I wonder if having long lead times like this used to be normal, but then all the other countries realized that they don't have to cart the papers over by mule anymore so they don't need anywhere near as long to get stuff taken care of.
That said, it was useful back in 2020 when people were expected to vote by mail instead. Gives plenty of time to account for possible delays (which there were, thanks to Trump and his crony DeJoy) and still have the results in by Election Day.
The lead time between the election and inauguration is also ridiculous, but that's harder to justify fixing without moving both to a completely different time of year so neither one happens right in the middle of the lead-up to Christmas.
That said, it was useful back in 2020 when people were expected to vote by mail instead. Gives plenty of time to account for possible delays (which there were, thanks to Trump and his crony DeJoy) and still have the results in by Election Day.
The lead time between the election and inauguration is also ridiculous, but that's harder to justify fixing without moving both to a completely different time of year so neither one happens right in the middle of the lead-up to Christmas.