Why Tuesday?
June 2013
2 posts
Why... Wednesday? →
washingtonpost.com
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has set a special election for Wednesday October 16th.
So for once, we’re asking “Why Wednesday?” — not that we’re happy about it.
May 2013
2 posts
April 2013
1 post
F Yeah Weekend Voting!
The Weekend Voting Act, which would move Election Day from the Tuesday after the first Monday in November to Saturday and Sunday, was reintroduced to Congress this week.
Some deets:
Washington, D.C.— Today, Reps. Steve Israel (D-NY) and Louise Slaughter (D-NY) announced legislation to move Election Day from the first Tuesday in November to the first full weekend, thereby making it more convenient for voters and increasing voter turnout.
Rep. Israel said, “Voting should be easy and accessible. This is why, in 1845, Congress decided that voting on a Tuesday made sense. It was the easiest day for farmers in our agrarian society to get to the polls. But times have changed, and Tuesday voting just doesn’t make sense anymore. By moving Election Day from a single day in the middle of the work week to a full weekend, we are encouraging more working Americans to participate. Our democracy will be best served when our leaders are elected by as many Americans as possible.”
Rep. Slaughter said, “Having Election Day on a Tuesday is an outdated requirement that simply does not comport with the schedules of modern Americans. Instituting weekend voting would make it easier and more convenient for Americans to exercise their right to vote, and would help reduce lines at the polls and increase voter turnout.”
The Weekend Voting Act would allow for national polls to be open from 10 a.m. (Eastern Time) Saturday to 6 p.m. (ET) Sunday in the 48 contiguous states. Election officials would be permitted to close polls during the overnight hours if they determine it would be inefficient to keep them open. Reps. Israel, Slaughter, Larson, Clyburn and Dingell are the original cosponsors of the legislation.
March 2013
2 posts
February 2013
8 posts
“At one level, as a longtime and strong proponent of making voting easier for all Americans who are eligible, I would love to make Election Day a holiday. Far too many working people are hamstrung on Tuesday; they can vote only before or after work, when the lines are especially long and when people whose livelihoods depend on getting to work on time and getting the hourly pay cannot afford to wait for an hour or more. But adding an Election Day holiday is simply too costly… That is why I helped to found Why Tuesday, an organization focused on informing Americans that the tradition of Tuesday Election Days is not writ in stone or in the Constitution, but was chosen to suit a 19th-century agrarian economy. We believe it makes far more sense to move elections to the weekend.”
—
Our Norm Ornstein in Monday’s New York Times. Read the full op-ed here.
Want to join our movement? Sign our petition to the President and Congress to move Election Day to the weekend so everyone can vote.
“We must all do our part to make sure our God-given rights are protected here at home. That includes our most fundamental right as citizens: the right to vote. When any Americans – no matter where they live or what their party – are denied that right simply because they can’t wait for five, six, seven hours just to cast their ballot, we are betraying our ideals. That’s why, tonight, I’m announcing a non-partisan commission to improve the voting experience in America. And I’m asking two long-time experts in the field, who’ve recently served as the top attorneys for my campaign and for Governor Romney’s campaign, to lead it. We can fix this, and we will. The American people demand it. And so does our democracy.”
—President Obama announcing an election reform commission during the State of the Union. Some, including the League of Women Voters, think this is just kicking the can down the road. What do you think?
“Evidence shows that early voting increases as Election Day nears — the weekend before Election Day has particularly high turnout. Mandating the availability of weekend voting, as well as both standard business and non-business hours during the week, frees citizens from making a choice between work and voting.”
—
The Brennan Center’s new report, How To Fix Long Lines, on how important weekend voting is to increasing American voter turnout and making sure all Americans have a chance to vote.
How YOU can help: Sign our petition to Congress and the President to support the Weekend Voting Act, that would move Election Day to the weekend so everyone can vote.
January 2013
6 posts
Live Tweeting Election Reform
Our Tom Rossmeissl was at the Brennan Center’s conference on election reform yesterday in Washington D.C. at the National Press Club, and live-tweeted the affair.
At “Creating a Modern Voting System” event w/ @brennancenter at the @pressclubdc — time to upgrade our voting system twitter.com/WhyTuesday/sta…
— Why Tuesday? (@WhyTuesday) January 24, 2013
Alvin Jaeger, #nd SoS, just spoke. Only state with no voter reg.. Asks congress not to force them to change - it’s “working pretty well”
— Why Tuesday? (@WhyTuesday) January 24, 2013
#MN has battled in the courts, legislature, &ballot to preserve elec day registration. Also using #or as model in implementing vote by mail
— Why Tuesday? (@WhyTuesday) January 24, 2013
Beverly Hudnut from Campaign Legal Center: lots of common ground from both parties about problems & need to solve them. Devil in the details
— Why Tuesday? (@WhyTuesday) January 24, 2013
. @brennancenter: need congressional action & min standards for voter reg. Must be portable & ability to update reg info online or at polls
— Why Tuesday? (@WhyTuesday) January 24, 2013
. @brennancenter : modernizing registration can be a net cost benefit for states. Just need startup costs (that get recouped quickly)
— Why Tuesday? (@WhyTuesday) January 24, 2013
#nd’s jaeger: troubling when legislators pursue reform w/o actually working the polls or at least talking to the election officials.
— Why Tuesday? (@WhyTuesday) January 24, 2013
“Our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote.”
—President Obama, calling for fixing America’s terribly broken voting system, during his inaugural address. Music to my ears. (via jacobsoboroff)
“So, President Obama, as you place your hand upon the bibles of both Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr., I pray that you will be inspired by the courage and conviction of these two great men who paid the ultimate price for the right to vote. I pray that you will listen carefully to the words of Lyndon B. Johnson which still echo throughout the Capitol, and be inspired by that courageous Southerner who sacrificed his political life for the sake of a greater good. I pray that you will feel the strength of Martin’s voice as he stood at the Lincoln Memorial urging our nation to make good on a 100 year old “unfulfilled promise.”
—
Our co-founder, Ambassador Andrew Young, on the eve of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the second inauguration of Barack Obama.
December 2012
4 posts
“To reduce long lines, Holder said polling places should have an adequate number of voting machines and be open for additional days - another difficult challenge because thousands of local officials make those decisions independently.”
—
Reuters, reporting on Attorney General Eric Holder’s remarks about election reform.
Weekend voting, anyone?
Sign our petition to Congress and the President for the Weekend Voting Act.
November 2012
8 posts
“Whether you voted for the first time, or waited in line for a very long time… by the way we have to fix that.”
—President Obama calling for election reform, in an ad lib, during his victory speech last night.
“Why do we vote on Tuesdays? I bet this line would be less ridiculous if we weren’t all trying to do this before work.”
—@tiboribi on Twitter. We agree. Sign our petition to Congress and the President to move Election Day to the weekend.
October 2012
21 posts
“The point is there are 15 states with Tuesday-only voting. If Election Day was tomorrow there would be major problems.”
—Me in USA Today, about how Hurricane Sandy should make us rethink our voting laws in the United States. Check out Why Tuesday? for more. (via jacobsoboroff)
“Why in the hell do we vote on a TUESDAY in November? every. single. election. season. #NoSense”
—
Tweet from @Connor_Shank.
Hey Conor, here’s the answer: absolutely no good reason whatsoever.
Sign our petition to move Election Day to the weekend so everyone can vote.
Play
“We had a debate in class about your bill! We think that the election should be open for several days. Another idea is that it should be a National Holiday where we all are allowed a half to a whole day off. Thanks!”
—
A comment from a Louisiana History Class in Baton Rouge on WhyTuesday.org.
Send us your ideas! We love getting them.
