President Biden and a number of Think Tanks (read: Brookings Institution) support the idea of giving us a day off in order to go to the polls in November. The result will be increased participation in voting because, suddenly, we all have time to do it.
There’s precedent: it’s done in Australia and turnout is near 90%. For comparison, turnout averages a little over 50% in the United States.
Put another way, the logic is providing time to do something you should do is a good idea. Nowhere do I see the idea of a person saying this is important and that’s why I’ll make the time to vote.
Do we let kids out of school that day? If so, then parents who work may find themselves in a job that doesn’t observe the “national holiday,” meaning they need to find someone who can be available. Are grocery stores closed that day to allow employees time to vote? You see where this is going?
We are given the right to vote. This doesn’t mean we have to be given a day off to do it. That’s just……not right.