On the one hand, huge turnouts are always great news. Democracy! On the other hand, it sure is odd the places where the long lines tend to appear, and why on earth the election officials can't anticipate them:
Declaring a state of emergency in Florida because of long voting lines, Gov. Charlie Crist on Tuesday extended early voting hours across the state to 12 hours a day.
The executive order comes after record early voting turnout has contributed to long lines at polling sites.
Current Florida law allows for early voting to be conducted eight hours a day each weekday and for a total of eight hours during the weekends. With Crist's order, early voting sites will be open the rest of this week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. They will be open a total of 12 hours on Saturday and Sunday, the last day of early voting.
The county estimated the wait at Lemon City was two hours; Muller waited longer. Broward's best bet for early voting Tuesday morning: the Northwest Regional Library in Coral Springs, where the wait was an estimated 45 minutes.
The longest lines? Again in heavily black areas, most notably Fort Lauderdale's African-American Research Library. As of 10 a.m., voters were told the wait was roughly three hours to cast a ballot.
By early afternoon, Miramar City Hall's estimated time was even longer.
So, good for Charlie for doing the absolutely minimal right thing. How much better to act is if voting was a right, and set up the systems accordingly.
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Just Imagine
Just imagine if they didn't have early voting.
But, we've always been at war with Eastasia...
NOT JEBBIE !!!!!!!!!
the republican-controlled state legislature has been plundering the state coffers for years now, and with the odious amendment 1 they got passed on JANUARY 29 PRIMARY DAY by telling democrats their votes wouldn't count, they've managed to plunder local governments' coffers too. so how're we supposed to pay for this?
but yeah, charlie has a reputation for making the occasional populist gesture, and this certainly was a noticeable one.
the only 2 times i ever tried early voting, i waited in line nearly 3 hours. ever again. the longest wait i've ever had at my regular polling places has been about 15 minutes.
all of my county's early voting locations are in very white areas of the county. and yes, the lines have been lo-o-o-o-o-ong when i've driven past a couple of them.
Oops, you're right
Charlie, not Jebbie. My bad, I wrote in haste.
And so the lines are long everywhere. Equal suckitude?
[ ] Very tepidly voting for Obama [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.
First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win. -- Mahatma Gandhi
Well......in 2004
in Delray Beach. FL, I waited 8 hours in line to vote. There were 5 voting machines for hundreds of people.
In 2006. on a Sunday, I waited 2 hours to vote. And yes, I voted on the butterfly in 2000 and it was a royal mess.
Oh Florida! ........and Theresa LaPore and Katherine Harris are long gone. sigh