Not-So-Super Tuesday

CNN columnist Roland Martin stresses the need to change election day in his article "We should vote on the first Saturday in November", and I couldn't agree with him more. Who picked Tuesday to be the ideal day for elections anyway? It turns out that Congress chose this date to appease the dominantly-agrarian population of 1845. Because it was the most convenient for agricultural workers, this day maximized voter turnout. Nowadays voting on Super Tuesday is far from optimal. With so many politicians and media personnel concerned with voter turnout, it seems that a minor change in election day would be a simple means of improvement.

The U.S. populace falls behind other nations in voter participation, including many European countries. Martin points out that recent Iraqi elections attracted ninety percent of its citizens. How can America promote a strong democracy when it struggles to get half of its population to the polls? The neck-and-neck presidential race of 2004 only attracted sixty percent of eligible American voters.

Why is Tuesday such a terrible election day? The majority of Americans work a typical five-day work week with hours from 8:00 to 5:00. Most attempt to vote before or after work. This leads to overwhelmingly long lines. Many are discouraged from even going to the polls because they expect the hassle and frustration of waiting. One solution to keep voting during the week would be to offer multiple days. For example, if polls were open Monday and Tuesday then lines would be much shorter and people could choose the most convenient time and day for them.

Still even better, Saturday-voting is a clear alternative to the current system. Fewer Americans work on Saturday, and most could find the opportunity to get to a poll. It is time for Congress to stop living by tradition and make a decision that would benefit our nation's politics. As Martin puts it:

This is one of those simple decisions that doesn't require a ton of debate. I can't imagine there being major opposition to moving the election date.

Year after year both political parties funnel significant funding into a "Get Out the Vote" campaign to encourage participation on election day. Obviously politicians already favor increased voter turnout. Super Saturday would be a simple legislative change that would be advantageous to everyone involved. For the twenty-first century, it just makes sense.