I like the idea of election day being a federal holiday. However, I'm not actually sure that it would encourage more people to vote. Instead, I think more people would use it to take a regular vacation. Maybe in that case they don't deserve to vote . . . I'm not sure.

I think it's as good a reason as any to declare a holiday. We have Memorial Day and Labor Day, but how many people even spend 5 minutes on those days remembering what they're about? With election day, at least the presence of voting booths would (hopefully) remind people why it's a holiday.

As a practical matter, I also like the idea of not having work conflict with voting time (especially when voting lines are 5+ hours long, a problem which the bill also attempts to correct), although I'm skeptical as to whether a lot of employers such as retail chains and restaurants would close down, which might nullify that argument.

The holiday is actually the part I'm the least concerned about passing. The main thing is making sure everybody gets to vote, and assurance that all the votes are counted correctly.

I have yet to hear a compelling reason why there is only one day you can vote on. How about a week-long block, with no results reported (by law) until polls close?

I believe the bill would also require early voting be allowed in all states. That pretty much amounts to block of days, like what you say.