get with the times

[jonathankaplan]

I'd like to rarely amend/change the US Constitution. One of the few good changes was when the Twentieth Amendment changed the date of the Presidential inauguration from March 4th of the year after the election to January 20th of the year after

Comments

[cluebyfour]

A few weeks after should be plenty?

Well, except when the vote is contested, like it was in 2000. . . .

But I'd be all for shutting Congress down completely after the election. Their terms end the first Monday in November, period. If an emergency comes up let the new guys deal with it.

[thetalkingmoose]

I was about to post a comment bringing up the 2000 debacle. In that light and given what is happening right now with the Georgia and Minnesota Senate races, I'd have to say that the current waiting period for both the President and Congress seems about right.

Slow is safe.

[ext_1460]

No way do I want a president all fired up from election rhetoric to come in and shake things up. Give him a few months to settle, pick his team, get a feel for the weight that's now on his shoulders, and prepare for deliberative, calm actions.

Likewise for the citizenry. Give them awhile to forget the sports-team hype of the election, so they're less likely to riot at what should be small initial changes anyway.

[rcfox]

First, the Electoral College doesn't meet until early December. That's when the President gets elected. And it does take a month or so from after the actual election to certify the results. If I cast an absentee ballot, and mail it from Timbuktu on election day, and my ballot is received on November 22nd, it's still (rightly) counted. I think.

Mid-January seems right, and the 20th is as good a day as any.

[prock]

I believe that the rules for absentee ballots vary from state to state, so while that vote may be counted in some states, in others it won't.

[harryh]

Also worth noting that it's not just the actual President that this should happen for, but also his cabinet and all sorts of positions all the way down the chain.

Though I'm not convinced that their actual power should slowly be ratcheted up and down, certainly the incoming administration should have access to all the information (and meetings) of the current administration during the transition.

[anonymous]

get with the times huh? you ever gonna get with the times with a new post?