From an emailer in Florida…
And we continue to hear from other sources that the bottleneck in Florida is at check-in with the state’s new, computerized voter registration system, not with the new paper ballot op-scan system which is used after a voter votes. (Though there have been reported problems with the state’s new Diebold print-on-demand system for printing ballots for voters to fill out as well.)
Rachel Maddow correctly noted (see video below) that these waits in FL, GA, and elsewhere, amount to a “poll tax.” She’s right.
As I noted last week, we have just one early voting location in all of Los Angeles — the largest voting jurisdiction in the country, larger than 41 states combined — and at this point, I have no idea if I’ll be able to vote myself if the lines are too long tomorrow, since I have to go on air LIVE, hell or highwater at 3pm PT to anchor the NovaM Radio Network’s “Special Election Night Coverage.”
Here’s what the lines looked like this weekend at L.A.’s only early voting location, a 40-minute drive from where I live (photo: Margery Epstein)…
And here’s Rachel making her case, and pointing to 10 hour lines in Atlanta and elsewhere…
Hey Floridians, who’s going to their county website and printing off your precinct’s ballots to be available to elderly voters… instead of timely disenfranchised, (please note you still have to check in with your poll book and mark your ballot at the precinct)… to helpthe vote prior to collapsing? Huh, really your state is going to let elderly voters be abused like that? I am soooooooo sorry, but I have more decency than that.
In GA, during early voting (which ended Friday), there was a sign on the door of my polling place stating that those voters who were 75 or older, or were handicapped went straight to the front of the line. They got the next available check-in. There was the occasional poll worker walking the line to let people know about this. My wait was 4 hours.
If you can’t wait in line (like me), absentee ballot by phonecall is the only option.
[ed note: He’s joking. He’s joking. –99]
Good Luck Voting, Brad!
I’m really glad I got my 3 1/2 hours in line [GA] over with and at least did my DUTY as an American Citizen exercising my RIGHT TO VOTE … too bad we have no way to verify the votes.
Where I voted [not even leaning Democratic … according to the propaganda we’ve been spoon-fed since the Diebold vote-snatchers were put in place by (moron?) Cathy Cox] persons over the age of 70 were called forward and treated with respect.
At least that’s good.
Donate bottled water and lawn chairs to anybody you see suffering …Freedom isn’t free (after all).
Wow!! Go Rachel!
Hi Brad,
So I drove down to Norwalk to early vote yesterday Sunday, here in LA county. Got their at 7:30 AM which was a half hour before they opened. The line was around the building already. I was finally finished at 11:30AM. The line was definitely moving slower and taking longer by the time I left.
All the people I saw on line looked like they came prepared for this and were in generally good spirits. Most people had brought chairs and or umbrellas for the rain which came sporadically. On the other hand, by the time people had made their way through the line and taken a number and then sat on folding chairs for about 2 hours waiting to be called, well their reactions were to say the least reminiscent of “The Price is Right” with a lot of cheering when their numbers were finally called.
I suppose on the one hand it is a testament to the growning awareness and committment of citizens to vote in the face of increasing obsticles. On the other hand, I do have to say that for the largest voting jurisdiction in the country to run just this one single early voting location, with such low capacity that even people who arrived at the crack of dawn had to wait for 4 hours plus (and many arriving later waiting even longer) – well it is at least pathetic if not disgraceful, and yes a poll tax of sorts since we do not have a voting holiday.
Good luck everyone tomorrow.
Best regards,
Rob C. Cohen
Hey Floridiot – Comment #3 quit lying and saying someone can absentee vote via “phonecall”. This is blatant misinformation, which is quite a ballsy move considering this is bradblog.com. YOU CANNOT VOTE VIA PHONE CALL.
[ed note: He’s joking, Siskita. Definitely joking. Thanks for pointing it out though in case someone took it at face value. –99]
I am in Colorado and we got to vote early by mail, I am not sure about this but doesn’t every state have this to help reduce lines?
Brad,
This is not a pole tax but a “dumb tax”. You can use absentee ballots to vote in Florida. If you are retired you can also wait till election day to vote.
Having said that it would be neat if Florida devised a Disney style “Fast Pass” system in early voting
I voted in Decatur, GA 2 weeks ago, and waited just under 2 hours. Last week I took my elderly parents to vote in another county, and simply by asking, we moved them right to the front of the line. The line there was a least 2 hours long, since they had perhaps 16 machines for a huge turnout. The poll workers were very nice in both cases, but seemed a bit overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of voters.
I hate these machines, I want paper ballots. The fraud in this country is not the voters casting votes, but the machines that “count” them. But, of course, we already knew that.
George –
It might be a series of “Dumb” things that lead to this. However if Credit Card companies can assault with constant solicitations in the mail, then States can afford to remind voters to VOTE by physical mail and by electronic media (TV, Phone, SMS, whatever)
Rachel is right, it does amount to a “Poll Tax” in the classic sense but since so much is on the line, we’re not hear a great deal of complaining about the “line” just the fact it takes a several hours.
What?!?! you mean my phone vote didn’t count?!?!…LOL
It is partially true, if you are registered and if you call the County Supervisor of Elections Office and request an absentee ballot…that’s what I did
These long lines are absolutely intolerable regardless of who won the election , they must be abolished . Election reform should be the first priority .We should occupy the offices of any senator or congressperson who will not abolish electronic voting and unequal allocation of voting resources that lead to these long lines in selected precints.
p.s.what you are looking at when you see these long lines is the face of Jim Crow himself.