Longer voting lines and wait times discourage voters, especially ones who may be working around inflexible work and child care time frames. I can't think of a single legitimate reason or explanation for Blacks and Hispanics to have had to wait 60% longer (over 20 minutes vs over 13 minutes) to vote.
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Blacks, Hispanics Waited Almost Twice As Long To Vote As Whites In 2012
During the November 2012 election, Black and Hispanic voters waited nearly twice as long to vote as whites, according to a Massachusetts Institute of Technology analysis. New York Times graphs summari…
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I stood in line for THREE hours in the 2008 vote, but I guess I'm the wrong demographic for this agenda, so be it.
I stood in line for an hour this past election…in Flordia….eight days before the election in early voting. I mean, how much more early should they have it?
Those crafty G.O.P'ers…always looking to keep the "minority" vote down. And look how well they did this past election…..
Hey, I appreciate anyone who waits in line to vote. And I think it's ridiculous for anyone to have to wait three hours, no matter how they are voting.
I'll note that many of the more public efforts to suppress voters in battleground states got suspended or overturned by courts. As well, I suspect there was something of a backlash against such efforts. So if they failed, it was not through lack of trying.
Ah, well, if Mark waited in line, that proves that the GOP is not trying reduce minority voting. Anecdotal evidence is the strongest kind, right?
+Scott Randel No, it just proves that I stood in line for three hours….along with numerous others. My point is, no one cares because I'm not a minority and, therefore, cannot be suppressed.
Mark, not that your individual experience means anything (because this is about averages) but what's the majority demographic in your district?
The majority demographic where I used to live (in N. Ky.) and waited for three hours, was white.
One of the other indicators was income. Though not as strong as Race and county size, it is always disturbing to see indication that voting is leaning towards privilege rather than right.
The study also showed that early voters actually waited longer than those on election day.
Seems to me that changes are needed all over. I’ve never waiting more than 1/2 an hour to vote since I’ve been voting, and I have not always lived in the same district.
@Ellie – Part of me really thinks that the federal government needs to get more involved in federal elections, to create some level of consistency. I suspect that would be a pretty nasty fight, though.
When I was voting real-time, Ellie’s experience matches mine. Perhaps it was the hour at which I went to vote?
Since I’ve become a permanent vote-by-mail/absentee voter, I still drop my ballot at the local precinct polling place. Don’t really have to wait. Live now in a moderately mixed neighborhood.