Virginia Senate votes to eliminate Lee-Jackson Day, create new Election Day holiday

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Washington Post

Virginia Politics
Virginia Senate votes to eliminate Lee-Jackson Day, create new Election Day holiday

By Laura Vozzella
Jan. 21, 2020 at 3:52 p.m. EST

RICHMOND — The Virginia Senate on Tuesday voted to scrap a state holiday honoring two Confederate generals and create a new holiday on Election Day, another tremor in the Democratic earthquake rattling the former capital of the Confederacy.

Senators voted 22-18 to do away with the Lee-Jackson holiday, with every Democrat and one Republican, Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant (Henrico), in favor. The bill now heads to the House.

For more than a century, Virginia has set aside a day in January to honor Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. The General Assembly made Jan. 19, Lee’s birthday, a holiday in 1890. In 1904, it turned the holiday Lee-Jackson Day, adding Jackson, who was born Jan. 21.

In the mid-1980s, the legislature added the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to the mix, billing “Lee-Jackson-King Day” as an homage to “defenders of causes.” King’s holiday was separated from the other two in 2000.
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Laura Vozzella
Laura Vozzella covers Virginia politics for The Washington Post. Before joining The Post, she was a political columnist and food writer at the Baltimore Sun, and she has also worked for the Associated Press, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the Hartford Courant. Follow https://twitter.com/LVozzella

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/virginia-senate-votes-to-eliminate-lee-jackson-day-create-new-election-day-holiday/2020/01/21/6eb8fea2-3c73-11ea-8872-5df698785a4e_story.html

[paleotn]

1. What's next?

Germany dumping Rommel-Guderian day?

In seriousness, all I can say is it's about damn time. Good job VA!

[Evolve Dammit]

2. Move on VA. Time to stop honoring traitors.

[Nitram]

8. We're in charge now. Virginia is going to make a lot of changes.

As a Virginian it makes me proud.

[Evolve Dammit]

9. VA is an awesome state. I wish you well!

[Nitram]

10. Thank you.

[Evolve Dammit]

11. Went to Walton's Mountain on July 4 with some friends. Very memorable, and Richmond was great.

[pecosbob]

3. Oooh...a double whammy for VA repukes and racists in one tidy package

Would be nice to see them add motor-voter registration for the trifecta.

[BlueIdaho]

4. Fantastic!

Election Day should be added to the list of paid holidays.

[onetexan]

5. K&R

[wysimdnwyg]

6. Obviously ending the celebration of two of the biggest "heroes" of the South from the civil war...

is a very good thing. But let's not bury the more important part of this story: making election day a holiday. This should be a federal holiday on the same level as Independence Day. It is, in fact, the day we honor the commitment given to us by the founding fathers we celebrate on July 4th, so it should be revered in the same way. Not to mention this makes it easier for those on the lower end of the income spectrum exercise their right without having to take time away from their jobs.

[lagomorph777]

7. THIS is why EVERY election matters! Even off-year and special elections!

GOTV! Every. Damned. Time.