One of the newest and best-known members of the 116th Congress has hit the job running with a very compelling idea: turn Election Day into a national holiday!
Politics
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic congresswoman from New York who recently made history by becoming the youngest woman to ever serve in Congress, has proposed that the US do away with the long-standing tradition of a Tuesday Election Day, which has interrupted the work week and sent voter participation into a deadly nosedive. Instead, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez would like to see the US replace Columbus Day with a national voting holiday on Election Day.
Interestingly, her proposal didn’t come on the floor of the House of Representatives, but instead, in the form of a tweet.
“How is Columbus Day a holiday but Election Day not?” Ocasio-Cortez posted on Twitter.
With voter turnout regularly hovering around 49%, her question is not only valid but timely.
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While I would disagree with your complaint that Americans get too much vacation time (we work some of the longest hours of any dev country & have no Fed required paid leave),
I am willing to compromise by eliminating Columbus Day to give Election Day off.
See? I can be pliant. https://t.co/NITFcBSmxw
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 18, 2018
The celebration of a day to honor Christopher Columbus as the “founder” of America has faltered in recent years, as history has gradually corrected itself on the myth that Columbus could have actually discovered a land that was already inhabited by Native Americans. Some have advocated replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day, as a way to honor the real Americans who were already existing on American soil. However, the congresswoman’s proposal could actually kill 2 birds with 1 stone.
By replacing the national holiday of Columbus Day with an Election Day holiday, the myth of the murderous Columbus could be eradicated AND Americans would no longer have an excuse for not making it to the voting booth in time to cast their ballot.
According to Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, it’s a win-win.
What do you think?
