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Standard Summary
Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs
The Election Day Act would amend title 5 of the U.S. Code to add “Election Day” to the official list of federal holidays. Specifically, it would insert Election Day into the holiday schedule in 5 U.S.C. 6103(a), effectively giving federal offices and federal employees a paid day off on Election Day. The bill does not outline any changes to how elections are run, does not alter private-sector requirements, and does not specify the date for Election Day beyond the general concept. Note that the draft text includes a section heading labeled “PATRIOT DAY,” but the substantive change is simply the addition of Election Day to the holiday list.
Key Points
- 1The bill amends 5 U.S.C. 6103(a) to add “Election Day” as a federal holiday, placed after Columbus Day in the calendar.
- 2If enacted, federal offices and most federal employees would observe Election Day as a paid holiday.
- 3The bill does not define the date of Election Day within the statute; in practice, Election Day is the day of national elections (the Tuesday after the first Monday in November), but the bill itself does not restate this date.
- 4There appears to be a drafting inconsistency: the section is labeled “PATRIOT DAY” even though the text adds Election Day; the substantive change is the addition of Election Day, but the heading may reflect a drafting error.
- 5Status and process: introduced January 3, 2025 by Mr. Fitzpatrick (for himself and Mrs. Dingell) and referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform; no further action described in the provided text.
Impact Areas
Primary group/area affected: Federal employees and federal offices would observe a paid holiday on Election Day, reducing on-site staffing needs and altering federal office operations on that day.Secondary group/area affected: The private sector would not be directly required to change practices, but some employers align with federal holidays for payroll or scheduling; election administration at the state/local level is not amended by this bill.Additional impacts: Potential fiscal costs to the federal government from paying holiday salaries; possible effects on scheduling of federal programs, deadlines, and services tied to a federal holiday. Some federal services (and federal courts) typically close or reduce operations on federal holidays, so continued observance of Election Day would align with that pattern. The change could be viewed as supporting voter access indirectly by aligning government operations with the election cycle, though it does not alter voting procedures or access rules themselves.
Generated by gpt-5-nano on Nov 18, 2025