Why isn't Election Day a national holiday in the US?

WASHINGTON — Millions of Americans will cast their ballots on Tuesday, Nov. 5, in the 2024 election — where the nation will elect a new president and vice-president. 

Election Day falls on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, right in the middle of the average workweek. For many Americans, voting may mean early mornings, longer lunch breaks or even rushed drives to the polls after work. 

This year's election won't just give the nation a new commander-in-chief, it also will decide a total of 468 seats in the House and Senate that are up for grabs. 

When it comes to elections, the U.S. is an outlier among other democracies due to its weekday voting. An analysis by the Pew Research Center found that the U.S. is only one of nine nations that are a part of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development that doesn't have weekend voting. 

Two of those nine, Israel and South Korea, designate national holidays on election days to help bolster voter turnout.

Is Election Day a federal holiday?

Google search data indicates Americans often wonder if Election Day is a holiday. 

There are currently 12 federal holidays recognized in the U.S., with the newest addition being Juneteenth. Election Day is not one of them. 

To make the change, Congress would have to approve the new holiday, followed by a signature from the president. 

Despite the last three election cycles – 2018, 2020 and 2022 – resulting in the highest-turnout elections in decades, voter reform advocates argue that making Election Day a federal holiday could boost turnout even further.

About two-thirds of the voting-eligible population turned out for the last presidential election, the highest rate for any national election since 1900, according to the Pew Research Center.

The idea of making Election Day a national holiday has a large bipartisan support, with 72% of U.S. adults surveyed by the Pew Research Center favoring the decision. Making Election Day a federal holiday has seen increased support in the in recent years, having jumped from 65% favorability in 2018 to 72% in 2024.

Among the supporters for Election Day to be a federal holiday is President Joe Biden. 

“If I had my way — and I think it’s really important — that every Election Day would be a day off because people can’t go to — people who work certain shifts can’t make it to the election,” he said in 2021.

Vice President and Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris has been vocal about the change.

"There is no question that Election Day should be a national holiday," Harris said on X, formerly known as Twitter, in 2019.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) has introduced the Freedom to Vote Act in the Senate in recent years. The legislation would make Election Day a federal holiday and implement other changes to the voting process. 

Similarly, Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) has introduced the Election Day Holiday Act into the House for the current session. The bill, which was previously filed a bill in 2021, is awaiting committee.

Which states recognize Election Day as a state holiday?

While there's no federal holiday status for our voting date in November, there are a handful of states that recognize it as a holiday. 

Illinois, West Virginia, Maryland, Hawaii and New York are among states that have classified general Election Day, held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years, as a state holiday, where employers are required to give time off for voting. 

In states like Montana and Indiana, Election Day is considered a state holiday, and some state offices are closed, but employers are not required to provide time or pay to give Election Day off.

Colorado and California are two states that don’t consider Election Day as a state holiday but do require employers to pay their employees if they need to take time off to head to the polls. 

Why isn't Election Day a holiday?

Busy or conflicting schedules on Election Day are part of the reason that some voters don't head to the polls. 

During the 2020 election, 13.1% of U.S. adults, who were registered to vote, cited scheduling conflicts as the main reason why they didn't vote, according to Statista Research Department. 

Advocates for making Election Day a federal holiday argue it boosts voter turnout by allowing a larger swath of Americans to get paid time off.

Those against the efforts argue it could cause longer lines at the polls, bring about issues with childcare and even hurt workers who do not have holiday pay. Rather than a paid holiday, they say focus should be on expanding early voting. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic helped widen early voting efforts, resulting in nearly 70% of ballots being cast before Election Day. 

There has been a surge of interest in recent years among some companies to make voting time off a guarantee. 

Why is Election Day on a Tuesday?

Ever since 1845, Election Day has occurred on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

Congress' decision to codify the tradition on a weekday all came down to the way of life in the mid-1800s. 

At the time, the U.S. was largely an agrarian society, so it made sense to vote in November — when farmers were done with their harvest and right before harsh winters. 

Tuesdays were ideal as it allowed voters, who at the time lived far away from most polling places, a two-day window to travel for Election Day. Wednesdays were market days for farmers while weekends were off the table due to Sunday service, according to History.com. 

So, Tuesdays in November became the most convenient days for voters in America at the time. Ironically, the tradition is now more of a hinderance than a convenience for modern day corporate America. 

The distinction for the Tuesday after the first Monday was created to avoid Election Day from falling on November 1 — All Saints' Day for many Catholics and Christians.