World reaction to long queues of voters in US

Re:World reaction to long queues of voters in US by james_pm on Wednesday October 14, 2020 @11:21AM (#24777525)

I have never in my entire life waited longer than five minutes to vote in any election in a municipal, provincial or federal election. That includes early voting or election day voting. I walk over to a school near my house (or community center, or church) and vote. I can't understand how anyone in the US accepts the status quo of their terrible and flawed election system.

Make it a terrible experience, especially in lower income and minority communities, and you don't really have to worry about courting those people since many won't be willing, or able to vote.

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Re:World reaction to long queues of voters in US by hexadec on Wednesday October 14, 2020 @11:32AM (#24777717)

What is the alternative to acceptance? My state has closed hundreds of polling places over the past decade or so. Mostly in poor area, college towns, or cities. What should we do if our option for making our voices heard are removed?

I hope we just make voting compulsory and a national holiday, but I won't hold my breath.

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Re:World reaction to long queues of voters in US by Jtsummers on Wednesday October 14, 2020 @11:37AM (#24777809)

NC? GA? Another state that was (prior to 2013) limited in what it could do by the VRA?

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Re:World reaction to long queues of voters in US by hexadec on Wednesday October 14, 2020 @12:27PM (#24778452)

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Re:World reaction to long queues of voters in US by Jtsummers on Wednesday October 14, 2020 @12:50PM (#24778755)

I moved out of there just before all that hit, and straight to GA where I got to see their version of it. Now I'm in CO, and my ballot showed up over the weekend. I'll fill it out tonight and submit it by this weekend. Much smoother experience. It's pleasant being somewhere that doesn't seem to be actively disenfranchising its residents.

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Re:World reaction to long queues of voters in US by dawnerd on Wednesday October 14, 2020 @11:26AM (#24777599)

I don’t spent more than five minutes voting either, but that’s only because Oregon figures it out and does statewide mail in ballots and automatic registration. It’s stilly the other states are so far behind.

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Re:World reaction to long queues of voters in US by LiquidSky on Wednesday October 14, 2020 @11:30AM (#24777686)

It's not about being "far behind", these delays are intentionally engineered where they're happening.

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Re:World reaction to long queues of voters in US by dawnerd on Wednesday October 14, 2020 @11:38AM (#24777823)

Yes, some of these are very obviously intentional. But California just now getting on the mail in ballots train does put them far behind. Some 20+ years behind. That’s pretty far if you ask me. (Yes I know they’ve had absentee, I used to vote that way).

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Re:World reaction to long queues of voters in US by LiquidSky on Wednesday October 14, 2020 @11:31AM (#24777713)

>I can't understand how anyone in the US accepts the status quo of their terrible and flawed election system.

Your next paragraph shows you understood all too well. People support things like long voting lines because it suppresses the votes of other people they don't think should be voting at all.

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Re:World reaction to long queues of voters in US by bpt3 on Wednesday October 14, 2020 @11:41AM (#24777860)

Your experience is the norm for almost all Americans as well, on election day (or with normal levels of demand for early voting). Unfortunately, it's not the norm for everyone, but the lines described in this article are caused by an enormous increase in demand for early voting, not the other more serious issues you're attributing them to.

Basically, people voting now are choosing to stand in these long lines to vote.

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Re:World reaction to long queues of voters in US by ohsonice on Wednesday October 14, 2020 @11:26AM (#24777607)

How do you suggest that people in these lower income communities stop "accepting" this status quo?

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