Trust the process: Are American presidential campaigns too long?

Presidential elections take almost two years, between primaries, caucuses, conventions and the general elections.

Although it might be considered excessive in comparison to the election process in most countries, it makes sense that the procedure to determine the leader of the free world should be more detailed and extensive than anywhere else.

I come from a country that has had more coups d’état than I would like to acknowledge. Generally speaking, I come from a continent that continually deals with impeachments, corruption, oligarchy and an indelible trace of dictatorships.

Politics where I come from is nothing but a game where the losers are always the people who blindly vote for a candidate they barely know.

United States voters are bombarded with media coverage about the elections and the candidates more than ever thanks to the perpetual presence of social media in our lives.

This may be the reason why the election process seems longer than ever.

There is not a single day when we do not receive a notification with the name Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump in it. I am certainly not the only one being flooded by the amount of information, so I understand why this presidential election might appear to be never-ending.

The incessant coverage, it is crucial to understand why it is important to have this much information given to us.

Scandals can make or break a candidate and even a nation.

How different would the political panorama be if things were resolved in the primaries?

How many people would have voted for Donald Trump before the recent release of his lewd comments objectifying women?

How many people would have supported Hillary Clinton before the FBI’s investigation of her email server?

In times like this, information is the only tool the electorate has to make the best choice to forge the future of its country.

Elections can get to the nerves of the voters, especially the 2016 race.

The amount of chaos, a constant distrust of the media, the unpopularity of the candidates, among many other social and political tensions, make the process feel eternal. However, elections appear to be so long because they try to ensure that the will of the people is respected.

As respected as it can be with a system relying on an electoral college, at least.

Ensuring that the constituency has every tool it needs to choose a leader capable of guiding the country in the right direction supports the nation.

This choice becomes increasingly important when the country we are talking about is the most powerful state in the world.

I can definitely understand why the electoral process can become tedious, but I would rather have a two-year race and know exactly who I am voting for rather than jeopardizing my future because of a lack of information caused by a shortened election.

Stephanie Sanchez is a sophomore  classics, journalism and political science major from Quito, Ecuador.