Constitution Effectively Blocks Poll Postponement

It’s still 15 months before the presidential election on May 9, 2022, but some politicians are already talking of postponing the election. This has happened in the past as the sitting president neared the end of his/her term, as if hoping the term, with all its powers and privileges, could somehow be extended.

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It is easy enough to postpone an election. Congress can do it by passing a law. The problem is that the terms of office are fixed, not by law, but by the Constitution. A sitting president may succeed in postponing an election, but he cannot remain in office because of this constitutional provision: “The President and the Vice President shall be elected by direct vote of the people for a term of six years which shall begin at noon on the 30th day of June following the day of the election and shall end at noon of the same date six years thereafter.” (Section 4, Article II)