Weekend Voting Act Reintroduced

April 25th, 2013

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. Here are the details:

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 Slaughter said, “Having Election Day on a Tuesday is an outdated requirement that simply does not comport with the schedules of modern Americans.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.

The long-standing tradition of holding federal elections on the first Tuesday of November began with an act of Congress in 1845. Tuesday was selected for its comparative convenience because it was a designated “court day” and the day in which land-owners would typically be in town to conduct business. The tradition was based on the then-agrarian American society.

Currently, most polls are open only 12 hours (from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.) for one day. As seen in our most recent election last November, long lines in many polling places kept voters waiting longer than one or two hours. Voter turnout in the United States has long lagged behind similar democracies around the world. Only 47 percent of eligible voters actually voted in the United States.

Ambassador Andrew Young, Chairman of the Board of Why Tuesday? Said, “It is disgraceful that the greatest democracy in the world ranks 138th out of 172 democracies in voter turnout. We commend Reps. Israel and Larson for proposing the Weekend Voting Act, a commonsense and balanced way to make voting accessible to millions of Americans who find it difficult — or impossible — to reach the polls in the middle of the work week.”

Mimi Marziani, Operations Directors of Why Tuesday? Added, “Voting is a fundamental right and privilege of citizenship, yet our voting system has not been meaningfully upgraded since 1845 when Congress chose Tuesday as the day people vote in national elections. Moving elections to the weekend would expand access to voting and bring us much closer to what a 21st century democracy should be.”

Posted by WhyTuesday

Why Tuesday? On Meet The Press

March 3rd, 2013

NBC News’ Tom Brokaw endorsed weekend voting on Meet The Press this morning, and gave a special shout out to our co-founder Ambassador Andrew Young and our organization. Here’s what he said, in response to a question from moderator David Gregory about whether or not the Voting Rights Act is still necessary:

David Gregory: How far have we come, Tom?

Tom Brokaw: Well, we’ve come a long way but the journey is not complete yet. And in fact I feel strongly that in this country we need to expand voting rights and not restrict them in some fashion. I would even move voting day from Tuesday to a weekend which I think would encourage more people who are consumed with working or taking care of children at home can’t get to the voting place. Andy Young, one of the great civil rights leaders has got a movement now called Why Tuesday? — why not move it to encourage more people…

Watch Tom Brokaw’s complete remarks:

Spread the word! Retweet the tweet below to share Brokaw’s endorsement with your followers.

RT to share @tombrokaw‘s endorsement of moving Election Day to the weekend on @meetthepress this morning! whytuesday.org/2013/03/03/why…

— Why Tuesday? (@WhyTuesday) March 3, 2013

Posted by WhyTuesday

On SCOTUS VRA Hearing

February 27th, 2013

Statement From Mimi Marziani, Why Tuesday? Director of Operations:

This morning, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments over whether or not to invalidate part of the Voting Rights Act. While this debate is important, it cannot overshadow discussions about what our next voting rights laws should be. Last November, we witnessed unacceptable voting lines, elderly women waiting in line for 6+ hours, and participation rates that continue to put us in the bottom quartile among democracies worldwide. Our democracy is suffering and, whatever the Supreme Court decides, we need real conversation and new legislation to upgrade to a voting system 2.0. When our computers go out of whack, we don’t wait for them to upgrade themselves — we know they are too important. We can’t wait to upgrade our democracy.

Posted by WhyTuesday

Meet Our New Director Of Operations

February 25th, 2013

Big news! This morning we’re announcing that Mimi Marziani is joining Why Tuesday? as our new Director of Operations. We couldn’t be more excited to have Mimi leading the charge for us at this crucial moment to make sure America’s voting system works for all of us, not just a select group. Read the complete press release below.

NEW YORK – Feb. 25, 2013 – Today, the nonpartisan group Why Tuesday? named Mimi Marziani as its new Director of Operations.

Ambassador Andrew Young, Chairman of the Why Tuesday? Board of Directors, stated: “Our country is engaged in active discussions about how to fix our country’s voting system, we are extremely fortunate to have Mimi assume the helm at this critical moment.”

Ms. Marziani has served on the organization’s advisory board for two years, and brings a depth of experience with voting rights and election law. For three years, Ms. Marziani was an attorney with the Brennan Center for Justice, litigating election law cases across the country and playing an active role in the Center’s efforts to promote voting rights. She is currently a litigation associate at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, where she maintains an active pro bono practice.

“Voting is a fundamental right and a privilege of citizenship, yet our voting system has not been meaningfully upgraded since 1845 when Congress chose Tuesday as the day people vote in national elections,” said William Wachtel, a founding partner and member of the Board.

Ms. Marziani added, “Why Tuesday? is known for approaching old problems with American elections from unconventional angles. I am thrilled to lead the organization as we push to make voting easier for eligible citizens.”

“It is disgraceful that the greatest democracy in the world ranks 138th out of 172 democracies in voter turnout. With Mimi, Why Tuesday? is committed to working with state and federal policymakers on both sides of the aisle to find balanced and commonsense solutions,” added Jacob Soboroff, host of HuffPost Live, and the group’s previous Executive Director and current Board member.

In addition, Why Tuesday? announced that Thomas Rossmeissl will serve as Chief Strategy Officer. Mr. Rossmeissl has been an active member of the organization since 2007 when he helped launch the Why Tuesday? video blog, and will continue to oversee the group’s online strategy. Mr. Rossmeissl is the Director of Joe Trippi & Associates.

UPDATE 3/7: Corrected to reflect Mimi Marziani’s title.

Posted by WhyTuesday

Weekend Voting, Not Election Holiday

February 17th, 2013

Everyone loves holidays. A day off from work, often a three-day weekend to travel or relax – who wouldn’t appreciate that? But holidays recognized by the government are also costly. Millions of people taking another day off from work sharply reduces productivity in the country. And, like monuments on the National Mall, there are real limits to the number one can have, and each one needs to go through a thorough and careful vetting process, so that future generations can have room or times to honor other leaders or events.

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.

Read the rest of Norm Ornstein’s op-ed at The New York Times’ Room For Debate site.

Posted by Norman J. Ornstein