Election Weekend Act of 2005

ELECTION WEEKEND ACT OF 2005 -- (Extensions of Remarks - April 15, 2005)

SPEECH OF
HON. MICHAEL M. HONDA
OF CALIFORNIA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2005

* Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the election Weekend Act of 2005. My dear friend and distinguished colleague, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, and I are introducing this bill to expand accessibility to the electoral process for millions of hard working Americans, who at present are faced with the untenable task of balancing their familial and work responsibilities with their desire to participate in our democratic process, namely to vote.

* For more than 200 years, our Nation has prided itself on being the preeminent democracy in the world. We have been the nation to which others look as an example of a healthy democracy. Yet, our rate of voter turnout reveals that our democracy is suffering from serious illness. According to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, between 1945 and 1998, the United States ranked a dismal 139th out of 172 democracies in voter turnout.

* True to our ideals of freedom and individuality, voting has always been voluntary. But the voluntary nature of voting is only true if all Americans have equal access to participate in this process. Many hardworking Americans simply do not have ample time and opportunity to vote. And, as we saw in the 2004 election, many civic-minded Americans must wait in line for hours upon hours for the opportunity to cast their ballot.

* Our predecessors in Congress arranged for elections to be held during a time of the year and day of the week that would allow enable the largest number of citizens to vote. In 1845 Congress selected November as the month to hold elections (Election Day) because the harvest was in, and farmers were able to take the time needed to vote. Congress selected Tuesday because it gave a full day's travel between Sunday, which was widely observed as a strict day of rest, and Election Day. Travel was also easier throughout the north during November, before winter had set in.

* Mr. Speaker, it is time for this Congress to recognize today what our predecessors so astutely recognized 160 years ago: The timing of our elections must accommodate the schedules of our hard working citizens. In recognition of changed times, our bill proposes to do just this. The Weekend Election Act changes our Nation's Election Day from the first Tuesday in November to the first consecutive Saturday and Sunday in November, and in so doing, enables many more Americans to participate in the most fundamental aspect of our democratic process.

* Our bill acknowledges the fact that many Americans are unable to leave their jobs in the middle of the day to vote because our elections occur on a Tuesday, a day when almost all Americans are working. By holding elections over a weekend, a time when fewer Americans work, voters will have more time to go to the polls, reducing many of the long lines that form during peak voting hours.

* In a time when we are ardently promoting democracy abroad, we must not forget the ongoing need to strengthen democracy at home. Only as long as the democratic process is accessible to all hardworking citizens at home will we serve as a shining example of democracy to the rest of the world.

* I urge my colleagues to support the Election Weekend Act to enable greater access to the most fundamental aspect of our democratic process.

BRAKE IN TRANSCRIPT

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/C?r109:./temp/~r109YFlSoP