Why are voting hours limited?

[emperus]

I'm apoplectic that people are waiting in line over 8 hours just to vote. Why are voting hours limited? If they have to stay open 24 hours so everyone who wants to vote votes without waiting 15 minutes? Why the hesitation to keep these polls open? What is the incremental cost for that? Is it the electricity the cost of more employees? Please someone give me a good reason for limiting the access to ballots?

It's absolutely disgusting that this is where we are as a country.

 

[soundforbjt]

I'll take a cynical stab at it. We have the electoral college, Voting is just to make the people feel like they have a say.

 

[SheHateMe]

I guess for the same reason you have until the end of the show to vote for your favorite on "Dancing With The Stars".

 

[MovingTarget]

I'll take a cynical stab at it. We have the electoral college, Voting is just to make the people feel like they have a say.

Ha, I can see why you'd think that...and for good reason. However, there is much more at stake than who occupies the White House. No EC to worry about in those elections.

15 minutes is an acceptable, if annoying, amount of time to wait to vote. Not having the logistics in place to ensure that the voting lines has for hours reeks of disenfranchisement.

 

[a777pilot]

I'm apoplectic that people are waiting in line over 8 hours just to vote. Why are voting hours limited? If they have to stay open 24 hours so everyone who wants to vote votes without waiting 15 minutes? Why the hesitation to keep these polls open? What is the incremental cost for that? Is it the electricity the cost of more employees? Please someone give me a good reason for limiting the access to ballots?

It's absolutely disgusting that this is where we are as a country.

Good question.

Maybe we should open the polling places, now, for the 2014 election and get a real good start at it.

Most places have early voting and then there is 10 to 12 hours of voting at multiple polling places on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Why do we need more time?

 

[emperus]

Good question.

Maybe we should open the polling places, now, for the 2014 election and get a real good start at it.

Most places have early voting and then there is 10 to 12 hours of voting at multiple polling places on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Why do we need more time?

Why even waste the time to post if you're going to write something so idiotic that it would leave people to question if you have a functioning brain. Just please stay out the thread then.

This post is a perfect example of the intellectual dishonesty of Republicans.

 

[a777pilot]

Why even waste the time to post if you're going to write something so idiotic that it would leave people to question if you have a functioning brain. Just please stay out the thread then.

LOL! Like that is going to happen.

Besides, my opinion is that there is ample time to vote now. In fact my opinion is that early voting has gotten out of hand. It should be limited to just two weeks, If voting means so little to you and is that much of an imposition in your life, then don't vote.

 

[emperus]

LOL! Like that is going to happen.

Besides, my opinion is that there is ample time to vote now. In fact my opinion is that early voting has gotten out of hand. It should be limited to just two weeks, If voting means so little to you and is that much of an imposition in your life, then don't vote.

I'm glad you believe so. That wasn't the question. My question is why limit voting times if people are waiting 8 hours to vote. What is the cost of more access to the polls?

CLEARLY, IF PEOPLE ARE WAITING 8 hours to VOTE there is something wrong. I think it even amounts to a poll tax for hourly workers.

 

[buckshot24]

As mentioned in that other thread. They had 8 days to vote early and a bunch of them decided to wait until the last day. They had ample opportunity to vote without long lines.

 

[a777pilot]

I agree if they are waiting 8 hours to vote there is something wrong....and that is a disenfranchisement of the vote.

If that was the intent of your OP then you are correct. I took it as just lazy Americans wanting things made way too easy for them.

Sorry for my comments.

 

[monovillage]

Faux apoplectic outrage found!

 

[a777pilot]

I'll take a cynical stab at it. We have the electoral college, Voting is just to make the people feel like they have a say.

How are these Electoral College voters chosen? Maybe you need to study our form and method of government.

 

[emperus]

As mentioned in that other thread. They had 8 days to vote early and a bunch of them decided to wait until the last day. They had ample opportunity to vote without long lines.

Ok. So what? Why not just extend the time then when you realized there were people still in line. My question is simple. What is the cost to do that? It is in the purview of the Governor to do so, No? So, why didn't he. Why did it take a court order to do? I believe it is more important to err on the side of more access to vote especially when you can as Governor. Why are we even debating this? People died for this right. And you can't argue people waiting 8 hours even 1 hour aren't honoring that right.

 

[emperus]

Another question, please give me a rational answer as to why the early voting hours ended on Sat. Why not keep them open till election day? I mean there are two days left before the election. This stuff stinks to high heaven. And any true American should be up in arms over it.

I'm just looking for one person to give me a rational explanation for it.

 

[Jhhnn]

I'm apoplectic that people are waiting in line over 8 hours just to vote. Why are voting hours limited? If they have to stay open 24 hours so everyone who wants to vote votes without waiting 15 minutes? Why the hesitation to keep these polls open? What is the incremental cost for that? Is it the electricity the cost of more employees? Please someone give me a good reason for limiting the access to ballots?

It's absolutely disgusting that this is where we are as a country.

Lots of factors in all of that, which vary by state & precinct. Part of it is ballot clutter & people who are unprepared to deal with that stuff, only figure it out when they get in the booth, if at all. Voting resources get misallocated, intentionally or not. Some precincts get starved of voting machines, others have 'em sitting idle. Faux Do-gooder wingnuts challenge voters in districts unlikely to vote their way.

Election officials have a variety of tools to help them keep things going, registration among them. Doesn't mean they'll choose to use them well, if at all.

Figure out whose base has the zeal & the time to camp out to vote, who constantly seeks to cut back on voting hours, restrict the eligible electorate, whose interests are served by that, and you'll have answered your own question.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GBAsFwPglw

 

[emperus]

Lots of factors in all of that, which vary by state & precinct. Part of it is ballot clutter & people who are unprepared to deal with that stuff, only figure it out when they get in the booth, if at all. Voting resources get misallocated, intentionally or not. Some precincts get starved of voting machines, others have 'em sitting idle. Faux Do-gooder wingnuts challenge voters in districts unlikely to vote their way.

Election officials have a variety of tools to help them keep things going, registration among them. Doesn't mean they'll choose to use them well, if at all.

Figure out whose base has the zeal & the time to camp out to vote, who constantly seeks to cut back on voting hours, restrict the eligible electorate, whose interests are served by that, and you'll have answered your own question.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GBAsFwPglw

I agree with you. There have been people on this board defending it for a while. So, my question to them is to justify why it is ok to restrict the access to the polls so that people wait hours to cast a vote.

 

[Moonbeam]

I agree if they are waiting 8 hours to vote there is something wrong....and that is a disenfranchisement of the vote.

If that was the intent of your OP then you are correct. I took it as just lazy Americans wanting things made way too easy for them.

Sorry for my comments.

And you call yourself an asshole. Shame on you.

 

[Jhhnn]

I agree with you. There have been people on this board defending it for a while. So, my question to them is to justify why it is ok to restrict the access to the polls so that people wait hours to cast a vote.

They believe they have a better chance of winning under the circumstances you describe, plain & simple. At the same time,
they seek to maintain plausible justification & deniability in whatever voter suppression scenarios their leadership can create.

They're quite fearful, well tutored in propaganda talking points, and they'll admit to nothing, obviously.

 

[buckshot24]

Ok. So what? Why not just extend the time then when you realized there were people still in line. My question is simple. What is the cost to do that? It is in the purview of the Governor to do so, No? So, why didn't he. Why did it take a court order to do? I believe it is more important to err on the side of more access to vote especially when you can as Governor. Why are we even debating this? People died for this right. And you can't argue people waiting 8 hours even 1 hour aren't honoring that right.

You'll have to ask the governor. I happen to think that Florida has given ample time for people to vote early. If people wait to the last minute how much should be done to make sure they can vote early? When do you draw the line? How many accommodations should these voters get? They disenfranchised themselves by waiting so long to vote if they can't vote on election day.

These early voting places were open for 8 days. They were limited to 20. On election day there are hundreds of voting stations in the same area.

 

[Thump553]

It's ironic that in these days-where we've had ATMs for 30-40 years and you can do banking (even deposit checks) on your cellphone that the retail end of our voting system is straight out of 1890. What makes it even more aggravating is after the 2000 election diaster Congress got together and passed a bipartisan bill to supposedly fix the system.

My off the cuff suggestions:

1) There should be national standards for election of the President and VP-one set of rules for the entire country as far as early voting, poll hours and availability, etc.

2) There absolutely should be a system for voting online if you desire to. After all, I can do my banking, stock brokerage, IRAs, income taxes and just about any other critical financial activity online, why not voting?

Its silly to depend on a system staffed by semi-volunteer blue-haired ladies and retirees for something so important.

 

[Thump553]

You'll have to ask the governor. I happen to think that Florida has given ample time for people to vote early. If people wait to the last minute how much should be done to make sure they can vote early? When do you draw the line? How many accommodations should these voters get? They disenfranchised themselves by waiting so long to vote if they can't vote on election day.

These early voting places were open for 8 days. They were limited to 20. On election day there are hundreds of voting stations in the same area.

Florida has had huge lines and long delays for early voting as well. In large part I blame it on the ridiculous ballots they have down there.

 

[Jhhnn]

You'll have to ask the governor. I happen to think that Florida has given ample time for people to vote early. If people wait to the last minute how much should be done to make sure they can vote early? When do you draw the line? How many accommodations should these voters get? They disenfranchised themselves by waiting so long to vote if they can't vote on election day.

These early voting places were open for 8 days. They were limited to 20. On election day there are hundreds of voting stations in the same area.

Whenever & wherever voting hours are restricted to the point where huge lines & waiting periods are the result, then those hours & facilities are inadequate for the purpose at hand. That's only if we're being honest. Otherwise, justifications like your own will serve the purpose of voter suppression.

When voting requires zealotry, then only zealots will vote, which is the whole point entirely.

 

[buckshot24]

Whenever & wherever voting hours are restricted to the point where huge lines & waiting periods are the result, then those hours & facilities are inadequate for the purpose at hand. That's only if we're being honest. Otherwise, justifications like your own will serve the purpose of voter suppression.

When voting requires zealotry, then only zealots will vote, which is the whole point entirely.

You're a liberal you don't think people should take responsibility for their decisions. They had 8 fucking days to vote and they wait to the last day and its inadequate. If they would have voted a week ago they wouldn't have had a long wait. They waited until the last day and they have to wait in a long line. They put themselves in that situation.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

In large part I blame it on the ridiculous ballots they have down there.

A 10 page ballot is over the top and for the average voter in Miami-Dade County who isn't prepared may take 10 to 20 minute complete. No wonder they had 5 to 8 hour waits to vote.

 

[Jhhnn]

You're a liberal you don't think people should take responsibility for their decisions. They had 8 fucking days to vote and they wait to the last day and its inadequate. If they would have voted a week ago they wouldn't have had a long wait. They waited until the last day and they have to wait in a long line. They put themselves in that situation.

Nice bit of false attribution. Blaming the victims is a standard ploy for right wingers, no doubt.

I have no idea whether or not huge lines existed prior to the last day of early voting in Florida, for example, nor likely do you, either. I just want every citizen to vote, and believe that truly democratic govt has a responsibility to enable that, not to discourage it.

Coddle voters? Why not? We already coddle Rich people...