Given the recurring complaints about low voter turnout in U.S. elections, it boggles my mind that we continue to hold Election Day in the middle of the workweek without declaring it a federal holiday. One of the common reasons people give for not voting is that it is inconveniences them to take time out of their workday to wait in line at the polls. So the benefits seem obvious: Although it wouldn't completely fix our low voter turnout problems, giving people the day off to vote would almost certainly improve it.

So what are the drawbacks? When the Carter-Ford commission proposed it, some objected to the closing of schools during the week. Politically, it seems the real reason is that it would help one party (i.e., Democrats) disproportionately by boosting turnout particularly among working class Americans who may have a harder time taking time off work to vote.

The issue has come up before. Election Day is already a legal holiday in Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and West Virginia (I would be interested in seeing turnout rates in those states versus the rest of the country if anyone has seen a study). And Rep. John Conyers proposed a federal holiday, known as Democracy Day, in 2005 (HR 63). As of January, the bill has 110 co-sponsors, but since it was proposed under a previous session of Congress, it must be reintroduced in order to become a law.

If I were a Democrat running for president, I would reintroduce this immediately and actively campaign for it. If it passes, the American voters win, as do the Democrats. And unless I'm overlooking a reasonable argument for not having Election Day on a holiday, if it fails, you score a few political points from your opposition appearing to disenfranchise voters.