By William Lewis
American presidential campaigns have usually been long in duration. However, in recent years these campaigns have gone on for at least two years when the primaries and general elections are included.
At this time we have 17 candidates in the Republican primary. There have not been that many presidential candidates in recent national elections. Is it in the best interest of our electoral system to have two or more years of a presidential race with close to 20 candidates?
When we look at the British election system, the election is governed by law. The election campaign is allowed to be three weeks long. The candidates are fewer since they were designated by the political parties. It seems to work well.
One presidential race that helped bring us the two-year campaign was Jimmy Carter’s campaign when he was nominated for, and then elected, president in 1976. He served for four years as governor of Georgia from 1970 to 1974. The governor of Georgia was term-limited and could serve only one four-year term.
In Carter’s case he immediately began a presidential campaign, which went on for two years, from 1974 to 1976. He sent busloads of campaign workers from Georgia to New Hampshire to campaign for his candidacy. He was elected president in 1976, defeating Gerald Ford.
Another presidential race that was known for its longevity was the presidential race of 1840 between General William Henry Harrison and incumbent President Martin Van Buren. The race consisted of endless rallies, speeches, parades and meetings. Harrison won by a close margin.
Regarding the number of candidates, it will be impractical to have all of them compete in candidate forums or debates at the same time. That means that the candidates leading in the polls will be given priority when candidates campaign, which will increase their chances of being elected. There is a possibility that eventually the two-year campaign will increase to 2½ to three years, with the number of candidates increasing as well.
The election can develop into a difficult situation. The time has come when some procedures need to be put in place so that national elections are conducted in an organized and orderly manner.
During recent years, some political groups have advocated that non-citizens be allowed to vote since they supposedly pay taxes and are residents of our country.
Voting in political elections is the right of a citizen and has always been. Hopefully that will continue in the future.
It is in the interest of our nation that elections be held in a fair, honest and orderly manner. Efforts should be made to see to it that this is the case in all future elections, especially at the national level.
