Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions
Floor Speech
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Mr. President, today I am pleased to be joined by Senators Klobuchar, Brown, King, Franken, and Whitehouse in introducing the Weekend Voting Act. This bill makes voting in Federal elections easier and more accessible through one simple change: moving Election Day from Tuesday to the following Saturday and Sunday in November of an election year.
We know from surveys and common sense that Tuesday voting stands in the way of greater voter participation. In 1845, Congress set Tuesday as Election Day because it was the easiest day for farmers--then travelling by horse and buggy--to make it to the polls in the course of their regular Tuesday trips to bring goods to market. Tuesday voting has no such benefit for farmers, or anyone else, in the 21st Century.
It does, however, force many Americans to choose between their workday and family responsibilities, and participation in our democratic process.
According to the Pew Research Center, voter turnout in the United States regularly lags behind other developed countries, many of which hold elections on one or more days during the weekend. According to U.S. Census data, the most consistent reason Americans give for not voting is that they are too busy to get away from their daily lives to make it to the polls.
The Weekend Voting Act would give Americans the ability to vote during times that make better sense for them. Rather than on a Tuesday, polls would stay open during the first Saturday and Sunday after the first Friday in November of an election year. States would retain full autonomy to continue to offer alternatives to Election Day voting, such as early voting or voting by mail, and States are encouraged to give special consideration to accommodate weekend religious practices.
Mr. President, I urge my colleagues to support the Weekend Voting Act so that more Americans can take part in our democratic process by voting at times that work for them.
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