Poll: Make Election Day a National Holiday

[barts]

A poll, Make Election Day a National Holiday, has been posted on the White House website.

Do you agree or disagree with this incentive to increase voter participation? And, what are your reasons for your choice?

[Trojan_Ripper]

Does anyone know why you have to create an account to vote on the Whitehouse poll, and what type of information is asked when creating your account on the website?

I disagree with the idea and wonder why it’s even being brought up by this administration.

Why would a person who is concerned for the way their country is being led need the day off to go vote?

Should we commercialize voting also….and maybe give out coupons at the voting precincts for a free 6 pack of Coke, taco’s, or barrel of Popeye’s chicken…redeemable at participating dealers? Instead of a day off and free coupons let’s supply FREE picture voter Ids for those who don’t have them?

[Yarn]

Does anyone know why you have to create an account to vote on the Whitehouse poll, and what type of information is asked when creating your account on the website?

Because they want to prevent double voting. Also, i'm sure they'd love to get their hands on email addresses and the like. Internet polls are worthless anyway.

Why would a person who is concerned for the way their country is being led need the day off to go vote?

So only people who are the most passionate should vote?

Apparently the US sucks at voter turnout.
Voter turnout - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Doesn't that make us less democratic?

[barts]

Perhaps, all elections should be held on July 4th, Independence Day. Seems fitting to vote on a day to celebrate the birth of a new democracy.

[Thanatos]

I already have most of the mailers blocked to cut down on the Obamaspam.

I believe that the only reason we don't already have a holiday is we're kind of a fake plastic democracy. If we want normal people to vote then this is a no-brainer.

[Trojan_Ripper]

Because they want to prevent double voting. Also, i'm sure they'd love to get their hands on email addresses and the like. Internet polls are worthless anyway.

Good point Yarn. I was also wondering if they ask party affiliation when signing up?

So only people who are the most passionate should vote?

Apparently the US sucks at voter turnout.

Not at all what I was saying. But passion I would think plays a part....so we need to give everyone a "day off" to get them up and out to vote...passion or not? So the bottom line here is "if you don't vote, then you can't bitch". But apparently now you can say "Damn if I had the day off, I would have voted". LOL

[Trojan_Ripper]

Perhaps, all elections should be held on July 4th, Independence Day. Seems fitting to vote on a day to celebrate the birth of a new democracy.

Not a bad idea. But then we have all the drunks on the road....we can fix that with a breathalyzer voting machine. You blow a .08 and you can't vote and get taken to jail for public drunkeness.

[Yarn]

I was also wondering if they ask party affiliation when signing up?

One of the tactics practiced by campaigns is personalized messages. They utilize voters' specific information to deliver messages carefully tailored to appeal to a specific audience.

Per instance, I remember reading that in 2004 the Bush campaign somehow found out that a particular undecided mother in Ohio liked the idea of school vouchers. So they called her up and talked about how Bush's position on that issue was the same as her's.

Advertisers are aspiring persuaders. The more they know about people, the more they know about to whom they should levy their messages and what form these message should take. That is why we keep having all of these privacy controversies about google and facebook and the like. The more personal information they share with advertisers, the more advertisers will be willing to pay for advertising space. But the googles and facebooks of the world have to balance that imperative with the one of avoiding freaking out too many customers and lawmakers.

Not at all what I was saying.

The more inconvenient it is to vote, the more inspired people will have to be in order for them to be willing to vote. The question of whether to make voting more or less convenient therefore seems to hitch on the question of whether you think passionate votes should be made louder and impassionate votes silenced. I don't like partisanship, so personally i'd prefer for less excited people to vote in greater numbers. Plus, in a way it is more democratic if more people vote.

[Apeman81]

Does anyone know why you have to create an account to vote on the Whitehouse poll, and what type of information is asked when creating your account on the website?

Great question. Big Brother much?

You got all day to vote. Quit bitching and go to the polls. Or mail the ballot. or.....

[The Decider]

A poll, Make Election Day a National Holiday, has been posted on the White House website.

Do you agree or disagree with this incentive to increase voter participation? And, what are your reasons for your choice?

Why not save some money and have the presidential election on a weekend day?

[lsbskins1]

I do find it interesting that the repose to this tends to break along party lines.

Here is my take: Conservatives like the "work for it" approach and liberals tend to the "lets be as inclusive as possible" approach. Theory aside, the practical effect of the "work for it" approach is that it decreases the participation of voters conservatives don't really want voting anyway, because they are not usually conservative voters. The practice of creating obstacles to voting and receiving services you are entitled to is called churning. It has the practical advantages of not costing shit to implement and plausible deniability. "Oh, I just want to make sure nobody is cheating. It has nothing to do with stopping the honest/deserving/disadvantaged from gaining access!" It works to fabulous effect...if the effect you desire is limiting access to various things.

I'm all for a national voting holiday. I'm in the "lets be as inclusive as possible" camp. Here in my area, there are plenty of coal miners who end up spending 12 hours of their day getting to work, working and then getting back to their district where they can vote. If they had the day off, they wouldn't have to worry about being able to vote. There are a thousand different ways that work obligations can interfere with voting.

[Dan74]

Voting is a stupid and meaningless activity in our society.