In all the election news today, this bit from the Miami Herald sticks with me:
Even after the networks called the race for President Obama, people in South Florida remained in line.
From Hialeah to Country Walk and Brickell, people waited as long as seven hours to vote. In Broward County, voting at some precincts came to a halt when the ballots ran out. At the South Kendall Community Church, 1,000 people were in line at closing time, and at least 200 remained three hours later.
Voting is not supposed to work like that, and you folks knew it. From the opening moments of early voting this year, you sent us evidence of what you were seeing out there in your polling places, painfully long lines in red states and blue states, in Texas and in Maryland, in Virginia and Florida and Ohio. You were sharp enough to see the story, and then you were patriotic and heroic enough to stay in line. That #stayinline became its own meme testifies to your determination.
If you hadn't decided to stay in line, maybe Michigan's emergency manager law stays in place instead of getting repealed. Maybe Maine doesn't pass marriage equality. Maybe Virginia has a different result. Maybe those deciding votes don't come pouring out of Cleveland, Ohio. Maybe Florida, still undecided now, is a different landscape. Maybe the popular vote goes to Mitt Romney instead.
With voting, you just don't know. Not everyone could make it through those lines. But everyone who did, whomever and whatever they supported, struck a blow for the right to vote in this country. You protected your own vote from the political forces who stood to profit from your giving up. Now the work begins.
From President Barack Obama's acceptance speech:
I want to thank every American who participated in this election, whether you voted for the very first time or waited in line for a very long time. By the way, we have to fix that.
The president seemed to ad lib that last part there, about the need to fix our elections so we no longer have those lines. The roots of the problem are many and tangled. Republicans cut the time for early voting, guaranteeing a crush at the polls. What's more, elections departments seem stumped by the mechanics of early voting (printing those 12-page Florida ballots voter by voter?). They fail to put enough machines at the polls. They fail to provide enough ballots. They staff the polls with workers who are confused about the basic rules of the job.
By staying in line yesterday, you won the chance for a national conversation on fixing all of that. You might start by reading Rick Hasen, who covers this issue on his Election Law Blog, even when it's not national news. Doug Chapin is asking some pragmatic questions. The Brennan Center offers comprehensive information on the state of voting throughout the nation.
We'll keep covering the story. And you out there, please keep sending us stuff. Your observations made this story happen. Your staying in line kept the debate alive. Your staying involved might make a difference.
(Photo by Sarah Carter of Woodbridge, Virginia, who reports needing three and a half hours to vote, only to then be wrongly told that she needed photo ID to vote. She says an observing attorney from the Obama campaign straightened out the confusion.)
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Good luck getting Republican lawmakers on board with this... The way they ignore popular will so routinely gives me no confidence that they will give up the right to be weasels.
well it needs to be the major issue at the mid terms. if republicans dont go with it, they will be voted out in 2014. Are yo ulistening Mitch McConnell?
the people repubs and democrats need to come together on this. there are republicans who will not want this but many still believe in the importance of fairness.
A well coordinated nation-wide social media campaign to demand our state elected officials to better guarantee easy voting access would be appropriate at this time! Force our elected officials at the state level to seriously address their election cycle shortcomings.
Target like minded legislators to introduce early and often legislation that would take the partisan hackery out of the election process and promote effective and efficient mechanisms to carry out 1st world national elections. Take notes on those who resist such legislation and run a coordinated effort to unseat them in the next election cycle, and then don't let up! -Kevo
There are lots of people who voted yesterday who only vote in presidential elections. I think this experience could be a useful wedge to convince them how important it is to vote in state elections, since that's the way we're going to change this (and it would get us lots of other good results, too.)
When it comes to voting laws and processes or election fraud the king of election blogs is the Brad blog. He needs to be mentioned on this issue and every time this issue is brought up. No one else has done more work to keep us informed on voting machines and the election process than the Brad blog. Thanks Brad for all the work you've done.
It ain't over 'til it's over.
Every public officeholder swears an oath of office. Ask yourself, 'What's the point of ANY additional pledge?' Follow the money.
Any officeholder who genuinely believes in representative government should have already publicly denounced the Teaparty/Taliban's efforts to disenfranchise Americans.
If you stood in line to vote, write your STATE legislators an invitation to the 21st century. Washington state voters had their ballots weeks before election day.
The Teaparty/Taliban are still afraid of women making decisions. (John 8:3-11)
Trickle down not only doesn't spur economic growth, it stifles it.
"Corporations are people" = "He with the most gold rules"
My BIGGEST question.
Were the lines simply another form of voter suppression?
Did the predominately Republican sections have no lines while the predominately Democratic sections have long lines?
Yes.
And, exactly.
i dont think so but republicans would gladly kill one of their votes for 2 of the dems. That would win elections for them everytime. Workers filling in ballots only gets all the ballots tossed which also works for them, it isnt as though all votes through a bad machine are counted for a democrat. fewer votes, even when repub votes are also involved, always favors the republicans.
Dan Froomkin is citing research that minorities and Democrats were much more likely to be in districts with long lines. "Obama voters were nearly twice as likely as Romney voters to face long lines, at 16 percent to 9 percent."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/06/obama-elected-2012_n_2084515.html#658_longer-voting-lines-for-minorities
This is no accident.
Yes, and a federal investigation needs to be launched into Gov. Scott and his administration. Under the most positive interpretation, what happened was grossly incompetent. More likely, there was a high degree of malevolent intent. I think Gov. Scott needs to reaquaint himself with his prison jumpsuit.
Governor Scott would look his best in an orange jumpsuit. He and others like the Commissioner of Elections in Ohio should be the subject of a deep investigation by the DoJ. This should result in criminal charges laid when the intent to deny the rights of Americans can be proven. I am also very sure that that intent is provable.
No-one should ever have to stand in lines like those seen in Florida. When any arrogant self-important thug considers some people to be less valuable or tries to prove that control of a supposedly open election is in the hands of a politician, that person should be stopped.
WoW! Just WoW!!
Please keep reporting on voter suppression and all the awful things done to try to stop folks from voting in this election. Your voice on TV is really important.
What happens now? Higher taxes, higher prices, less money and fewer jobs. See Venezuela for the new national model.
No amount of silly, idiotic comments you post, will change last night results.
YOU LOST!!!!
Well we now know that shooter makes over 250k a year...the only ones who will see tax increase...and gas in my neighborhood @ $3.29
Personally, I'm very disappointed that linksys1K hasn't shown up yet, so we can:
lol lol lol lol lol at him. Really hard. And point. (And whisper behind his back...)
Got Enraged and Engaged:
Mooched the Vote 2012!
;-)
... he finishes the job that'll repair the damage you cretins did to the greatest country in the world. That's what happens now, Shooter! Ain't democracy a wonderful thing. We, the people, can go to the polls-even when the big business and big banking interests don't want us to-even in the face of blatant attempts to suppress our vote, and say NO to a congenital liar and hypocrite with billions backing him! As a 67 year old black veteran, who doesn't have many "what's nexts" left to ask, I can say that today, right now, I am prouder than ever to be an American, Shooter, prouder than I've ever been! And you, people like you, be damned!
Well - you can always self-deport before it all comes crashing down around you.
shoots, it's nice to see your predictions failing every single time.
Because the economic fundamentals of those two countries are exactly the same!
You know, if I had woken up this morning and discovered that something I fervently believed would happen didn't in fact happen, and that all of the underlying assumptions and factual underpinnings of that disappointed belief were, in fact, delusions that popped like so many soap bubbles the second they were exposed to reality, I like to think that I would have begun to wonder what other bills of goods I might have been sold.
Major reform is needed in Florida..this is outrageous...
As long as there is a a Republican Supermajority in Fla , it ain't going to change.
I got a text from my college freshman son while I was knocking on doors for the Obama campaign, the gist of which was "I screwed up my absentee ballot". Ok, yes, I know he should have paid more attention to what he was doing, but I have to wonder why a paper absentee ballot is necessary anyway? Consider the following:
http://www.space.com/18341-astronaut-vote-election-space-station.html
If astronauts can vote electronically, and people can do their banking electronically, and employers can securely have people log into a web based time clock everyday( I do)...why in the hell can't we vote electronically? It doesn't have to be a free for all but, really..can't we do this? Do people really have to stand in line at a school for 8 hours just to vote?
I so agree with you. I don't know what is keeping us from making this move other than one side or the other is afraid of getting skunked. The matter can't be security. It has to be the fear of how many more people will be afforded the opportunity to vote.
It's the paper trail!
momlogan
Ireland scrapped all its electronic voting machines; they were too easy to hack into to trust. Until that changes, paper ballots provide the most secure audit trail and, therefore, security from REAL MASSIVE voter fraud committed by these people who try to buy elections in the first place. Eight hour waits to fill out 12 page forms need to be reformed but paper ballots are not the problem.
The electronic voting machine that I voted on did not have a paper receipt. So, the paper trail argument is not relevant.
Beg to differ Karen - it's still very relevant. One less chance to cheat in a close election.
Got Enraged and Engaged:
Mooched the Vote 2012!
;-)
Always want a paper trail. if the system is hacked or say 100,000 vote and the computer conveniently loses backup, another trick you can count on, there is no way to recover that. No way to say who voted, how they voted or anything. Whats more, proving who you are and then voting electronically, can , if the software is rigged, lose your anonymity.
One thing I would suggest though is you could have fingerprint or eye scan on file, you could vote that way from home but simply come in with filled out absentee ballot to sign off in person. Would take very littile time.
One thing I would suggest though is you could have fingerprint or eye scan on file, you could vote that way from home but simply come in with filled out absentee ballot to sign off in person. Would take very littile time.
Karen, that was one of the issues in 2004's Ohio election - how to have a recount from electronic machines without anything to check the count against. What raised a red flag was that the exit polling did not match the election results but the only number available was a printout from the 'suspect' machines.
This should have Never happened, but the People prevailed in spite of the methodical measures the GOP implemented FAILED. Power to the People. WE WON!
Out here in California, my line was short and easy.
But for all those heroes in Florida and Ohio and New Jersey and all the places where the line to vote was made deliberately long and difficult - I saw you on TV and I am in awe.
You were young, old and in-between; you were white, black, red, brown and every color of the rainbow; you were tall or short, athletic or leaning on a cane or walker; you were women and men; you were long-haired, short haired or no-haired; you wore shorts or ski parkas or jeans or mini-skirts or coveralls or three-piece suits; you were patient, generous and determined; most of you were smiling.
THANK YOU!
You are what an American Hero looks like.
Amen!
Same across the 50 states, early voting and for those who insist on I.D..... a national I. D. for citizens and permanent residents + a state DMV id or drivers license - NO registration! You show up with the National I.D. which identifies you as a citizen & State DMV id which backs up the NID and your address! That would be so simple! But we can't be throwing this kind of thing out at the eleventh hour!
The same people who insist we must have ID for voting believe that a national ID card is Big Brother and will enable government to control their lives. (And a significant number of them believe it is the "mark of the Beast" from Revelations.)
No, it doesn't make any sense. Don't expect consistency from these people -- they will always insist on draconian policies for other people, but they should be exempt because they're not the problem.
It's perfectly understandable. Who had to have passbooks in South Africa under Apartheid and who didn't?
I salute the American people who stood in long lines to exercise their democratic right to vote! I realize that the rules are different in the US but here in Canada federal elections are run under a standardized federal law, there are sufficient ballots, adequate training for election staff, and our ID for voting is either a passport or driver's licence. No different rules for different areas of the country. Plus an overseer in Elections Canada to make sure partisan politics does not control how it is done. It is not a perfect solution but better than what is happening in Florida now for sure.
We are VERY happy that Mr. Obama will spend four more years to help America succeed! Now is the time to join together and find solutions to problems, not use partisan politics to impede progress.
so does everyone in Canada either have a driver's license or passport? elderly? Some took issue here because many elderly no longer drive and have no gov. picture ID...
I'm Canadian, if you do not have a DL or passport you can show your birth certificate or health card and a piece of mail to prove your address. Prior to an election we receive a card in the mail showing our polling place and times, and location and times for early voting. If you do not receive a card you phone the elections office to get your name on the voting list (this takes less than 5 minutes). Elections Canada has no party affiliation, the Chief Electoral Officer is appointed by the House of Commons and holds the job regardless of the party in power. I have never spent more than 15 minutes voting and that usually includes travel time. Heroic effort to all who stayed in line to vote!
This is why I love Oregon's voting process. Every registered voter gets his/her ballot in the mail about two to three weeks before election day. You vote in the privacy of your own home, taking however long you want to decide the candidates and issues. Your only obligation is to get your ballot to a drop box on election day and the boxes are everywhere. No lines, no fuss, no muss. I even used the voter pamphlet online rather than getting a big paper one, saving trees. It works for us.
When I vote absentee for NC, it's a similar process. All you do is submit a written request (via email) to the county Board of Elections, they mail it to you and you mail it back. I can even check the status of my ballot request online. So why states even bother having two methods of voting--mailed absentee and in-person--is quite the mystery.
And it's not because mailed ballots are un-secure and super susceptible to fraud. Otherwise the states wouldn't offer it as an alternative option. We do a lot of important things through mail and online--filing tax returns--so I can't say the whole fraud argument is terribly convincing in this day and age. Maybe I'm missing something...
I think Oregon should be a model for the rest of the country. But that's just my penny's worth...
Absentee ballots aren't super-susceptible to fraud, but they're far more susceptible than voter impersonation, which is what ID laws supposedly address. However, GOP voters are more likely to vote absentee, and Democratic voters are more likely to vote in person, so guess which type we have a crackdown on?
off topic...but, where was Paul Ryan last night? we heard he arrived then got back in his car and left before Romney's concession speech? why? who didn't want him there? his people or Romney's people??
Probably his people. They didn't want him standing beside a loser.
Paul Ryan and family appeared on stage after the concession speech. He arrived earlier but left again for reasons unknown.
Can we finally now start talking about election reform. Number 1: Overturn Citizens United to kill SuperPacs funded by major corporations. The money spent on this election was obscene and immoral. Number 2: standardize ballots on National elections so that we don't have voter suppression games going on at the state level. Number 3: national watchdog to oversee state ballots to make sure the ballot is clear and voter friendly. Number 4: alternatives to the Electoral college which has outlived it's usefulness and functionality. That ought to keep us busy for the next 4 years..............
Motion seconded.
Regarding #4, most political observers think it highly unlikely there will be an ammendment to eliminate the Electoral College. Not only does it have to pass a deeply divided Congress, but it must be ratified by 3/4 of the states- including low population Red States who will see their election clout severely reduced.
The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is an interesting idea that bypasses the amendment process. It was realized that if states with 270 electoral votes required by law that they commit their electoral votes to whichever candidate won the popular vote, then the electoral college is effectively eliminated. It only takes affect when the members of the compact have 270 or more votes. So far, only Democratic states have passed bills.
My view is that it needs to be refined, because it allows that a member state may repeal the law supporting the compact as late as 6 months prior to the inauguration of the president. This means that a national party strategically positioned for a popular vote strategy could be blindsided by a part who repealed state laws in July so that the victim party would have to suddenly reallocate for an electoral college strategy.
By July, the GOP could have all the advertising bought up and field offices in place in the swing states, so in my view either the compact must have a two year window for before a member can withdraw from the compact.
Here in Maricopa County in AZ, many were not allowed to vote except through provisional ballots. Many of which haven't even been counted yet. Of course most of those were Latinos. I read a story where one young man, a registered voter, was turned away 3 times before finally being allowed to vote. He was only allowed to fill out a provisional ballot, though. All of those provisional ballots won't even be counted til Nov. 16th. I know of a few people who have been calling to try and find out why their vote wasn't counted. They just keep being put on hold and not being given any information.
My parents live in a diverse and urban neighborhood of Wichita, KS in Sedgwick County and although it seems small compared to the hours some people had to endure, it took them more than an hour to vote because Kobach's ID verifying machines malfunctioned in their area. They stayed and waited and joked with others in line about the cruel joke that is Brownbakistan. We the people can't let them silence us with these dirty tricks. Our eyes are open.
In the state of Washington we have switched to a 'mail-in' ballot system. All ballots are sent out a few weeks prior to an election - as well as a voter's pamphlet containing info on candidates and measures - room for arguments pro and con. At your leisure you can fill out the ballot - sign it - and return it. Either via USPS - or at numerous drop boxes. Ballots are sent to registered voters to the address that they provided upon registering (simple simple simple). You can also vote in person the day of the election - just show your the voter ID card you got when you registered (oh yeah - you can register on line) Something like 80% of eligible voters are registered. I think I saw that 80% of the electorate voted on Nov 6th. AFTER you have dropped off your ballot (as soon as two weeks early) you can track your ballot online in order to make certain that your vote is counted. If the rest of the country followed Washington's lead then . . . no lines. Are you reading this Barack?
There are calls for an investigation into the Douglas County (Omaha, NE) election commissioner: very blatant attempt to close polling places in minority neighborhoods. http://voiceomaha.org/2012/11/07/douglas-county-election-commissioner-must-be-investigated/
HEY RACHEL YOU WERE MARVELOS WOW JUST LOVE YOUR STYLE.
I REALLY ENJOY WATCHIG YOUR SHOW
JAY
In Oregon, all voting is by mail. We have traded the feel-good benefits of going to polling places with our neighbors to collectively exercise our democratic rights for better access to voting for everyone. We don't have the same issues with voter suppression so many other states are dealing with now. When you vote by mail, you can't have restrictive ID laws and there are no long lines to endure.
We have voted by mail for over a decade, and we haven't seen the voter fraud people often cite against vote-by-mail laws. I think the system used in Oregon and Washington eliminates so many voting barriers and allows our democratic process function better.
But we saw in Florida and some other states that even voting by mail has its issues as well.
I think the takeaway on this election is that we need the Federal Election Commission to take all election functions away from the states and make all election processes consistent across the country. It's time to recognize that corruption at the state and local level have made voting difficult and elections unfair.
Or at least be an enforcer with the Justice Department.
I was so amazed at how many of us stayed in line. Our spirits could not be broken. When we are on the right path, nothing will stand in the way of doing what is right! I love all of those of us who braved the cold, heat, and tired feet a
ll over the country to make sure we continue to move forward instead of falling backwards!!
I hope we will never have to experience this again because in a country that professes its great democracy, having to wait over 5 hours to vote is inexcusable!
Think a Constitutional amendment protecting the right to vote could be passed?
Probably not.
All good suggestions. I'm for electronic voting online as an option. However its done, it must be changed. I want to thank the heroes at polling places all over the country who stayed in line. Your heroism in fighting voter suppression has not gone unnoticed. All Americans were all cheering you on and owe you a huge debt of gratitude for your unflinching resolve. You made us proud to be Americans by demonstrating how deeply we value our rights as citizens. Thank you, again!
Rachel, could you please get some people talking about these points I brainstormed over the last week? I would be so appreciative if we could start real dialog toward real change by 2016.
http://revjd.blogspot.com/2012/10/seven-7-important-keys-to-real.html
The details are at the link above, but in-short needed changes are: Approval-voting, no private money, elected media, eliminate electoral college, secure voting, term-changes, national holiday.
Thanks,
Joel