I read an article in the Spokesman-Review this morning regarding the lingering question of our national voting tradition "Why Tuesday?" It explained that we've been voting on Tuesdays since the mid-1800s, and the date was chosen because of white landowners who used Tuesday and Wednesdays as their going-to-town days.
Tuesday was court day, while Wednesday was market day. The article said that Tuesday won out as voting day by default because voters could do their voting while completing business at the courthouse. Most of the other time, besides the weekends, was spent traveling to and from the county seat.
The article states that a movement has been afoot for several years to change our voting day to the weekend in hopes of picking up a few more voters because of convenience. I have mixed emotions about this idea because I believe that people will use any excuse possible if they don't want to vote. Who's to know if this change would solve our voter apathy problem, especially with the fact that when weekends come in our present-day society, many people just plain choose to be "outa here."
I think a lot of the voting apathy has to do with how well-informed our citizens are. If they know enough to understand why their vote is important, they'll show up at the polls no matter when elections are set. I also appreciate tradition. Until this morning, I didn't know that voting on the first Tuesday after the first Monday had anything to do with white landowners coming to town. And, knowing that does not change my attitude toward when I vote.
It's an important right which requires a responsible attitude---knowing the issues, knowing some background on the candidates, making a conscious decision to show up, regardless of time or place. I wonder if the proponents of weekend voting would want to revisit the issue if, after a decade's worth of elections, they discover the change made no difference anyway. Then, one more tradition will have gone down the tubes.
Even when I was busier than busy as a school teacher, I never let the fact that I had to squeeze in a trip to the polls a few Tuesday's maybe once or twice a year, discourage me from going and doing my civic duty. Nonetheless, whether they change the day or not, I'll continue to show up to put my X's in the boxes wherever and whenever.
It's all a part of personal attitude. If we care, we'll deal with convenience or inconvenience to find a way to fulfill our American right and duty. I'm looking forward to my trip to City Hall on this first Tuesday after the first Monday and participating in our municipal election. Maybe I'll stop by the Bonner County Courthouse and see if they received my property tax payment along the way.
2 comments:
For me,it's more than our civic "duty" to vote - it's like having a bet on a game - makes it much more interesting to watch if you are "vested" in the outcome. Tonight I will enjoy watching the election coverage to see if my initiatives "won". Even though I'm in town every day including Tuesday, I have a permanent "absentee" voter status, so I vote in the comfort of my living room. I figure the $.37 postage is less than the gas to drive to the poll.
I learned as a kid that it took some people in the early days a day to get to town. They would not travel on the Sabbath, so needed to travel on Monday. That's why we vote on Tuesdays.
I'm in my mid-40s, and my county (WA state) just switched to mail-in ballots only. I'm very sad about this. I feel so much more like a real citizen (and a real adult) if I go to the polls, stand in line, and vote there. Even though I mostly don't talk to anyone there, I feel more connected to my community by voting in person.
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