☰
HomeLiving Beyond BordersGZERO WorldSignalIn 60 SecondsPuppet RegimeGZERO World PodcastContact UsAbout UsCareersPrivacy PolicyTerms

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?

More from GZERO Media

Ian Explains: Will the Gaza campus protests work?

Will the Gaza campus protests work? | Ian Bremmer explains | GZERO World

youtu.be

College campuses nationwide have become protest hubs, echoing past movements demanding change. The core demand: divestment from Israel. Whether it's cutting ties with Israeli donors or businesses, students are risking penalties to be heard. Have the student protests worked? Ian Bremmer explains on GZERO World.

Vibes-based lawmaking isn’t helping us!

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) talks to reporters after surviving a vote to remove him from the Speaker’s position, Washington, DC, May 8, 2024. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) introduced a motion to vacate the Speaker’s office, which was defeated by a motion to table the issue immediately afterward.
Photo by Allison Bailey/NurPhoto via Reuters

Netanyahu fires back at Biden over arms threat

FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich during the weekly cabinet meeting at the Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv, Israel, January 7, 2024.
REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool/File Photo

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday his country would “stand alone” and fight “with its fingernails” if Joe Biden followed through on a threat to cut certain arms shipments to the Jewish state.

Politics take center stage at Eurovision

An Israeli delegation reacts to their advancing the ESC finale during the second semi-final of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, in Malmo, Sweden, May 9, 2024.
REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

As musicians from around the world prepare to represent their country in the Eurovision Song Contest, thousands of demonstrators waving Palestinian flags are flooding the host city of Malmö, Sweden, to protest Israel’s participation.

Mike Johnson’s seat is still hot

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaking at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol.
(Photo by Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA)

Earlier this week, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) faced down a would-be Republican rebellion against his leadership driven by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) – and he did it emphatically.

About UsCareers PressContact Us Privacy PolicyTerms of Use
© 2020 GZERO Media. All Rights Reserved | A Eurasia Group media company.