New bill looks to make Election Day state holiday

Last week, State Rep. Ontario Tillman — the Democratic representative for House District 56 — pre-filed a bill for the upcoming 2025 legislative session that would make Election Day a state holiday in Alabama.

Currently, Alabama is one of five states that offers time off for voting but with no pay — the others being Arkansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin. Tillman’s proposal would add Election Day to the official catalogue of Alabama’s state holidays, resulting in the closure of all state offices whenever there is a gubernatorial or presidential election and paid time off for state employees. 

However, the proposal would not require private companies to provide paid time off for voting as is the case in some states like Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New York, and West Virginia. If passed, Alabama would join nine other states — Montana, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Delaware, Virginia, and Louisiana — in offering Election Day as a public holiday without a paid time off requirement for private businesses.

Interestingly, 17 other states require employers to offer paid time off on Election Day, despite not declaring it a public holiday. 

Advocates for making Election Day a public holiday at the federal level argue that it would increase voter turnout. In 2016 and 2020, being “too busy to vote” was the second most common response when non-voters were asked why they did not cast a ballot during the general election. Some also say that the holiday would be a benefit to parents who often have to work even if their children have the day off from school. 

Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-CA, has repeatedly brought her Election Day Holiday Act before Congress to make Election Day a public holiday for the entire country, but the bill has yet to successfully pass into law. Eshoo most recently reintroduced the bill in February, but it remains in the House with seemingly little momentum.

The U.S. ranks 23rd in voter turnout among the 38 OECD countries, most of which vote on a weekend or national holiday.

Out of the 50 states, Alabama ranks as one of the lowest in terms of voter turnout. Even when compared to the rest of the South — a region with consistently poor turnout — Alabama struggles to keep up. It will be informative to see how those statistics may change if Tillman’s bill passes the state legislature and is signed into law.

If passed, the law would go into effect on Oct. 1, 2025.