
Recommendation 2.2
Change federal election day to Veterans Day to honor the service of veterans and the sacrifices they have made in defense of our constitutional democracy, and to ensure that voting can occur on a day that many people have off from work. Align state election calendars with this new federal election day.
Source: Pew Research Center
Aligning election calendars
America has more elections than almost any other country. To reduce the number of times voters are called to the polls, state legislatures and municipalities should align their calendars with those of the federal government.
Aligning calendars could significantly increase turnout, particularly in low-participation elections like local legislative bodies and school boards. To combat the “choice fatigue” that comes with longer ballots, municipalities have begun experimenting with innovative solutions.
One example is flipping the ballot order so that traditionally down-ballot items like school-board elections appear at the top, whereas well-publicized items like presidential or gubernatorial races appear at the bottom.
Source: Lawless, Jennifer. Becoming a Candidate (Cambridge University Press, 2012)