CONVERSATION: What good will a longer election campaign period do?

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) recently proposed that the campaign period for 2016 be made longer than what the law allows.

The poll body wants the current 90-day campaign period for national positions  and the 45-day campaign period for local positions to both be extended to 120 days. 

The purpose of an earlier start to the campaign period is to prevent the so-called “epal” politicians from engaging in clearly campaign-related activities without being required to declare the costs.

The current rule doesn’t recognize premature campaigning as a crime as long as the activities and paraphernalia don’t bear the words “Vote for.” It thus effectively circumvents the campaign spending cap that the election code imposes.

Various camps have indicated either support for or opposition to the Comelec proposal. Let’s have a Twitter conversation to discuss the pros and cons of a longer campaign period. Let’s hear from you, the voters, as we also ask campaign strategists and workers the practical implications of this.

Join us at 6 pm on Wednesday, August 12. Follow and tag @rapplerdotcom and use the hashtag #PHvote.  –Rappler.com