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Regardless of who wins the presidency or which party takes the United States Senate or House of Representatives, the next U.S. government needs to designate Election Day as a federal holiday. Our country needs a full day dedicated to politely and spiritly engaging in our civic duty to remain a union.

We have 10 federal holidays a year to shop the best deals, stuff ourselves with food or light fireworks. On some holidays, we do all three. Yet Election Day, a date of national and local significance, remains a work day.

Having the day off could make going to the polls easier for most Americans, but we could also benefit from Election Day barbeques, dinners and parties with friends and family – yes, that means inviting that MAGA-hatted uncle or Bernie-bro cousin of yours.

Tumultuous social media platforms have eroded our sense of common ground, but face-to-face discourse between cordial participants remains a valid forum for problem solving. After a summer of protests and irksome demagoguery on the coronavirus, I had seemingly forgotten how remarkably productive American political discourse can be when we choose respect over dominance, empathy over self-righteousness. This Election Day helped me remember.

After years of obnoxious campaigning, muckraking and partisanship, it came as a pleasant surprise to me that friends and I were able to sit around laughing, snacking and respectfully discussing our political differences. Twitter and Facebook would have made me believe that such a relaxed interchange could never fly in the Trump Age. Nevertheless, as NBC’s election coverage played in the background, epic conversations were had, and I can happily report that Election Day turned out to be pretty low-key, at least for me. America could use some low-key moments right now.

The election has yet to be called, and the prospects of a protracted vote count grow more and more likely. While I ultimately hope conservatism prevails in this election, and so far the election results give me hope that it will, what matters more than winning is being able to reconcile with one another as Americans.

So let’s make Election Day a federal holiday. It will be a day of shopping, eating and lighting fireworks in no time, but we will do all that stuff in the name of suffrage and citizenship.

Cesar Gray is a senior political science and government major. His column appears bi-weekly. He can be reached at cfgray@syr.edu.

Published on November 4, 2020 at 1:31 pm