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Does anyone here have to stand in line for hours to vote?

I Are Baboon

I Are Baboon

The Full Dopey
Aug 6, 2001
32,422
9,465
MTB New England
I don't get this...I see on the news where people in some states have to wait hours and hours in line to cast their vote. Everytime I vote, it's 10 minutes max from the time I get out of my car until the time I get back in. The last presidential election, there were four people in line in front me (I made it a point to count).

So I'm curious if my experience is more the norm around here, or if most of you are stuck waiting in lines. To be honest, I don't think I'd have the patience to wait six hours in line to vote.
 
Westy

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,434
20,235
Sleazattle
I had to wait about 15 minutes for the last presidential election. Parking was difficult. Worst part of it was the average age there was probably 78, the stench of imminent death was overwhelming. I thought I might of been in the line for the soylent green factory.
 
Echo

Echo

crooked smile
Jul 10, 2002
11,819
15
Slacking at work
My polling station is about a half mile from my house, the place is always pretty much empty every election. There are more workers there than voters.
 
stevew

stevew

resident influencer
Sep 21, 2001
40,587
9,597
NC has had long lines for early voting for whatever reason. I was the 10th person in line of a line of about 150 people saturday morning.

ipods are great for drowning out small talk.
 
I Are Baboon

I Are Baboon

The Full Dopey
Aug 6, 2001
32,422
9,465
MTB New England
Westy said:
Worst part of it was the average age there was probably 78, the stench of imminent death was overwhelming.
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Yeah but those retirees working the polling stations bring baked goods for voters. :) Well they do where I vote, anyway.

I'll vote on my way into work. Voting opens at 6:00 and I'll be there at 6:05. I'll actually have to kill some time in the morning or I'll get there before they open.
 
ridiculous

ridiculous

Turbo Monkey
Jan 18, 2005
2,907
1
MD / NoVA
I was the absolute last absentee voter in my district. Line was 2 hrs long, but i went at closing time on a Saturday. I was thinking going late on sat would have been the better choice and it was. I was over hearing peoples conversations as they left saying they had been there for 3.5 hours.

The center i went to had 3 voting machines / district but if i had to guess over 90% of the people that were there were voting in one specific district so it was really like we were splitting 3 machines.

Lesson learned: Vote absentee with someone over 65 or handicap, they bring the voting booth to your car.
 
ire

ire

Turbo Monkey
Aug 6, 2007
6,196
4
Westy said:
Worst part of it was the average age there was probably 78, the stench of imminent death was overwhelming.
Click to expand...
Helping decide your future before they die :) I don't have to wait in line because Oregon is permanent absentee voting; they increased voter turnout by a large amount when they went this way over a decade ago....I like it
 
stoney

stoney

Part of the unwashed, middle-American horde
Jul 26, 2006
21,613
7,271
Colorado
voting opens at 7 in my hood. I'll be there at 6:45 so I can get in-out and on to work. This is my first time actually going into a booth. I always voted absentee historically.
 
sanjuro

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
Because there are areas which getting record turnouts because these people have never been motivated to vote before.

These people include the young, the poor, and the black.
 
jimmydean

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
41,188
13,339
Portland, OR
Vote by mail FTW.

I have never had to go somewhere to vote. It seems like such an outdated way to do things. I mailed mine in last week, I dropped my wifes off last night at the "Ballot Box" (mail box painted white) at the police station.
 
$tinkle

$tinkle

Expert on blowing
Feb 12, 2003
14,591
6
with early voting, absentee voting, long poll hours, and proximity to residents, i'll never understand how turnout is barely north of 60%

but then again, i'm not young, poor, nor black
 
$tinkle

$tinkle

Expert on blowing
Feb 12, 2003
14,591
6
must wonder, will the avg college voter wait longer in a keg line?
 
N8 v2.0

N8 v2.0

Not the sharpest tool in the shed
Oct 18, 2002
11,003
149
The Cleft of Venus
i used to have to vote at a :shudder: baptist church...

but now, they close all the schools in our parish and vote there..

wait time? 10 min tops.. on an all electronic machine..
 
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sanjuro

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
N8 said:
i used to have to vote at a :shudder: baptist church...

but now, they close all the schools in our parish and vote there..

wait time? 10 min tops.. on an all electronic machine..
Click to expand...
Did the Synagogue burn down?
 
dante

dante

Unabomber
Feb 13, 2004
8,807
9
looking for classic NE singletrack
have never waited more than 4-5min tops, but I've always lived in good suburban neighborhoods. it must be a coincidence that the long lines / few voting machines seem to always occur in poor neighborhoods...
 
jimmydean

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
41,188
13,339
Portland, OR
dante said:
have never waited more than 4-5min tops, but I've always lived in good suburban neighborhoods. it must be a coincidence that the long lines / few voting machines seem to always occur in poor neighborhoods...
Click to expand...
It's by design. If you look at the machine to population ratio, you will see that in a lot of areas. I am guessing it could be 10x as bad this year.
 
sanjuro

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
My favorite is still "Tuesday is for Republicans, Wednesday is for Democrats".
 
DamienC

DamienC

Turbo Monkey
Jun 6, 2002
1,165
0
DC
My wife and I went to go vote this morning and walked to our polling place at at school two blocks from our house. We arrived at 6:45am, 15 minutes before polls opened, and the line had already snaked around the block. At 7:00am the line starting moving and we were pleased to see that everything seemed to be pretty organized. We waited for one and half hours before casting our ballots and by the time we left the line was starting to wrap around itself on the block.

We live in Capitol Hill in Washington, DC where the presidential race here was a foregone conclusion and yet voter turn out was like nothing we'd ever seen. The guy behind us said that since he'd moved to the neighborhood in the 1970s he'd never seen lines like today.
 
reflux

reflux

Turbo Monkey
Mar 18, 2002
4,617
2
G14 Classified
DamienC said:
stuff
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I will drink at least one tonight knowing that, for at least one day, a large number of Americans made use of the right to vote.

My polling place, which normally has no line throughout the entire day, had a 35 minute wait. Not bad for a small location in suburbia.
 
Cant Climb

Cant Climb

Turbo Monkey
May 9, 2004
2,683
10
Waited about 20 minutes...and got there around 7:25, however one of the poll workers said the early rush had already cleared out since they opened at 6.

My wife got our Baby son an "Obama" onesie....he had it on for about 5 minutes then he had a mojor poop "blowout". Was all over the back of the onesie, looks like it will stain.....first time he did that in many months. Hoping it's not a bad sign....:ban:
 
$tinkle

$tinkle

Expert on blowing
Feb 12, 2003
14,591
6
Cant Climb said:
My wife got our Baby son an "Obama" onesie....he had it on for about 5 minutes then he had a mojor poop "blowout". Was all over the back of the onesie, looks like it will stain.....first time he did that in many months. Hoping it's not a bad sign....:ban:
Click to expand...
you know what's ridiculous? if you brought him in wearing that, poll workers could have you tossed for electioneering (depending on the state's definition, if defined).

free speech be damned.
 
Cant Climb

Cant Climb

Turbo Monkey
May 9, 2004
2,683
10
$tinkle said:
you know what's ridiculous? if you brought him in wearing that, poll workers could have you tossed for electioneering (depending on the state's definition, if defined).

free speech be damned.
Click to expand...
True to a point.

In PA thoose rules are set county by county. There are 11 countys where you can wear Campaign garb.....however, ours is not one of them:ban:. We also bought him a generic "Change" sweatshirt to put over top.....that got "soiled" too however. :poster_oops:
 
RenegadeRick

RenegadeRick

98th percentile on my SAT & all I got was this tin
Feb 22, 2006
1,458
0
riding the fine line between genius and insanity
20 minutes start to finish. The repubs had a staffer there to contest registrations, but they didn't hassle me. Big mistake.

There were lots and lots of judges on the Cook County Ballot, but unfortunately, the two that I wanted to vote FOR (because they made positive legal decisions regarding MTBing in the county this year) weren't on the ballot.

Voted against Mark Kirk and Dick Durbin for giving my money to the banks. Funk those guys. I hope they both lose.
 
Westy

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,434
20,235
Sleazattle
No more than 5 minutes. The parking lot was crowded but there are twice as many voting machines than they have ever had. Things were fast and organized. It was so easy I might go vote again!
 
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