On March 9, Congressman Steve Israel (D-Long Island, New York) introduced HB 4183, which sets uniform hours for federal elections all across the 48 lower states. Election day would be the first Saturday and the first Sunday after the first Friday in November. Poll hours for the lower 48 states would be from 10 a.m. eastern time on Saturday to 6 p.m. eastern time on Sunday. However, states would be free to close the polls on Saturday night, but no earlier than 10 p.m. local time. States would be required to re-open the polls on Sunday morning, no later than 6 a.m. local time.
Alaska and Hawaii would not be covered by the bill, except they too would be required to hold federal elections on the first weekend in November, with polls opening at 10 a.m. local time Saturday and closing Sunday at 6 p.m. Here is the text of the bill.
Except for securing the ballots or voting machines overnight, this is not a bad idea.
What happens to those voting places that are churches? Are they expected to have their services interrupted by voters?
I think 12:01 a.m. to midnight Eastern Monday would be optimal. And why leave Alaska and Hawaii out of it?
ok – just read the bill. The lower 48 States would have polls open from 10:00 a.m. eastern standard time and ending on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. eastern standard time.
While each polling place not located in the continental United States shall be open, with respect to a Presidential general election, beginning on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. local time and ending on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. local time.
The bill also says the polls may close from 10P-6A local time.
I don’t understand why the open & closing for the continental United States isn’t based on local time – why have Eastern Time for the lower 48?
Since daylight saving time ends on the first Sunday in November, in many years the election weekend would coincide with the switch between daylight time and standard time.
However, the time references in the bill don’t address that; the polls are required to open at 10 AM EST on Saturday, but in most years Saturday will still be on daylight time.
@5 – hopefully that will change to “local time” – otherwise polls in California would be forced to be open from roughly 6 or 7am (depending on DST) until 10pm on the Saturday and only be open from 6am until 3pm on the Sunday.
Oregon manages to survive with ALL snail mail paper ballots.
NO infections at hot and sweaty polling places with half awake poll workers — mostly old folks with nothing else to do.
Another unfunded mandate being shoved on the states by Congress.
First off, poll workers will need to be paid at least TWICE what they currently receive for the extended hours they’ll be serving.
Second, when they polls close on Saturday night which I suspect a vast majority of the jurisdictions will do, WHO will be safeguarding the ballots cast on Saturday and how much will THAT additionally cost the Counties and States?
Third, since voting will be proscribed for both Saturday AND Sunday, and to be fair to all voters, then ALL voters MUST be required to vote ONLY during that time frame. After all, voters will no longer have the excuse of not being able to get home in time to vote after work on a normal Tuesday afternoon.
Fourth, this proposed law should also eliminate absentee (early) voting throughout the United States. The only exception should be that THOSE people living over-seas that Congress now requires their ballots be mailed to them 45 days before the election. Which then brings up the question of 45 days from Saturday OR Sunday?
Fifth, in California mail in ballots must be received by the County Clerk BEFORE the polls close. Since the United States Postal Service proposal to eliminate Saturday delivery may be implemented before the 2016 election, they will be further hampered returning their ballots before the voting deadline.
Then again, due to the immense logistics necessary for this change it MAY not be implemented simultaneously through-out the United States.
So what happens if SOME Counties in California or other States with the similar requirement are still open on Saturday while others are not? Won’t that situation then unjustly disadvantage
some voters over others? These issues alone should already be sufficient to stop this legislation from going anywhere in ANY Congress. If not, I feel that others could probably be brought up by others.
This is not the time to pass this type of law. Leave well enough alone. There are more important matters to tend to.
I don’t think this bill is going to go anywhere. I’m pretty sure that similar bills have been introduced before and didn’t advance too far.
But in any event, they can’t, or at least they certainly shouldn’t, get rid of absentee voting altogether. Think about bedridden people who can’t get to the polls, college students living away from where they are registered, people who work temporary jobs away from their permanent residences, etc.