Election Days

Pixabay - Poll
By pgn
@pgntwo (22408)
Derry, Northern Ireland
June 11, 2017 10:03am CST
Most of the world seems content to run elections on a Sunday - the list on Wikipedia shows upwards of 45 countries that typically go to the polls on a Sunday. The next most common day is Saturday, with a dozen or so countries holding their elections on that weekend day. At the weekend, office and school buildings are empty, people are off work, there is no hassle or stress to get to where you need to be to make your mark. Nobody has to take time off to look after school kids who have had to lose a school day because their school is used as a polling station. I wonder why the UK is almost unique in that it asks its people to go vote between 7am and 10pm on a Thursday?
9 people like this
9 responses
Belle Starr (Iz)
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
11 Jun 17
Election day is a Tuesday in the US at least for major elections, I guess we like making it more difficult.
2 people like this
AnjaP
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
12 Jun 17
I suspect that the founding fathers thought we belonged somewhere else on a Sunday, not in a voting booth. And, a long time ago, the sentiment was likely the same across the pond.
2 people like this
pgn
@pgntwo (22408)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
12 Jun 17
@Rollo1 I wonder what'd've happened if the Founding Fathers had sighted land on the Sabbath morn...
1 person likes this
pgn
@pgntwo (22408)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
11 Jun 17
You and us here in the UK both.
1 person likes this
Claudia Kirkland
@CRK109 (14558)
• United States
17 Jun 17
Ours are always on Tuesdays, and so they close down schools so we can use those buildings to vote. I think weekends would be so much better. I really don't understand the choice of day for voting.
1 person likes this
pgn
@pgntwo (22408)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
17 Jun 17
Odd, isn't it?
1 person likes this
pgn
@pgntwo (22408)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
18 Jun 17
@CRK109 All 4 countries in the UK have women leaders at the moment.
1 person likes this
Claudia Kirkland
@CRK109 (14558)
• United States
18 Jun 17
@pgntwo Once again, I have to wonder if anything would change if women ruled in more places. Some of these things just seem to make more sense to us.
1 person likes this
AnjaP
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
12 Jun 17
We hold elections on Tuesdays. Vote on a Sunday? Heck, stores weren't open on Sunday when I was growing up. And, it's illegal to carry a bathtub across the common on a Sunday. Have some respect.
1 person likes this
pgn
@pgntwo (22408)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
12 Jun 17
So Witch ducking was also not undertaken on a Sunday... That may have been a source of comfort to some in those dim and distant days!
Oshy
@TiarasOceanView (70035)
• United States
11 Jun 17
They should at least have the polls open in the evening too..ridiculous to make people get of work and so on on Thursdays. Had forgotten this song by Duran, quite fitting pgn. Yes the world is in a crazy time right now with all the elections..people are not happy.
1 person likes this
pgn
@pgntwo (22408)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
11 Jun 17
Ooops, you caught me mid-edit - the polls open in the UK on a Thursday at 7am, and run through the day until 10pm that same day. Plenty of time to get to vote, just disruption as schools and sports venues are monopolised as polling stations and counting stations (which means a Saturday might be better, as counting can run on into the day after election day).
1 person likes this
Oshy
@TiarasOceanView (70035)
• United States
11 Jun 17
@pgntwo Oh yes I get what you are saying now..of course that makes sense the disruption..Oh sorry I caught you mid edit. Hope the day is fine for you there pgn, tho it is night there now for you, only nearly 11AM here.
1 person likes this
pgn
@pgntwo (22408)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
11 Jun 17
@TiarasOceanView It is almost 6pm here now, so not quite night, but not far off.
1 person likes this
Anna
@LadyDuck (457967)
• Switzerland
11 Jun 17
Most of the countries adopted Sunday as the voting day, several vote on Saturday. In The United States, for what I remember is it on Monday.
1 person likes this
Anna
@LadyDuck (457967)
• Switzerland
11 Jun 17
@pgntwo I think to remember that in Italy they vote during two days, Saturday and Sunday. We expat vote by mail, so I am not sure.
1 person likes this
pgn
@pgntwo (22408)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
11 Jun 17
@LadyDuck That makes sense, although the ballot boxes need to be guarded to ensure no-one tampers with them overnight between Days 1 and 2.
1 person likes this
pgn
@pgntwo (22408)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
11 Jun 17
More countries vote at the weekend than during the week. Strange.
1 person likes this
Gary Marsh
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
11 Jun 17
It would be far more sensible to hold it on a Sunday when the majority of the population are not working. I always thought it wrong to close schools on election day!
1 person likes this
pgn
@pgntwo (22408)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
11 Jun 17
The children, and teachers, enjoy it, I am sure! ;)
1 person likes this
Gary Marsh
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
11 Jun 17
@pgntwo We never objected but you would think that they could keep the school open for the kids.
1 person likes this
Fiacre Banks
@xFiacre (12594)
• Ireland
11 Jun 17
@pgntwo I suspect we vote on Thursdays because we've always voted on Thursdays. With the DUP i Well in now any chance of that changing will be "Never, never, never".
1 person likes this
pgn
@pgntwo (22408)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
11 Jun 17
The times, they are a'changin'...
Elizabeth
@Poppylicious (11133)
•
12 Jun 17
I have never known any schools to close on election days. And I work in education! Sunday wouldn't be good because the public transport available is practically non-existent in some places, and - bizarrely - not everyone gets to vote at their nearest polling station. Besides, I wouldn't bother getting out of bed to vote on a Sunday. It's a relaxation day, not a decision-making day!
1 person likes this
pgn
@pgntwo (22408)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
12 Jun 17
It is common for primary schools to be turned into polling stations here on Voting Day. Much joy for pupils and a quiet day for staff ;)
http://www.eoni.org.uk/getmedia/055cd8d3-8a33-42d7-94ec-1b8a327463eb/UK-Parliamentary-Election-2017-Number-of-polling-places-and
www.eoni.org.uk
http://www.eoni.org.uk/getmedia/055cd8d3-8a33-42d7-94ec-1b8a327463eb/UK-Parliamentary-Election-2017-Number-of-polling-places-and-stations_2
Flower Mary
@flower16 (39)
•
11 Jun 17
UK is unique in so many other ways, so why not about elections also?
1 person likes this
pgn
@pgntwo (22408)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
11 Jun 17
Now that you put it like that...