The Challenges of Weekend Elections

Moving elections to the weekend is often proposed as way of increasing voting turnout. However, a study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) identified several problems with this idea.

For instance, several of the election officials interviewed in the study said that it would likely be more difficult to find poll workers for a weekend election. Additionally, officials noted that some of the polling places used in Tuesday elections (particularly churches and synagogues) would not be available on weekends, and that locating alternative sites would be difficult. Another challenge involves securing ballots and voting equipment over a Saturday night (the study examined holding elections over a two-day period).

Election officials also noted that, to compensate for lost revenue from weekend events, polling places may charge higher rental fees than they would for a Tuesday election. Similarly, costs may increase because of the need to open facilities that are normally closed on weekends.

GAO reported that it could not assess the effect of turnout of moving elections to the weekend, but noted that, in general, alternative voting methods do not have large effects on turnout.