11/04/2009 09:36:00 PM EST

Simple way to ensure a Democratic Congress...make election day a holiday!

posted by ericalexander77

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but couldn't it be just this easy! If, like many European countries, we made all major election days into national holidays, then the Democrat turn out would increase, and consequently the Democrats would dominate all future elections. I'm sure some Republicans work multiple jobs, but I bet not nearly as many as the number of Democrats. Each election day, there are hundreds of thousands of people, mostly in the lower class (generally Democrats), who can't vote because they don't have the time. We can't count on Obama-mania bringing in millions of people at each election. For those who are worried about the economic implications of taking an extra day off from work (an overrated argument in my mind, as the Europeans take much more vacation than us), then on election years, swap out MLK Jr's Birthday or Washington's Birthday (I'm sure they would approve!). Population growth (primarily Hispanic population growth, as they will overtake whites as the majority in our country by 2050) can ensure that the old, white, conservative Republican party becomes extinct, so all we have to do is get the people out to vote. If that doesn't work, how about incentives! All Democrats who show up to the polls/caucus get some small gift, etc.. The numbers are on our side!

Email Print
Google Technorati del.icio.us digg reddit Facebook
< 23 American CIA agent convicted of kidnapping in Italy | In case you missed it, Prejean got BURNED! >

Poll

Should Election Day be a National Holiday?
Yes 93%
No 6%

Votes: 15
Results | Other Polls
 Display:
Simple way to ensure a Democratic Congress...make election day a holiday! | 16 comments (16 topical, 0 hidden)
That last part... (none / 0)
...you can't do.  We can't essentially bribe people to vote.  Otherwise, this is a no-brainer.  An election is, at least in theory, the most important thing a citizenry can participate in.  It should be a holiday even regardless of the demographic ramifications.

by Milltycoon on 11/04/2009 11:27:59 PM EST

What's a Holiday? (none / 0)
I agree with your sentiment and I'd select Columbus Day as the trade-off holiday, since it is essentially celebrating a centuries-long New World genocide. But honestly, holidays have been taken over by marketers anymore and the rest of us feed the beast and drive through fast food joints on our way home from hitting the bargains at holiday sales.

by Verified1 on 11/05/2009 04:43:35 AM EST

[ Parent ]
Most people who vote Democrat... (none / 0)
Don't work anyway, so what's the difference? Conservatives actually work for what they get - Liberals expect the government to provide it for them...

by bobo1 on 11/04/2009 11:41:13 PM EST

wait a second (none / 0)
This looks exactly like something that I would say sarcastically... was bobo joking?

by birdboy1 on 11/04/2009 11:51:49 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Is what I said... (none / 0)
Not true? Hell, in Chicago the dead vote Democrat - what would their "occupation" be? Add in your college students, welfare queens and illegal aliens and the Dems have themselves quite a dependable voting block...

by bobo1 on 11/05/2009 12:03:05 AM EST

[ Parent ]
am I just not in on the joke? (none / 0)
if I was to refute this, I would say 3 things

  1. In 2000, 57% of college students 18-24 work either part time or full time  This number is likely to have increased even more since 2000, since there was a steady increase from 1984 to 2000

  2.  Welfare queens don't exist
  3. Illegal aliens don't vote.  and even if they did, it would be a mute point because they're working over 40 hours a week, undocumented, staying in the shed of the guy with the mansion and being paid below minimum wage to mow the rich prick's lawn.

by birdboy1 on 11/05/2009 12:27:38 AM EST

[ Parent ]
Working at McDonalds... (none / 0)
Like our friend Spencer doesnt actually count as "work" - I'm referring to real jobs, career jobs...

Welfare queens do exist - I don't know who lied to you and told you otherwise...

Illegal aliens do vote - I've seen it happen.
So making election day a holiday wouldnt make a damn bit of difference...

by bobo1 on 11/05/2009 12:30:58 AM EST

[ Parent ]
mhmmm (none / 0)
  1. what would happen if it was made a holiday?  Even the college students who are working at Mickey D's would get a day off.  What would they do on that day off?  They would go vote.  So tell me how it wouldn't make a difference?

  2. Show me a concrete statistic of what percentage of people on welfare own lexuses.  Show me a concrete statistic of how many people defraud the welfare system.  

  3. You've seen it happen.  Show me the statistic of how many illegal aliens are registered to vote.

by birdboy1 on 11/05/2009 12:37:06 AM EST

[ Parent ]
oh yeah and by the way (none / 0)
If you've "seen it happen," how do you tell if a person is an illegal immigrant?  Do you tell by their accent, their skin color, or do you have a time machine so that you can go back in time and just sit on the border and watch people go by?

by birdboy1 on 11/05/2009 12:42:36 AM EST

[ Parent ]
What a coincidence. (none / 0)
What a coincidence.  I've seen Bigfoot, too!  Well, he was in an Internet video, but that does mean he's real!

by Jysella on 11/05/2009 11:06:45 AM EST

[ Parent ]
you are lying again BoboTaitz (none / 0)
dont you have something better to do ?  Maybe you should be looking for that Kenyan birth certificate

:)

A conservative believes nothing should be done for the first time

by C D on 11/05/2009 02:23:04 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Why Bother (none / 0)
I'll never understand why anybody even bothers to reeply to Bobo. It just encourages his silliness.

by Verified1 on 11/05/2009 04:47:11 AM EST

[ Parent ]
Sunday elections (none / 0)

You don't have to create a holiday. Just vote on a sunday, like we do. What's the problem, would you have to amend the constitution or something?

One party seems to be afraid of higher voter turnout, or it would have already been done. Regardless of how many voters of either party are working people (which is subject to change), wouldn't a higher voter turnout be good for democracy?

 

by OldGerman on 11/05/2009 05:31:11 AM EST

Great point (none / 0)

Thanks 'Old German'. Weekend voting. Simple answer to my question, and a common sense one. I tried to find out why we vote on Tuesday. It turns out there is a website dedicated to this issue and trying to change this policy (whytuesday.org).

In terms of why we vote on Tuesday, per their website, "In 1845, Congress needed to pick a time for Americans to vote. The U.S. was an agrarian society, and 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"

 

Horse and buggy! I think it's time for change.

Thanks again 

by ericalexander77 on 11/06/2009 10:04:00 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Just (none / 0)
What i need another day i will not get paid for. Maybe you have the $$$ to do that . Plus why do i need to help pay state and fed workers for a holiday they don't need anyway.

by tuna on 11/05/2009 07:21:30 AM EST

Regardless (none / 0)

I support this idea, regardless of whether it would automatically bring about a Democratic majority (I don't think it would).  In the last two Presidential elections there have been a number of polling places where people got off work, went to vote, and were still standing in line when the polls closed, effectively disenfranchised.  Whether they are currently Democratic or not, the current system makes voting difficult for people who have to work, or who work multiple jobs.

Barring that, what about relaxing the standards for getting an absentee ballot, so that people who may not be able to make it to the polls (because of work) can vote that way?

by Jysella on 11/05/2009 11:05:12 AM EST

Simple way to ensure a Democratic Congress...make election day a holiday! | 16 comments (16 topical, 0 hidden)
 Display: