There are 564 days and counting until the 2020 election, and the election is in the news every day. I check the news every day so I am up to date, but I am tired of seeing the election coverage.

In a democracy, elections are the most essential tool in running a nation. They are the way that people are connected to the government and the way the population’s voice is heard. But is our election season too long?

The U.S. does not have any laws governing the start of election season. Therefore, technically a candidate can announce his or her candidacy whenever they want. For example, Donald Trump announced his re-election campaign the day he was inaugurated in to his first term as president. 

There is really only one limit that dictates how long a campaign is: money. The U.S. and Finland are the only two democracies that have a contribution limit but no spending limit. In the U.S., donors are only allowed to give $2,600 to a campaign at a time. While created to fight corruption, it means that candidates have to spend more time asking for donations, lengthening the running process. The lack of a  spending limit also means that candidates race to outspend on advertisements, campaign events and traveling. In 2016, a total of $2.4 billion were spent on presidential campaigns that lasted 596 days. 

With that much money, we could have fixed Flint’s water crisis six times over. Instead, we spent it on a campaign that many of us could not bear to follow. 

Another reason we have long elections is the type of system we have. In parliamentary systems many of the parliaments have to be disbanded or “dissolved” before each election, leading to shorter elections. Therefore, the longest modern Canadian election was 11 weeks. And the Canadian public was furious. Many other countries have strict time limits. In comparison, long elections in the U.S. have come to be a part of our democratic system.

Party primaries started in the early 20th century in order for the public to gain more control over the nominations and to end corruption in the political parties. Before, those who controlled the parties chose the candidates for every race in which the party was involved. With primaries, the people had a voice in their party. Primaries became a greater focus after John F. Kennedy won the West Virginia primary as it showed allowed parties to judge who would be successful in certain areas.

In parliamentary systems voters are choosing the party they want to rule, more than any candidate. Because of this they can have shorter elections because they don’t need to wade through candidates. While the voters in parliamentary systems may be happier, they are less informed about candidates. They also do not have a choice in who their leader is, as the majority power chooses, and that leads to incumbents being favored. 

While we may hate how long elections are in the U.S., they force us to be more well-informed than our counterparts in other nations. However, they are still excessive. There is no reason that an election for 2020 has to seriously start at the end of 2018, and for someone to declare for re-election before they have even been president. The costs that then build up only  permit the rich to run, leaving some out of the race. Political scientists Randolph Stevenson and Lynn Vavrek studied elections and concluded that the best length for campaigns are six weeks. Start campaigns six weeks before the Iowa caucus and we will all be happier, well-informed  and just as democratic.