Should the general election be staggered like the primaries?

[tpfkaw]

By which I mean holding the election in each state separately over a period of several months.  I say yes for the entertainment value alone.

Inspired by this Nate Silver post: http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

No, but the idea is interesting.

[I'm JewCon in name only.]

No.

[argentarius]

Oh dear god no.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

No.  It'd make things a lot harder to get anything done in Congress.

[Thomas D]

Would we go from smallest states to biggest?

Meaning Wyoming to California. And how many elections on each day?

[Chaddyr23]

India actually does this. They do it in five stages, that being said they're the exception not the rule. I prefer same day election everywhere or else we end up with a protracted horse race that lasts too long.

[Franzl]

Oh dear god no.

[ag]

India actually does this. They do it in five stages, that being said they're the exception not the rule. I prefer same day election everywhere or else we end up with a protracted horse race that lasts too long.

But they do not do ANY counting till the end of the process. You can only do that w/ a strong centralized electoral bureaucracy.

[TomC]

Oh dear god no.

[Tidewater_Wave]

This begs for corruption. What I'd like to see my party do is have the Ohio plan where early states vote on the same day, small states on a later date, medium states another date, and then have 3 dates of large states that rotate in groups for each election cycle.  The primaries wouldn't be as drawn out, big states still carry more weight, and candidates who aren't as wealthy still have a chance. Having a drawn out general election would be a nightmare. Early voting is bad enough.  No one can convince me that there haven't been people voting early and then on election day as well.  My bill would have Election Day as a national holiday where banks, post offices, and businesses were closed so that people can't make excuses. I can understand absentees for people in the hospital or overseas serving in our armed forces but the the "I want to go on vacation that week" excuse has to stop in order to make elections fair.

[Negusa Nagast 🚀]

No.

A more entertaining thought: Rather, the primaries should be staged like the general election (all on one day).

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

This actually used to be the case.

For example, at the start of the Civil War, when Lincoln called for a special session of the Congress, some states had to hold special elections.  While the new Congress took office on March 4, the House usually started its first session the following December, so there were several states whose laws called for electing House members the following November, one month before the House normally began to sat instead of the preceding November, thirteen months before the House would sit.

It wasn't until 1845 that a uniform date for the selection of electors was mandated by Congress.

[Tidewater_Wave]

This actually used to be the case.

For example, at the start of the Civil War, when Lincoln called for a special session of the Congress, some states had to hold special elections.  While the new Congress took office on March 4, the House usually started its first session the following December, so there were several states whose laws called for electing House members the following November, one month before the House normally began to sat instead of the preceding November, thirteen months before the House would sit.

It wasn't until 1845 that a uniform date for the selection of electors was mandated by Congress.

This is true and practical for 1845. In 2012 things should be uniform for the general election.