Long Lines = De Facto Voter Intimidation Favoring the Rich

If you don't have to work for a living, own your own business, or can set your own hours, then waiting in huge multi-hour lines is no problem, just an inconvenience. Lower-paid workers in lousy service jobs like Wal-Mart, single parents, etc. are actively discouraged from voting by the current state of affairs.

This is unacceptable. I'm not talking about voter suppression, challenging voters, felon voter roll cleansing, or any of the other obvious dirty tricks. The basic voting system needs to be changed if people have to wait multiple hours to vote in a nation with poor childcare and jobs with unflexible hours. This system is geared towards partisan fanatics and those in higher income brackets with flexible hours. It's a disgrace. It makes me sick to hear about people having to wait that long. I'm deeply thankful to everyone who is putting up with it, but fundamentally angry about how obviously biased this system is from the ground up.

is to have a national holiday for the national elections.

wouldn't go for that. That's the "Lords Day". Well, according to them Bush* and "The Lord" are synonymous, so I guess it shouldn't make any difference to them. Good idea though, I'd go for it.

Isn't that what the veterans fought for?

though i would prefer i thikn to move it up a month when the weather is a little better.

there should be non partisan nat'l. commision that approves them for accuracy and clarity. We should eliminate all electronic voting. And we should be in no rush to count the votes. If Gore would have just relaxed and demaned a recount of every FLA county instead of caving into pressure not to slow things down, we'd be a different country.

prohibiting employers from penalizing people for taking time off to vote.

This election is more important than waiting in line for more than an hour - remind them they've stood in longer lines for roller coasters. And this ride lasts four years and may not have brakes at the end if Incurious George wins again.

glass to vote. It is disgraceful that they have to wait this long but I don't think that's going to stop us.

I wasn't worried about hardcore Kerry supporters, more along the lines of the working people who have two jobs or other responsibilities who have been beaten down by the system all their lives and may be looking for an excuse to shrug their shoulders and go home, buying the conventional wisdom that "they're all crooks."

but we need to have it available in every state.

ANY line for several hours. I'm not sure this hurts us. If they could send their admin asst, yeah - but not if they have to stand there with other people on the street and shuffle along with no extra accomodations made for them. There are exceptions - but they are not voting for Bush anyway!

People have been in line for hours for days now.

This day America is going to vote, whether its raining or cold or sunny, whether there's a line or they are the only people voting at all. They are coming out to take part in democracy, and if they're late for work, they'll still be on time for the future.

The future of this nation and the world depend on them punching that button, pulling down that lever, marking that X or whatever.

Some other time, when so much isn't riding on their vote, then the people can bitch about long lines.

Today? That long line is our own Band of Brothers and everyone will be happy to tell their friends and family that they were there, standing up for America.

:-)

I think it would be nice if they moved minorities to go to the head of the line when they showed up to vote. I don't think it should be required but it would be a very compassionate way to show that they value our vote. Or am I way off base here?