When German voters went to the polls on September 27, 2009, to hand the Social Democrats their biggest defeat in the history of post-War Germany, they literally had all day to vote. Those less-enthused by the prospect of waiting in line to determine the political fate of Deutschland could sleep in, enjoy a leisurely breakfast in bed, and still find time to engage in the hallowed tradition of punching a ballot.

The Grundgesetz, Germany’s constitution, mandates elections take place on Sundays or on publically scheduled holidays. As a result, bothersome things like work or school that (allegedly) occupies most of our time would not be reasons to skip voting.

The United States has one of the lowest voter turnouts in the world. According to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, we rank 120th in turnout, in the company of democratic heavy hitters like Kyrgyzstan and the Central African Republic.

Only about two-thirds of registered voters bother to vote in American elections, a robust sounding statistic until compared to Eurozone nations, where turnout is in the mid 80s. On average, about 85 percent of Germans show up to vote. Australia, where not voting is illegal, boasts an incredible turnout of 94.5 percent. Most, if not all, of these nations make Election Day a national holiday.

Tuesday as Election Day is a holdover from pre-Industrial Revolution America. Farmers traveling by blisteringly fast methods like horse and buggy needed a full day to get down to the county courthouse to vote and return in time for supper.

Weekends were off-limits since Saturdays were working days, and the idea of voting on Sunday is still considered by many Americans to be blasphemous. Congress established Election Day as the first Tuesday in November since it would be after the harvest, but before crappy winter weather made trips by buggy miserable.

Today we have indoor plumbing, paved roads and Tom Waits. The vast majority of Americans live in cities and work a typical nine to five, 40 hours a week. If the United States was formed yesterday and Congress were to adopt a fixed election date in this day and age, then surely Tuesday of all days would not even be considered, since most people would be at work.

Of course, various stopgaps have been implemented to address these developments, such as early absentee voting in certain states and federal law that requires employers to give their employees time off to vote.

Not every state allows voters to cast their votes in early absentee ballots, however, and workers who are paid hourly are hurt even if they do secure time off from work in the form of lost wages.

By making Election Day a national holiday, voter turnout will increase. It will allow millions of Americans subsisting on hourly wages to vote without economic sanction. In the 2000 election, up to 20 percent of eligible non-voters polled and even higher proportions of African and Asian Americans were dissuaded from voting due to Election Day inconveniences.

In the interest of fairness and comprehensive democratic representation, Election Day should be a day off for everyone.