Because of Low Turnout, Sanders Filing Bill to Make Election Day a National Holiday

PJ Media ^ | November 7, 2014 | Bridget Johnson

[C19fan]

When the 113th Congress returns next week for its lame-duck session, a senator with a very secure seat — and presidential aspirations — will be filing a bill to make Election Day a national holiday.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said a reason for the legislation, the “Democracy Day Act of 2014,” is low voter turnout on Tuesday.

Sanders said his home state, which had a gubernatorial race, only had 43.7 percent voter turnout, the lowest on record. The United States Elections Project at the University of Florida estimated nationwide turnout at 36.6 percent, the senator noted, with the biggest drop-off among minorities and young people.

[SoothingDave]

Reasonable allowances for people who will legitimately miss election day is a lot different from saying “lets have an election fortnight.”

I agree there is less security with absentee ballots, which is why I oppose silliness like Oregon’s all mail ballots. And why I said any absentee system should be audited for abuse.

I realize you can’t file for an absentee ballot under Texas law as it is today. I am talking about the way a good system would be organized, not your reality.

What if they have 2 weeks of voting, but business takes you away for 15 days?

There have to be limits. A few good citizens losing out because of circumstances is better than a season of chaos and fraud.

I guess we disagree on this. Have a good weekend.

[thackney]

My vote is too important to take a chance of missing again, even when I expect no conflict. I stay in favor of early voting. I would rather not expand the mail ballots; I see more opportunity for fraud.