[audiobomber]

I was in and out of my polling location in 10 minutes.
Just like everything else, the stuff that makes the news is not the boring, 'everything works great' story.
If you fall for what you see on TV and the interwebs, best of luck to you.

The fact that ridiculous wait times happen in some places should be a matter of concern. It's not as though this is a new process, they should have it down pat by now.

[crewl1]

What's interesting is that some of those ridiculous wait times quoted included people lining up two hours before the county clerk's office opened so they could vote and make it to work on time.

The story should be that there are many of us who care enough about voting as a civic duty to make the required effort.

Like I said, that makes for boring TV though and doesn't sell <insert product here.>

[audiobomber]

Not buying it crewl1. There were way too many people stacked up in too many polling stations. It needs to fixed, not excused.

[crewl1]

I absolutely agree the system could use improvement, but doubt USA is alone.

Pontiac voting problems anger residents - Ottawa - CBC News

Liberals fuming over how-to-vote error - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

[boriscleto]

New York City just went through a major natural disaster, yet voting there went without the kind of problems seen in states that went for Barack Obama and are run by Republicans.

Voting: A Love Story:
The Rude Pundit was all primed and ready to pound out another post of existential despair masked as cynical hope. He was going to attack people who hypocritically vote for Romney despite benefiting from the policies of Barack Obama (like the friend without health insurance whose pregnant wife was treated like a queen because of the Affordable Care Act). He was going to go after writers on the left and right who said, essentially, "Don't worry. No matter who wins, nothing much will change" as a louche argument born of bourgeois privilege and a stable job.

But before writing it down and posting it here, the Rude Pundit decided to go to vote.

He had had some doubt that his polling place would even be available since there are still areas here in Sandyland that are without power. But it was up and running on a generator, with no heat. And everyone, from the black guy who told the Rude Pundit where his district's table was to the Hispanic woman who found his name in the Big Book o' Registered Voters to the elderly Indian dude who monitored the booth to make sure the vote went through, was kind and friendly; they were even patient with others who did not show up in the Big Book. It went as smoothly as it could have possibly gone, an idealized version of what participation in democracy should be, not the ludicrous, racist, oppressive, and childish version of things in states that went for Barack Obama that are run by Republicans. The Rude Pundit lives and votes in a working class neighborhood that is overwhelmingly non-white, and there are no problems at all because no officials from the state or county are causing them.

Something else happened, something unexpected but gratifying. See, the Rude Pundit has felt a profound disenchantment with the electoral process in these here United States, and it's something he has expressed regularly. And he felt it fully, a revulsion with the masochistic punishment we self-inflict for years leading to this day, until the moment he stepped through the half curtains and into the voting booth.

It was a moment of honest bliss. In there, with no one screaming in his ears or assaulting his eyes, no constant thrum of argument, no Nate Silver calculating the odds like a madman possessed by the porcine ghost of Jimmy the Greek. Just one person, alone, with his thoughts, in the cold public school auditorium lobby. Even though the Rude Pundit knew exactly how he was going to vote on every candidate and every issue, he looked over his choices. When he pushed the button next to Obama/Biden, he was taken by surprise when he smiled, a small smile, but a smile nonetheless, and a feeling, once again, like four years ago, that he was doing the right thing, not grudgingly, not out of anger or revenge or hatred of any kind, but just...the right thing.

What was weird, and maybe this is what happens when you're exhausted and passing through streets filled with torn out walls and floors and bags of ruined property, was that everyone seemed to have a similar look, as if thinking, "Oh, right, it really does come down to us."

(Note of existential despair: If Barack Obama wins the electoral college but loses the popular vote, Republicans will bring down hell and lawsuits and mob action and gridlock that will make 2000 look like a game of Candyland.)

[boriscleto]

[audiobomber]

I absolutely agree the system could use improvement, but doubt USA is alone.

Pontiac voting problems anger residents - Ottawa - CBC News

Liberals fuming over how-to-vote error - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

LOL! One polling station that opened late in Canada and a typo in an Australian instructional pamphlet.

[crewl1]

See how things get blown out of proportion by the media?

[D0n]

THIS:
Romney family buys voting machines through Bain Capital investment
PLUS THIS:
Are Voting Machines Rigged in Favor of Romney? | Gather
EQUALS......

Public trust broken at the least.... criminal vote rigging at worst.

Either way, the Romney's should get Lanced by the media...

BTW Lanced.... is my contraction for Lance Armstrong'd.....
The guy never tested positive and no evidence of wrong doing, but based solely on the rumours and testimony of a few dubious witnesses, a full scale witchhunt started and it seems everybody believes he's guilty..... at some point it doesn't matter wether he's guilty or not, he's the witch that gets burned to send the message to all others to clean up thier acts in a dirty sport.

[westmill]

Ive never waited ten seconds as Ive never bothered to vote. Whats the point ? they are all idiotic liars and in it for themselves You vote for the most convincing con artist lol

[D0n]

Ive never waited ten seconds as Ive never bothered to vote. Whats the point ? they are all idiotic liars and in it for themselves You vote for the most convincing con artist lol

wrong.. you vote for the crook that has the least interest in robbing you of something you want.

[Tom S.]

I cant help but notice too was it GM gave its staff the day off so they could vote??

Not quite. The UAW negotiated election day off at GM, Ford & Chrysler several years ago. In Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, all states with large UAW member numbers, the Republicans were livid.

[Douglas_of_Sweden]

You guys. (the USA) doing voting really really bad :P

I suppose its a legacy of it not being mandatory, Some folks over there have been telling me that they waited until 9hours for an early vote.??

I cant help but notice too was it GM gave its staff the day off so they could vote??

Down in Australia, Voting happens on a Saturday (as not to disrupts loads of ppl working). Voting booths are situated in local schools in ever town, all over Australia and generally are open from 7am-5pm. If you have to work, you can mail in your vote up to a week early, form you pick up from the post office I believe..

Anyway, we still use bits of paper which we mark and dump in a bin. These are counted by each local voting location in each area and then collated later.

Waiting times are no longer then 20mins. and we have our election result usually within 6-8 hours of voting being finished.

So yes. Just from pieces of news that filter its way down here bout the logistics of your election.. well. We all can't help but laugh really :P

Sounds like an exact mirror to how we do it here in Sweden, except we usually use Sundays. Works like a charm. Never seen a queue longer than 10 persons and the counting is always finished the same evening. It is hard to understand how it can be so messy. OK, the U.S. invented modern democracy, and you did it before the telegraph, but the electors don't take their gun and horse and ride across the country any longer, right? So why not upgrade some other parts of the practical process as well. No other democratic election get this much international attention, so you set examples to new fresh democracies elsewhere...

[Gregory_51]

I believe each state controls the election process in their state so you end up with a different system everywhere. Punch cards in Florida (hanging chads), electronic voting machines (I'd never trust them, an open invitation to manipulation). I realize there are multiple choices to be made not just for president, but senators, congress, propositions etc. But I think a little neat X in a circle is unambiguous and easily verified. The media is always eager to find something to blow out of proportion but frankly each election cycle be it presidential or midterms it always seems to be the same complaints over and over, never seems to get better. Politicians are liars, I don't trust any of them even the one's I vote for. They tell you what you want to hear and do what they feel like until next election and on it goes. I did quick check on Chigaco a city renowned for corruption and apparently there have been 1,531 convictions of public officials for corruption between 1976 and 2010.I believe that includes 5 governors. In Quebec they are exposing the sleaze that's been going on for ages with an inquiry and are starting to charge some of them. Most seem to think they are above the law and can break the rules with impunity. There are a few good ones but they seem few and far between.
Democracy is the worst system of government - except for all the rest. (WInston Churchill)

[audiobomber]

Not quite. The UAW negotiated election day off at GM, Ford & Chrysler several years ago. In Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, all states with large UAW member numbers, the Republicans were livid.

Canadians are allowed four hours to vote. So if you work 9-5 and the polls are open 8AM-8PM, you are entitled to leave work an hour early.