How about we change Veteran's Day to voting day?

[coffeenap]

Get the day off, honor the vets, be patriotic, you get the gist. What do you think??

[lpbk2713]

1. It would be a great day for politicians.

Just think of all the flag waving they could do.

[coffeenap]

35. Indeed--that's why it just might work!

:)

[drmeow]

2. I'd like a new

holiday for voting but this is a good alternative.

Unfortunately I think we need a holiday for primary voting almost more than the full elections.

[daleanime]

3. Need to change more then the date....

should be a week, with easy and extensive pre-voting.

[coffeenap]

4. True, but I bet we could get some congresscritters to sponsor this one! :) nt

[Rhiannon12866]

7. My congressman is on the Armed Services Committee,

Is extremely proactive on veterans' issues, has penned some bills to benefit vets. And I worked on his campaigns. Unfortunately, he just lost out to a teabagger. ;( :banghead:

[coffeenap]

11. Wanna ask if he'd like to bring it up in the lame-duck session?

How could either "party" fight the patriotism it would represent???

[Rhiannon12866]

29. I could do that, and I will. He'd be the rep to ask about this...

As you can imagine, we are all extremely depressed. I was just remembering a GOTV call that I made, a very chatty 79-year-old vet who had ATV issues that I promised to pass along, LOL, and I wondered if I'd get the chance now. *sigh* :(

BTW, my congressman's teabagger challenger was career Army, ran on that, but the bastard does not support repeal of DADT (my congressman equates it to Truman desegregating the military) and sees cutting benefits as a part of cutting the budget. My rep just penned a bill to use funds that have already been budgeted to increase benefits for vets. :banghead:

[coffeenap]

32. Thanks!

Grrrr....but we just can't give up, we just can't.:hug:

[Rhiannon12866]

36. Thanks... It's so frustrating...

He's done so well for the district, even though he was only elected in March of 2009 during a special election to replace Kirsten Gillibrand as representative, when she was appointed senator. But he's done a lot, especially for vets and small businesses. The big issue seemed to be health care reform, since he voted for it, and his opponent used that to scare senior citizens... :crazy: :banghead: :hug:

[hfojvt]

13. Why? If it is a holiday then nobody should be too busy.

So you have to wait in line a little bit, that gives you a chance to talk to or meet your neighbors.

[daleanime]

24. Ha! Would you like to know how many years it's been...

since I had the 4th off, Christmas eve, New Years day, or Easter? Did manage to get New Year Eve off last year, but couldn't do much and still be ready for work on New Years day.

[coffeenap]

26. My husband too--he is a health care provider and tries to be available

to people when they have days off. However, if most people are off, more people can vote. Absentee, early voting, and vote-by-mail would still work for those of us who need or want it. But think how many more people could get to the polls-how many do we lose after a hard day at work or school, even if they have good intentions in the morning?

[daleanime]

28. You right....

and I Do like the idea, especially because I do get Veterans Day off. But I can't help wanting more!:blush:

[hfojvt]

30. that seems to be becoming more and more true

I drove home on July 4th a couple years ago. There was a time when it would be hard to buy gas on a holiday, but it seemed to be a normal shopping day. Even the visitor center was open in Galena.

[Rhiannon12866]

5. Excellent idea! K&R!

I've always thought that election day should be a national holiday, so more people could and would get out to vote. Combining the two might just work... :patriot:

[HopeHoops]

6. That would desecrate the service of those who fought, were wounded, and died for our country.

Now, if everyone were educated about the issues and voted based on information rather than propaganda, and we had close to 100% turnout, perhaps it wouldn't be a desecration. As things stand now and have for decades, it most certainly is.

[coffeenap]

8. I hear you...

[hfojvt]

15. uhm, they already have Memorial Day and the 4th of July

besides that ARMISTICE Day was originally about peace - not about warriors. It was to celebrate the armistice of "the war to end all wars."

The point is to make election day a holiday so that more people will vote. Since the masters of commerce would never approve of a new holiday for elections, it's a great idea to put the election on an already existing holiday.

[HopeHoops]

17. People don't want to vote on holidays! They get drunk and burn dead animal parts on an open flame.

That's how it works in Amurka. Then again, it would reduce the turnout in GOP districts.

[hfojvt]

31. but doesn't that happen every weekend?

and for Monday night football?

[HopeHoops]

37. We don't hold elections on weekends or Monday night - and I don't watch football.

300 lb oafs smashing heads together just isn't a good watch. They don't even pass the fucking ball anymore - it is all about weight crashing into weight. It has become the battle of the Burger King beef.

High school football is actually okay to watch - they still pass the ball.

[ColesCountyDem]

9. I think we'd have to change the Constitution.

It specifies that the election be held on Tuesday after the first Monday of November. That aside, I think election day should be a holiday.

[coffeenap]

12. But Veterans' Day is not in the constitution--

it could be moved up by a few days with Congressional approval, right?

[ColesCountyDem]

19. Surely.

That'd be perfectly legal.

[HopeHoops]

20. ANOTHER FUCKING LIBRUL FREEBEE DAY! Why do Libruls hate our Veterans?

If it ain't in the Constitution, just get rid of it - and all the parts we don't agree with too. Fuck it - just make the Constitution say "Everyone who is a Republican should have as many guns as possible". That works, right?

[Warpy]

10. How about making it a whole weekend, Saturday and Sunday?

That would avoid both Sabbaths for the religious folks and even retail people and health care people could arrange to have one of those two days be either a partial day or a day off. In fact, make having one of those two days off mandatory. Once that is done, make voting mandatory.

Remember, not everybody gets Veteran's Day off. Some jobs need to be staffed even on major holidays.

[coffeenap]

14. I would LOVE that too!

Just thinking about the current political climate and what could be done now to encourage a better way to vote that both parties could use the their advantage.

[Nye Bevan]

23. Isn't it easier just to allow everyone to vote by mail?

Seems to work pretty well in Oregon. And I vote by mail every election too, by absentee ballot.

[coffeenap]

25. We could do that too-but it is a state-by-state issue, right? nt

[catgirl]

16. That is a great idea

Some people miss voting for various work reasons. There should be a holiday and to combine it with Veterans Day
makes a lot of sense. Make it about freedom.

[coffeenap]

18. So, which members of Congress are likely to want this and be able to pull it off?

I would be glad to contact them--suggestions wanted. If we promote it the right way it could come from either side--of course I would prefer it from one of our wonderful progressives! :)

[patrice]

21. Nice idea, but make it a 4-day weekend. This crap about doing one of the most important

things an American do, in between getting everything else done in one day, MUST end.

Public financing of campaigns.
Paper ballots marked by hand and counted in public.

[coffeenap]

22. Hear, hear!

:patriot:

[coffeenap]

27. Sent the idea to Senator Franken.

Which members of the House should get it?

[Obamanaut]

33. With early voting (and my area was even open for early voting on

Saturday), mail-votes, absentee ballots - it really isn't that hard to vote any more. Using the excuse "it's too hard to fit into the schedule' is just that - an excuse.

[coffeenap]

34. You're right, but anything that might change the status quo---

could wake people up. Plus, many people I talk to "intend" to vote then don't because they run out of time--right or wrong, I imagine both sides using this to GOTV. We need to shake up the system--make people notice the change--use what rings true with various segments of the society.