Get excited'it's almost election season, a time that brings out the good, the bad, and the ugly of our lovely nation.

With this lovely time of year comes a buffet-line of emotions: the thrill of debate, the joy of victory, the agony of defeat, and a sense of belonging to a larger body of citizens who have the ability to make a difference in government by voting. So all of that goes under the umbrella term 'good.' Election years make for great entertainment, if anything'it's fun to watch a group of rich people sucking up to gain votes from an electorate they'll ignore after they win.

Then, of course, there's the bad' political commercials, debate on FOX News and C-SPAN, an unnecessary bifurcated view of politics, people blaming Jon Stewart for the decline of the GOP, the youth vote, and even the entire political system. The worst part comes with the low voter turnout around the nation. If anybody knows about this 'bad' part of democracy, it's our 18-29 age group, the demographic that never fails to fail to vote.

So, who's ready for the ugly?

The worst, most despicable aspect of American elections hinges on the big date itself. Why in the hell would anybody choose the first Tuesday in November as Election Day? According to the Federal Elections Committee, the Congress of 1845 selected this date based on the standards of the time: with a predominately agrarian society, November provided a perfect month because it came after the harvest; with great distances to trek to polls, many Americans would not be able to vote on Monday because the travel time would conflict with Sunday worship services; and, in the same vein, lawmakers wanted to keep Election Day from falling on November 1st'All Saints Day, a holy day of obligation for Roman Catholics.

Thus, in the modern era, voting'the quintessential American institution that most mark as a distinguishing aspect of this country'is rooted in an antiquated set of standards that should not and need not apply anymore. And pundits wonder why people don't turn out in droves to vote, vote, vote! Perhaps our nation of farmers is too tired from a long harvest.

Say what you will about American civic engagement'sure, a country of lazy people has neglected that which so many in the past fought to sustain as a defining element of democracy. But when it comes to Election Day, changes need to be made in the structure and the spectacle of the date itself. Why not even go so far as to make Election Day a national holiday? Our presidents deserve one in February, so those who elect our President, Senators, Representatives, etc. deserve one too. Just imagine Election 2008 as a sunny Monday in, say, June'after a weekend of parades, election parties, candidate weigh-ins (like boxing matches'ok, maybe that's too much), and relaxation, Americans have the opportunity to easily cast their votes without having to go through the hassle of leaving work and interrupting their lives, sacrifices which shouldn't have to be made for this country's most essential act. What's better than a three day weekend?

A three-day Election Weekend.