[EL] EL more news 1/12/12 Weekend Voting Report

[Curtis Gans]

I have been and am opposed to either weekend voting or making election day
a holiday -- for four reasons. The late and probably only lamented by his
family Rep. Mario Biaggi commissioned a Congressional Research Service
study of turnout in other nations, That study found that in nations which
didn't have compulsory voting, those who voted on weekdays had a slightly
higher turnout than those which voted on weekends or holidays. The few
states that have  or had Saturday voting -- Louisiana frequently, South
Carolina for some elections (like next week's primary) and Santa Monica
which tried it once, showed no increase in the level of turnout, If
elections are held on a weekday, there are a few instruments of
mobilization that aren't present on weekends and holidays -- teachers,
employers, shop stewards to name a few. And finally, if the overwhelming
body of evidence shows, as it does, that non-participation owes itseflf to
lack of motivation (for a variety of reasons) rather than procedure, it is
more likely that were elections held on weekends or a created holiday,
potential voters would more like to go fishing rather than voting.

There are things that could be done to very modestly enhance turnout: 1.
Every state should have New York's hours 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. or three hours on
each side of the work day. 2. Vote centers at places of convenience as has
been experimented with in Larimer County, Colorado and other places, could
produce the ballot for the voter's precinct and thus making election day
easier. 3. Every state could and should have the type of voter information
pamphlets that western states and a few others have that give the
biographies and self-ascribed issue positions of the candidates and the
pros and cons of ballot propositions written by proponents and opponents.
4. We could develop a formula for the number of polling stations (machines,
etc,) that would be necessary to handle a 60 percent of eligible turnout
and eliminate long lines. These things are devoutly to be wished. Elections
on weekend and holidays not so.
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