Elon Musk suggests letting Americans decide the fate of daylight saving time after proposing its cancellation

ELON Musk is polling Americans on what Americans would prefer if the ritual of changing the clocks is scrapped.  

Donald Trump’s billionaire pal launched the survey on Wednesday – just days before millions of households will put their clocks forward an hour.

Daylight saving time will begin on March 9 and will last until November 2.

This means Americans will lose an hour of sleep.

But, the ritual of changing the clocks has been ridiculed by politicians and even Trump raised the possibility of ending the practice.

Now, Musk has asked Americans to chime in with their opinion.

He asked whether Americans would prefer the clocks to be permanently set one hour forward, or one hour earlier.

More than 1.2 million people have voted in the snap poll which ends on Thursday.

So far, 58.3% of respondents prefer the clocks to be set an hour later.

Meanwhile, 41.7% prefer an hour earlier.

In December, Trump touted the idea of ending daylight saving time.

“Daylight saving time is inconvenient and very costly to our Nation,” he wrote on Truth Social.

Daylight saving time dates back to 1918 and was known as war time.

Politicians wanted to extend the working day for those who worked in factories, as well as conserve fuel to run those industries.

But, the law was scrapped after World War I because it wasn’t popular.

Daylight saving time was brought back in 1942 during World War 2, but again it was temporary.

It was made permanent in 1966, but politicians across the country have tried to eliminate the practice of changing clocks.

Arizona and Hawaii are the only states that do not observe daylight saving time.

But, the Navajo Nation does. The Navajo Nation encompasses northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah.

An article in an Arizona newspaper from the 1960s claimed the decision was linked to the state’s climate.

Hawaii doesn’t observe daylight saving time as its position near the Equator means it gets enough sunlight all year round.

A law change can only be made at the federal level, but legislatures have signaled their intent to end the ritual.

In 2020, the Utah state legislature passed a law for the state to be on Mountain Daylight Time all year round.

In 2018, Californians voted on a motion that allowed the state to bring a bill ending the practice.

A total of 20 states have passed legislation supporting year-round daylight saving time.

Politicians in Illinois and Ohio have urged lawmakers in Congress to make daylight saving time permanent.

In January, Florida senator Rick Scott introduced the Sunshine Protection Act that “locks the clock.”

And, it has received support from both Democratic and Republican politicians.

Scott described changing the clocks as an “unnecessary and decades old practice.”

Martin Heinrich, a Democratic senator from New Mexico, said the legislation is a “no brainer.”

“Let’s get it passed this Congress,” he said.

According to Republican congressman Rand Paul, the tradition is outdated, with Alabama senator Katie Britt adding that Americans are fed up with changing the clocks back.

“Alabamians want more sunshine, and it’s better for our mental and physical health,” she said.