Controversy Surrounding Daylight Saving Time in the United States
As the United States prepares to turn back their clocks one hour on Sunday, November 5, the biannual clock reset process has once again sparked controversy. While Mexico no longer changes its time to winter, the United States continues to do so, causing a two-hour time difference between the two countries.
A recent survey conducted by Monmouth University in March 2022 found that one in three Americans preferred to keep the current clock reset process. However, a majority of Americans, six in ten, expressed a desire to eliminate the time change twice a year. U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, co-sponsor of a bill that would make daylight saving time permanent, stated in March, “It’s time to end the madness of changing the clock twice a year.” Unfortunately, the bill has not seen any progress this year.
A poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research revealed that only 25% of respondents preferred alternating between standard time and daylight saving time. The poll also showed that 43% of respondents wanted standard time to be used year-round, while 32% preferred daylight saving time throughout the entire year.
Earlier this year, Senator Marco Rubio reintroduced the Sunshine Protection Act, which aimed to make daylight saving time permanent year-round. However, the legislation is currently in limbo, as it did not come up for a vote in the House of Representatives and did not pass the Senate Committee.
Senator Rubio described the time change as “stupid,” while Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.) believed permanent daylight saving time would “provide more sunshine, more smiles, and brighter skies.”
In the United States, the clocks will change on November 5 at 2 a.m. local time, and standard time will be observed thereafter. According to federal law, daylight saving time begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November for most of the country.
Although some states, including Oregon and Washington, have passed laws to establish year-round daylight saving time, they require congressional approval to make the actual change, which has not been granted.
With the exception of Arizona (although some Native American tribes within the state do observe daylight saving time) and Hawaii, nearly all U.S. states observe daylight saving time. Territories such as Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands do not practice daylight saving time.
The tradition of changing the time dates back over a century when several countries implemented time change as an effort to save energy during World War I. Germany was the first country to implement daylight saving time, followed eventually by the United States in March 1918. However, the practice did not become permanent until the Uniform Time Act of 1966.
Meanwhile, in Mexico, the clock was last changed on October 29, 2022, by presidential decree. The country has now adopted a standard schedule, except for 33 municipalities on the northern border strip.
As opinions on daylight saving time in the United States remain divided, it’s uncertain whether any significant changes will be made in the near future.