You Probably Don't Have Election Day Off

With the presidential race getting closer and closer to the finish line, you might be wondering: Is Election Day a federal holiday? After all, it would definitely make sense — it does take place on a Tuesday (Nov. 8, the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November, to be very, very specific and clear) — so, what's the deal? Do we get the day off, so we can get to the polling stations on our own time without worrying about our jobs?

Well, unfortunately not — sorry to crush your well-founded dreams of getting time off from work, but Election Day is decidedly not a federal holiday. It is, however, a holiday in a few select states — Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Montana, and West Virginia, according to timeanddate.com. There also some forward-thinking employers who are giving employees Election Day off, to help boost morale and encourage people to vote, according to The Washington Post. Apart from the lucky few though, it looks like most of us will either be lining up at 6 a.m. before work, or racing to the voting station after the office to get there before the polls close (make sure to double check your poll's operating hours — it varies state by state).

There's also always the option of voting by mail — at this time, it's a little too late in many states, but it's definitely an option to consider in the future. Interestingly, Oregon is exclusively a vote-by-mail state — which is a great solution to the quandary that voting on a work day can cause (according to their state website, they have one of the highest voter turnouts in the country).

Some people definitely think Election Day should become a federal holiday — there's a whole website called Why Tuesday devoted to the cause, and even people like President Barack Obama have advocated for holiday and weekend voting.

So, yeah, it's not a holiday — but maybe it will be someday! And in the mean time, you're just going to have to brave the crowds, because you have to vote in this election. Full stop.