8 Hour lines in Florida! This really worries me and isn't exclusive to Florida

[julialnyc]

Many people simply can't get out of work long enough to wait 8 hours!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/03/voting-lines-stretch-to-e_n_140401.html

[bdamomma]

1. what was Rachel saying last night on her show

she called it poll tax, no matter what everyone must vote, this is our right.

[Overseas]

33. I agree it sure is like a poll tax because people have to give up wages

to stand in line for hours just for their basic right to vote.

I really admire those people who persist.

How many votes are we losing by folks unable to give that much time?

[AtomicKitten]

2. It's voter suppression, pure and simple.

:mad:

[anigbrowl]

22. No it isn't....chill out

On election day, there are lots of polling places open. On early voting days, not so much. So when Ms Browl and I went to vote yesterday, it took 2 hours and 30 minutes, compared to about 10 minutes the last time we went to vote on an actual polling day. We're in San Francisco, so I rather doubt it was an attempt at vote suppression which had us standing in long lines at City Hall. It was the simple fact that there there were thousands of people out to vote, but ony room in city hall for about 50-60 polling booths, meaning a max of about 600 people per hour.

[AtomicKitten]

24. Sure it is. Stats after the fact stated some 125,000 people didn't vote in Ohio in 2004

because they simply couldn't stand in line that long.

Here in SF I walk around the corner to vote, no waiting. The disparity in the election process is designed to manipulate the vote, and it's got to stop.

[anigbrowl]

25. Yeah - on election day

You're taking an example of a long line on the day BEFORE election day and calling it voter suppression. You're in SF, you say? OK, so am I. And where can you vote early today? City Hall. I was there yesterday for that reason. There was a line that went round the block...doesn't mean SF is engaging in voter suppression. go vote today and tell me how long it takes.

[AtomicKitten]

30. for instance -

At my polling place, there are six voting machines crammed into a neighbor's garage to service my little neighborhood whereas in particularly southern states they are given two or three, often faulty machines to service a huge electorate.

Stats have long since indicated that decreased voter turnout favors the GOP. There is a reason for the disparity in the election process, and it needs to change.

[ddeclue]

31. The lines will actually be much shorter in Florida on election day.

I'm going to make this a top level post where I explain WHY.

Please read it.

[AtomicKitten]

34. I look forward to reading it.

[anigbrowl]

35. Which has nothing to do with your OP or the point I was making.

You can't judge election day voting times by early voting times.

[AtomicKitten]

36. I disagree. IMO it's a precursor of what to expect.

There is beaucoup precedent for anxiety.

[anigbrowl]

37. Fine. My long wait-in-line in SF yesterday is proof of voter suppression too, then.

[AtomicKitten]

38. I guess you don't do nuance.

Voting here in SF is VERY DIFFERENT than voting in particularly southern states where the good old boy Jim Crow shenanigans to suppress the minority vote (that traditionally votes Democratic) occur.

'Kay? Not sure why you're getting pissy about this, but whatever.

[demo dutch]

32. lines in Florida are also because of new voting equipment, for example in my area

there were only 2 printers printing individual ballot for each voter. At least, they won't have that problem tomorrow, but I still expect long lines in Florida

[BrklynLiberal]

3. Election day..especially a Presidential election, should be a legal holiday.

I cannot fathom how this was never made a law...I guess it is a form of voter suppression.
Rich folks do not have to worry about losing time at work..

[TheCoxwain]

7. Every country in the world has a holiday for national elections ... why isnt that the case here?

If Businesses object - well SCREW THEM.

[BrklynLiberal]

13. Perhaps the new President, with his Democratic Congress can make it happen.

[TomInTib]

17. I'm going into the Purple Ink bidness.

I want to be out front on this one.

[BrklynLiberal]

21. good idea...

:thumbsup:

[TheCoxwain]

29. Holiday on the Condition that you vote ...if you want to participate in early voting

then you can take that day off..


Would be a great incentive to make people vote

[napi21]

4. How does FL. handle early voting? Here in Ga. they only have a

handfull of voting sites open for early voting, but on election day all the local sites are open until 7PM. Does Fl. do the same, and things will actually be more reasonable wait times on Tuesday?

[1corona4u]

11. Yes, and they did extend the hours already.

Tomorrow, there will be thousands of locations open, and I'm sure it'll be no issue. This is only the 2nd election Florida has had with early voting. It just started here in 2004.

I'm not worried about it at all. 4 million people have already voted early in Florida. That's the problem. No one wanted to wait until tomorrow. But they created the very thing they dodn't want, a long wait. I'd say it's good for those who did wait until tomorrow though. Took the pressure off.

[napi21]

18. I'm glad to hear that! My only concern is that I've heard there have

always been a shortage of voting machines in the poorer (presumably Dem) areas of large States. I think THAT was part of the problem we saw here in Ga. Rachel & Hartmann were talking about that today. I hope it proves untrue tomorrow.

[PermanentRevolution]

14. Same basic deal

For example, there's 20 early-vote locations in all of Miami-Dade, and well over 500 precincts. In 2004, the line I stood in for early-voting was much longer than the line at my polling place on Election Day. I expect the same to be true this time.

[justiceischeap]

5. Are you excited about Obama? Are you excited about change?

If the answer is yes, then you will wait in line. You know who won't wait in line? People that aren't excited about their candidate. How many people are REALLY excited about McCain*? I would say that people voting for McCain* won't wait in line for 8 hours to vote but I'd guess more people will wait that long to vote for Obama.

Yes, we'll probably lose some voters but I'd venture that McCain* will lose more.

[kiva]

28. OK, but we want the unexcited voters too.

You say that McCain voters are less likely to stand in line, but I suspect the unexcited voters are the least likely to wait for hours to cast a ballot. A vote is a vote, and I want ALL of them--the disenchanted Republican, the racist who's more worried about his/her pocketbook, the "I like McCain, but can't believe he selected Palin". Not everyone loves our candidate, but if they're voting for him I want them to face as few obstacles as possible.

[markbark]

6. You needn't worry....

Think of it this way: Would YOU stand in line for twelve hours just to vote for the status quo?
Well, neither would THEY.

What you are witnessing is a Diebold-proof landslide!

--MAB

[cottonseed]

19. The only thing about this is that Dem polling places see the waits.

Rural areas and suburbs seem to have a much smoother time.

[treestar]

8. That's just wrong

They ought to be sued.

[depakid]

9. Easy solution to that:

adopt the Oregon system.

[renate]

16. yup

Saves money, leaves a paper trail, nobody misses a single minute of work, parents of small children don't have to make them wait in line, and it's exactly as easy for somebody working three jobs to vote as it is for somebody living off a trust fund... nothing could be more democratic. Even if you can't afford a stamp there are drop-off boxes all over the place.

It's a complete mystery to me why the country hasn't switched to voting by mail.

[kestrel91316]

10. There are MANY MANY MANY times more precinct polling places open on

election day than there are early voting locations before election day. I think people are over-worried about this, personally.

Here in Los Angeles the ONLY place to early vote was two hours away in Norwalk at the Co Registrar's office. There are at least 5000 precinct polling places.

[medicswife]

12. After the last 8 years, I would stand in line for 5 days straight if that's

what it took. That said, that kind of wait is absolutely disgraceful.

[marlakay]

15. We need to fight more for changing election day

to saturday or having it be a holiday.

Start pressuring states that have the longest lines to provide more polling places or machines. And talking about machines we need to push for no computer voting without paper trail.

[1corona4u]

20. That's not going to happen.

Not everyone can vote on Saturdays either. Here's a video when Joe Biden was asked that very question;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDfqqKurwv8

[margotb822]

23. It definitely needs to be a federal holiday

People should have to choose between working and voting.

[progressivebydesign]

26. that's early voting. I would imagine regular voting will be better, because it's more locations.

Are we scaring people away from even trying to vote with our comments regarding early voting lines, and not differentiating between the two?

[Terran]

27. Lines are long only because there are few voting locations.

When ALL the locations are opened on 11/4, this problem will be much less serious. This is just common sense.