement," Remen said, "and it made really good sense."

Aligning Voting Day with Veterans' Day not only makes logistical sense -- lines might be shorter if not everyone ran to the polls at the start and finish of the work day -- but also symbolic sense.

It might serve as a reminder to people like Remen that veterans have given their lives to protect the right to vote in the United States. The least we can do in return is honor their sacrifice by casting a ballot. And, as that tweet suggested, an Election Day barbecue wouldn't be so bad, either.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of John D. Sutter.

0

Comments »

• Print
• Email
• More sharing

Click Here to Comment on this Article

Tagged : No tags for this article

Jessica Tata, 22, who fled US after Texas daycare fire killed 4 tots turns herself in

How teens are shunning Facebook in favor of Twitter and Tumblr to avoid peers' oversharing and prying parents' profiles

Headlines Newsview all

TB Joshua Banned In Ghana Over Holy Water Deaths!!

A strict order has been given to the authorities of the T.B Joshua led Synagogue Church of all Nations, SCOAN by the Greater Accra Regional ... Full story

Lady Gaga Goes Gaga

It's been argued in the past that popular singer, Lady Gaga, is just wild but she wont go the extreme to share her "privates" for ...

Prof. Chinua Achebe's Body Arrives In Nigeria - Photos

The remains of celebrated writer, Chinua Achebe arrived Abuja, the federal capital territory, Tuesday morning and was received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport by government officials, ...

Pure Water Factory Discovered To Be A Baby Making Factory In Imo State - Video

The news has been resonating all over the country for the past of the days. A baby making factory in Imo State where  girls ranging ... Full story

Ogun State Locks Out Civil Servants Who Came To Work Late

Ogun State Government on Monday, at its Oke Mosan secretariat, locked out civil servants, who came late to work. The two gates, leading to the complex, ... Full story

Nelson Mandela’s Daughters Suing Him Over His Property

NELSON Mandela’s daughters are suing him for the rights to his artworks and control of his millions, it has been reported. According to the Star on ... Full story

Former President Charles Taylor's Family Ejected From Calabar Mansion

According to a story in Encomium magazine, the family of former Liberian president and war crimes prisoner, Charles Taylor, have been ejected from their N2.5million ...

Tintswalo Ngobeni, 22, runs away after King of Swaziland tries to make her his 14th virgin bride

A young woman is seeking  asylum in Britain after she spurned the advances of the polyamorous King Mswati III of Swaziland and refused to join his ... Full story

Afrocandy - You Have Brought Shame To Igbo Land

For some days now, controversial actress-cum-singer, Judith Opara Mazagwu better known as Afrocandy has been in the news for her unclad movie. While she has ...

TB Joshua, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome Accused of "Occultism"

Ghanaian Bishop Isaac Owusu Bempah, Founder and Leader of the Glorious Word Power Ministries International, has labeled two of Nigeria's celebrated pastors as partners in winning ...

Nollywood Veteran Actor Zack Orji Turns Pastor

Veteran actor,  Zachee Ama Orji popularly called Zack Orji has officially joined the list of movie stars who have officially yielded to the callings of ...

Comment on: Election Day should be a federal holiday