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On Election Day, a majority of California voters, nearly 60 percent, voted in favor of a ballot. More simply put: They voted against each other in their backs during the winter months, and they all went on a sunny day.
Perhaps the results have been influenced by the fact that most of us just turned on Sunday, and the disruptiveness of it is still on California voters' minds.
But, for now, the success of California Proposition 7 does not mean too much. The ballot was first introduced by a San Jose Democrat in the State Assembly, the Desert Sun explains, and has been supported by the state's Democratic Party.
The proposal simply grants the California State Legislature the power to change the clocks permanently. Any changes would have to start with a two-thirds vote in the state legislature.
And even then, the time change would not be a given. Congress would have to approve it, that has uncertain prospects too.
For instance, this year, Florida approved the Sunshine Protection Act, which seeks to permanently leave the daylight saving time too. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has gone forward in the past, but they have not moved at all.
But at the very least, it does not matter what daylight saving time it is actually doing, it does not make much sense. Much of Arizona currently does not follow daylight saving time, neither does Hawaii.
Why do we have daylight saving time?
Daylight saving time in the US started as an energy conservation trick during World War I, and it became a national standard in the 1960s. The idea is that in the summer months, we shift the daylight into the evening. So if the sun sets at 8 pm instead of 7 pm, we'd presumably spend less time with the lights on our homes at night, saving electricity.
It also means that you're less likely to sleep in the morning (since those are shifted an hour later too). Hence "saving" daylight hours for the most productive time of the day. (We agree, the name is confusing.)
As Joseph Stromberg outlined in an excellent 2015 Vox article, the presumed electricity conservation of the time is unclear or nonexistent:
Despite the fact that daylight saving time has been introduced to save fuel, it is not important that the current system actually reduces energy use – or that making it year-round would do so, either. Studies that evaluate the energy impact of DST are mixed. It seems to reduce lighting use (and thus electricity consumption) slightly but may increase heating and AC use, more gas consumption. It's probably fair to say that energy-wise, it's a wash.
The twice-yearly changing of clocks might be a little dangerous. Researchers have noticed an uptick of car accidents, workplace injuries, and heart attacks when they are forced into the spring, presumably because it causes them to lose an hour of sleep.
Not every state follows saving time. Most of Arizona ignores it, keeping the state in time – i.e., the way we set our clocks in the winter – all year long. What's confusing: The Navajo Nation in Arizona does use DST.
Hawaii also does not observe DST. The island state is the furthest south of all states and it does not see a hugely noticeable daylight hour difference between winter and summer months.
Federal law does not mandate that states follow daylight saving time. But staying on saving time all year long is a bit more tricky to implement, requiring congressional approval, according to the Desert Sun.
But if Florida and California do not stay long, it's great potential for confusion. Florida would be one hour ahead of the rest of the East Coast in the winter, but not during the summer. California, meanwhile, would be on the same day as Colorado in the winter, but not the summer. Imagine the headaches of setting up phone calls!
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