Get Out the Why!

Do you know why we vote on Tuesday? Most of our senators don't...

A voter's advocacy group called Why Tuesday?, spearheaded by New York lawyer William Wachtel, and supported by Ambassador Andrew Young, is trying to change the way and the day America votes.

According to the website,

"Election Day, "the Tuesday after the first Monday of November," was in fact established in 1845 by federal law. In those years, when we were a primarily agrarian nation, Tuesday was a convenient day for most eligible voters (rural workers and land-owning gentry) to journey to the county seat, vote, and journey back home- a trek that could take up to three days. Congress did not want this travel to conflict with days of religious observance, which left Tuesday and Wednesday. Wednesday was market day. So: Tuesday."

The infrastructure of our country today is far radically different, and far more urban, than the United States of well over a century ago. Voter turnout had not surpassed 50% since 1945. New times call for change.

Why Tuesday?'s mission springs from the evidence that mid-week voting forms a meaningful barrier to active voter participation. According to Census data, "too busy/schedule conflicts" was the most cited reason for not voting. Scheduling elections on a day when so many Americans must go to work or school flies in the face of our nation's mission to open democracy for all, makes it difficult or impossible for most parents to take their children to the polls (and thus habituate them to voting), and turns inevitable logistical aggravations at polling centers into insurmountable obstacles for some voters.

They target Democrats and Republicans alike; this issue transcends party politics. Why Tuesday? is a non-partisan effort to provoke a meaningful national dialogue about election reform, with an emphasis on questioning the day on which we vote. They seek to encourage goal-oriented dialogue: what is the most common-sense way to make sure that as many Americans as possible can vote? What can we do to contribute to that dialogue and make sure that our leaders are actively engaged in assuring that our democratic institutions serve everyone?

To make this organization both a participatory and lucrative effort, Why Tuesday? offers cash rewards for videos of Americans asking their elected officials, "Why do we vote on Tuesday?" For a current house member: $300; for a current senator: $500; asking a sitting or former Vice President will get you $2,500; finally, a whopping $5,000 for the President. Two young journalists, Jacob Soboroff and Barnett Zitron, took a road trip across the country on behalf of Why Tuesday, getting videos of Senators Arlen Specter, Barbara Boxer, Richard Lugar, and Tim Ryan along the way. Their contributions to Why Tuesday have gained them and the organization substantial coverage in on television and newspapers for getting out the why. Citizens of all ages and geographical locations are encouraged to do the same.

Since making a video might be out of the question for some, the website offers links to helping people get in touch with their local elected representatives, as well as providing an online pledge to being a part of the movement.

For more information, and to check out the video clips and television coverage, log on to www.getoutthewhy.com/weblog.