Clocks in 48 states will "spring forward" this weekend as most of the United States moves to Daylight Saving Time (DST) -- but not for Arizona.
March 12, 2023, marks the start of Daylight Saving Time for most of the United States.
But unlike almost everywhere else, Arizona doesn't observe Daylight Saving Time and hasn't done so for about the last 40 years.
The pros and cons of changing clocks
A 2008 report from the U.S. Department of Energy said sticking with one time could save approximately 0.5% of electricity per day for the country. That's enough power for 100,000 households over a year.
Another study shows that switching clocks causes a 25 percent jump in heart attacks in the few days following the switch.
A 2009 Michigan State University published by the American Psychological Association study showed that DST has adverse effects on the American workplace.
"Following [the start and end of DST], employees slept 40 min less, had 5.7 percent more workplace injuries, and lost 67.6 percent more work days because of injuries than on non-phase change days," explained the study, which looked at mining injuries between 1983 and 2006 from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
Arizona's independence from this annual time change can cause a lot of confusion for residents and visitors alike.
It means the state is in the same time zone as Denver from November to March but then falls behind Denver to Los Angeles time from March to November.
Why doesn't Arizona change?
It has a lot to do with the weather.
The history of daylight saving is tied to energy conservation. Switching to DST in the summer means more sunlight at night, which in turn means homes don't have to turn on lights as early.
According to the U.S. Government, that leads to energy and fuel savings.
Over the course of the last 100 years, the United States (including Arizona) has gone on Daylight Saving Time in both World War 1 and World War 2 but then gone off after the wars were over.
In 1973, a more permanent federal law was enacted to help with the oil shortages of that time. But Arizona asked for – and was eventually granted an exemption.
According to an Arizona Republic editorial from 1969, the reason was the state's extreme heat. If Arizona were to observe Daylight Saving Time, the sun would stay out until 9 p.m. in the summer (instead of 8 p.m., like it does currently).
"[Data] clearly show that we must wait until about 9 p.m. DST to start any night-time activity such as drive-in movies, moonlight rides, convincing little children it’s bedtime, etc," the editorial stated. "And it’s still hot as blazes!"
Another Arizona Republic editorial from 1968 stated, "Drive-in theaters, the parents of small children, the bars, the farmers and those who do business with California" were against Daylight Saving time while "power companies, the evening golfers, the late risers, and the people with business interests on the Eastern seaboard" were for it.
But not all of Arizona is exempt
But don't be fooled by Arizona's DST stance. Not every corner of Arizona is exempt from Daylight Saving Time today.
The Navajo Indian Reservation follows DST, but the reservation stretches across four different states.
If all of Arizona were to re-evaluate its stance and choose to observe DST, here's what would change.
Instead of sunrise at 5:30 a.m. during most of the summer, the sun would come up at 6:30 a.m. And at the end of the day, the sun would set at 9 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. Winter sunrise and sunset times would remain the same.
So what's next for Daylight Saving Time?
It seems every six months, there is an effort among lawmakers to end the semiannual ritual of changing the clocks.
Perhaps now is the time it finally happens?
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., recently introduced legislation that would make daylight saving time year-round. The bill was introduced with support of a bipartisan coalition of Democrats and Republicans.
If approved, it would simply mean once the U.S. goes to daylight saving time in March, clocks would not roll back in the fall. The result would be later sunrises and sunsets from November through March.
Last year was the closest the U.S. has come to abolishing time changes.
In March 2022, the Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act, essentially keeping states in daylight saving time year-round. The bill passed under unanimous consent.
For now, Daylight Saving Time will end on November 5, 2023.
