Daylight Saving Time has been an annual tradition of many countries. It requires these places to change clocks twice a year. Some people use the term spring forward and fall back to identify the time changes. Spring forward means adjusting the clock and adding one hour to the standard time. Meanwhile, fall back is the opposite, wherein you need to adjust the clock by moving it backward. One primary reason why several countries observe DST is to conserve energy. However, not all regions in a country follow Daylight Saving Time. For instance, there are states in the U.S. that do not observe DST.

Daylight Saving Time in the United States

The United States first observed Daylight Saving Time in 1918, following the annual tradition for more than 100 years. This year, DST started on the second Sunday of March and ended on the first Sunday in November. The schedule followed the Energy Policy Act of 2005. According to this act, section 110, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will govern the use of Daylight Saving Time. However, this law does not affect both states' and territories' rights, whether they follow DST or not.

DST Confusions in the U.S.

If you will check history records, there were no uniform rules for Daylight Saving Time from 1945-1966. This led to many confusions regarding timekeeping. Many industries like transportation and broadcasting experienced challenges because of the DST confusions. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 was created to align the switch dates across the United States to solve the problem. In 1973, the US Congress extended the DST period to 10 months and eight months in 1975 to save energy. After the energy crisis in 1976, the Daylight Saving schedule was revised several times. From 1987 to 2006, the United States observed DST for about seven months each year.

States That Do Not Observe Daylight Saving Time

As mentioned, not all U.S. states follow Daylight Saving Time. Instead of enumerating which locations observe DST, it would be easier to identify those states that do not follow this annual tradition. Hawaii and Arizona (except for Navajo Nation) do not observe Daylight Saving Time. Aside from these states, the territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands do not also practice clock changing. 

These states could not follow DST because of the federal law allowing a state to exempt itself from observing daylight saving time. It becomes valid upon action by the state legislature to do so. However, they are not allowed to decide on the permanent observance of DST. People have different opinions about whether to abolish Daylight Saving Time or not. It is because DST provides adverse effects despite its intention of saving more energy.

Abolishing Daylight Saving Time

Over the past years, state legislatures have been active in introducing bills that would place the state on either staying on standard time permanently or making permanent day saving time. Since 2015, more than 200 bills and resolutions have been passed to appeal that every state should either stay on standard time or make DST permanent. However, none of these bills under consideration passed. In 2018, California and Florida voted to make DST permanent. Additionally, six states passed legislation to place the state on a year-round DST in 2019. Even Utah submitted a resolution creating an appeal to Congress to authorize year-round DST.

Why Some States and Territories Do Not Observe DST

You might be wondering why Arizona and Hawaii do not participate in Daylight Saving Time. According to USA Today, as reported by Time, most of Arizona hasn’t observed Daylight Saving Time since 1968 because it gets plenty of daylight and heat all year round. On the other hand, Hawaii abolished the Uniform Time Act a year before Arizona because of its proximity to the equator. Therefore, they do not need DST anymore since the sun rises and sets around the same time each day.

Some people support Daylight Saving Time, while others want to abolish it. No matter what you believe in, making this annual practice permanent depends on the state legislation. But it doesn't mean that you have to stop voicing your opinions. If you think there is a need to make an end to Daylight Saving Time, you can join organizations with the same belief. Who knows, your voice might be heard soon.