If you're feeling exhausted by the presidential election even though we still have almost nine months to go, you're far from alone -- and you're more than justified. Our presidential election cycles now start just a few weeks after the midterm elections, and while some might argue a long campaign season gives voters enough time to learn about the candidates and issues and make an educated choice, exhausting them with such a long process risks turning them off to the whole process. Additionally, having to sustain a campaign for so long favors those who have or can raise a lot of money. Maybe it's time to follow the lead of other countries, which have laws or traditions that limit the length of campaigns, and also get higher turnout than in the U.S. Some examples: in Canada, the minimum is 36 days, but the longest-ever campaign was 74 days; in France, campaigns before the first round of voting are maximum two weeks; in Japan, campaigns can only last 12 days; in Australia, it must be at least 33 days and the longest was 11 weeks; and in the U.K., campaigns usually last between five to six weeks.
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