[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 45 (Friday, April 15, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E667]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      ELECTION WEEKEND ACT OF 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                         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.

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