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Graphic Truth: Why are American elections so long?

February 21, 2024
John Haltiwanger
and
Riley Callanan
and
Paige Fusco
Paige Fusco

Former President Donald Trump was the first major candidate to launch his campaign for the 2024 presidential election cycle – on Nov. 15, 2022, roughly two years before Election Day. The US puts no limits on the length of campaigns, which leaves the door open for massive amounts of campaign spending and has the potential to leave voters exhausted by the time they head to the polls.

Many other countries have laws restricting how long candidates can campaign. In Japan, campaigns do not officially start until 12 days before the election. The longest election campaign ever in Canada lasted 78 days in 2015. The Great White North now limits campaigns to 50 days at most.

Should the US follow their lead? Do American voters really need more than a year of campaigning to make up their minds about who will be president for the next four years?

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