Move Armistice Day
“Henceforth, this date shall forever be known as Flaming Moe’s Day.” - Mayor Quimby
“Uh sir, this is already Veterans Day.” - Bodyguard
“It can be two things!” - Mayor Quimby
Today is either Veterans Day or Armistice Day, depending on how old and crotchety you are. It’s technically a national holiday but when it does fall on a weekday most businesses and schools remain open. The original Armistice Day commemorated the end of The Great War on 11 November 1918. But seeing as how that war failed to end all wars and we kept fighting others ones, the holiday had to evolve. The Army, naturally, has put up a nice little history that commemorates the twists and turns the holiday has taken over the years. I’d like to propose one more. I’d like to see Veterans Day merged with the other early November day on the federal calendar: Election Day.
Election Day is pretty well enshrined as the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. It’s worked well for over two hundred years and I, for one, wouldn’t want to screw around with it. Veterans Day, on the other hand, has changed numerous times, one more isn’t going to hurt. Moving Veterans Day up to coincide with Election Day would reinforce both. Veterans Day is a deserving but often underappreciated holiday, moving it to the most important day on the political calendar would raise its profile tremendously. If Election Day fell on a holiday, with schools and stock markets closed, it would make it that much easier for citizens to take a breather from the daily grind and vote.
I cannot think of a better way to honor the service of our troops than by facilitating our exercise of the franchise they fought, and in many cases suffered greatly, to protect. Veterans Day would cease to be an overlooked federal holiday, no more celebrated than Columbus Day, and become an immediate reminder of not only the vets we have here at home, but the reason for their service.
Federal elections are the headline act on Election Day but state and local elections, which are just as important in terms of ordinary citizen’s daily interactions with government, happen as well. Citizen involvement in government can never be a bad thing and more competitive elections at every level sure seems like a good thing. This might, maybe, increase the number of people who know their mayor’s name.
Giving our school children a day off to celebrate enfranchisement wouldn’t be a bad thing either. A day off would make voting and, perhaps just as importantly, awareness of elections that much more a part of their lives. I’d also be willing to bet that teachers, scout troops leaders and the like would find constructive and rewarding things for the kiddies to do.
Veterans Day is overshadowed by Memorial Day, which, right at the beginning of summer, has a much choicer spot on the calendar. Election Day is the neglected cornerstone of our democracy that routinely fails to generate respectable voter turnout numbers. One is a holiday with no publicity; the other is a democratic necessity that is also the most publicity saturated day of the year. They’d make a perfect fit.
