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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAbsolutely insane line to vote in Columbus, Ohio - pic
Absolutely insane line to vote in Columbus, Ohio (via @finneganlatimes) pic.twitter.com/pQvw09aR
via
ThinkProgress
?@thinkprogress
on edit from ThinkProgress
ThinkProgress ?@thinkprogress
REMINDER: Lines are so long in Ohio because the Republican Secretary of State drastically reduced hours for no reason http://thkpr.gs/RJ328O
more pics at HuffPo
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/04/ohio-early-voting_n_2073287.html
fearnobush
(3,960 posts)He is a fascist.
Kadie
(15,369 posts)It makes me sick to my stomach that they are trying to keep people from voting!
Bless those that are willing to stand in those long lines.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)redwitch
(14,947 posts)Impromptu rally! I would bring goodies to hand out!
Warren Stupidity
(48,181 posts)barnabas63
(1,214 posts)Sparkly
(24,149 posts)Is there anything like a network set up to donate for someone to bring these people hot coffee, water, food, or a person to stand in line for them awhile, or something??
rDigital
(2,239 posts)xxqqqzme
(14,887 posts)Standing on hard pavement for hours is hard on the hips, knees, ankles and back.
99th_Monkey
(19,326 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)WillyT
(72,631 posts)Response to Kadie (Original post)
Post removed
fearnobush
(3,960 posts)Nuff said
CitizenPatriot
(3,783 posts)I know it's frustrating, but there are a lot of people in those states who don't deserve to be turned out just because Republicans hate democracy. Let's focus on getting rid of the Republican ability to lie their way into office in those states, and work on getting the law changed so that non-partisan SOS are in control instead of one Republican criminal.
Dems to Win
(2,161 posts)How exactly am I supposed to fix Florida and Ohio from my home in California?
Yet, I will pay the penalty for OHio and Florida's incompetence and corruption if it results in a Romney presidency.
I'm sick of paying the penalty for other state's incompetence.
Expel Florida and Ohio NOW!!!
Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)So we will have to find a more reasonable solution.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Daryl Issa and few other demagogues in CA bug the hell outta me but I don't want CA to leave the union.
While I understand the fear and frustration, think a moment. Don't you have respect for those people standing in that line, trying to get a Democratic victory despite the odds?
The only thing I would fault any state for is letting the Tea Party take over the local offices that made this possible. Sadly, that was as much the fault of those Democrats who refused to vote, as much as the media machine going after Obama.
Some think presidential elections are won on Election Day. The GOP knows differently. The battle is a daily one, and the GOP has taken over the ground game by using churches to organize and rewarding their fellows with contract to keep their loyalty.
Democrats don't do that, it's against our beliefs. So all we can do is turnout no matter who is trying to depress the vote.
All I can see in that picture are the people doing their best to turn back the tide of oppression. I respect that. Peace Out.
Blue_In_AK
(46,436 posts)so just get over it. I'm sure the democrats in those states are working very hard to turn the tide just as we are in Alaska. Expulsion from the union accomplishes nothing.
robinlynne
(15,481 posts)Voter suppression is national. the lack of action crosses party lines. So start demanding that YOUR DEM Representatives stand up and make change!
In 2004, we petitioned Barbara Boxer, and in fact got her to stand up in the Senate, alone, and question the Ohio vote count. Other than that day, and the black congressional caucus, who is always right on, no Democrats are standing up at all.
In other words stop whining and get to work!
mopinko
(70,213 posts)a comment like yours would be deleted for the insult to ohio democrats that it is. i don't suppose a jury would agree with me. but really, this is quite insulting to some extremely good democrats. like sherrod brown, for one. and a great many good du'ers, too.
it would be nice if you would just delete this and the other downthread.
just sayin'.
Blue_In_AK
(46,436 posts)This kind of talk really has no place here at DU where we are a collection of democrats from every state.
mopinko
(70,213 posts)mzmolly
(51,004 posts)to vote. On edit, Husted is attempting to disenfranchise voters in other ways.
I wish people realized how important local elections are, too.
craigmatic
(4,510 posts)babsbunny
(8,441 posts)YAY!!!!!
greiner3
(5,214 posts)If you will, the voters who would NOT have voted if yesterday, today and tomorrow had been taken away.
This is the death knoll on any further political offices Husted may have had aspersions.
kerouac2
(449 posts)Syracuse Area. I'm ashamed to see people have to endure those lines. It just isn't right. They know how many people live there, there should be enough polls available for the amount of people in each area. How hard is that to understand??
inamatteroftime
(135 posts)if I lived close enough, I'd make the trip to hand out apples, Snicker's Bars to help keep them going. Hope some type of relief plan is in place.
rasberry
(49 posts)We drove past the early voting site around 11AM and the line was long then. Glad I already voted.
99th_Monkey
(19,326 posts)at these under-staffed, under-equipped polling places. Organize
to get shelter, food, hot coffee, etc. in place for these people;
otherwise they are more likely to just go home, deciding that
our elections are FUBAR and not even trying to vote next time..
Turn it into a fucking literally immovable wall of voters, refusing
to be shuffled off into the night deprived of their voting rights,
demanding their constitutional right to vote, or else.
Spirochete
(5,264 posts)Better known as Inmate #41369257
What a bastard!
Lordquinton
(7,886 posts)similar scenes to this one because they had three voting machines and one was broken, hours long lines that went way past poll time. And all the commentators who were saying immediately after that "You don't wait in line to vote for more of the same" until all the media stations got on the same message. Watch out Ohio, they have stolen your vote in the past, an dare doing their best (worst?) to do it again (and again, and again...)
Liberal In Red State
(442 posts)responsibility to manage the voting for the electorate . . . Not just the Republican electorate . . . But all voters! The AGs office needs to prosecute the state leadership . . . The least that a citizen has a right to is their vote! This just infuriates me . . . I have had Republican friends say it is no big deal votes are not counted and some people should not have the right to vote . . . They love to have those very people defend their shores but then guaranteeing them the right to vote? Tough luck! This is the Rove machine in action!
12AngryBorneoWildmen
(536 posts)I live in fascist right East Tennessee and have never waited more than 3 minutes to vote in 12 years. There are no Dems to suppress. I'll bet it's different in Nashville, and definitely so in Memphis.
ananda
(28,876 posts)But the Dems have no organization or strength here in Texas.
Fawke Em
(11,366 posts)But, they won't, because I'm a white, middle-class woman.
I do vote for the Democrat, though.
Kablooie
(18,641 posts)But they probably aren't malicious because the chances that they would turn the election is pretty low and the risk, if caught, is very high.
Particularly since everyone, including the Obama lawyers, are looking closely at the Ohio machines with suspicion, it would be foolhardy to try and insert an illegal patch.
The Republicans are often idiots but not fools.
mopinko
(70,213 posts)i tried to vote early yesterday, but the line was just too long. i went and asked a judge if they couldn't get more machines. she told me they had 2, but had nowhere to put them. except that she was in a room with a retractable wall that led to an empty room. i'll make a long story short and say that those machine were set up in about 20 minutes.
didn't help me. i will be voting on tuesday. but did cut down the line.
they were doing nothing, tho, not even telling people that there was another polling place nearby where the lines were only half as long.
had a nasty attitude, too.
sometimes bitching makes things move. hope these people do it.
Cha
(297,655 posts)Thanks for the pic, Kadie~
elleng
(131,107 posts)which was a major reason OH SOS Husted tried to NOT permit Sunday early voting.
OH Dems have worked their tails off on this effort.
Botany
(70,581 posts)Last edited Sun Nov 4, 2012, 10:13 PM - Edit history (1)
I was just there and everybody in that line will be able to vote and that vote will
be counted. The length of wait time is about 20 to 35 minutes ...... people are
there helping the people in line with food and water.
Yes, Husted cut back the hours but EVERYBODY IN THAT LINE WILL GET TO VOTE.
Team Obama is all over this stuff. The length of the line when I left at 4:35 was
about 1/4 shorter than you see in that picture and everybody in that line by 5:00 PM
will get to vote ..... the BOE might even extend the hours too (small chance).
The size of that line also shows we are winning big time.
BTW that is the only early voting location for all of Franklin County.
You can all get off your fainting couch now.
Digital Puppy
(496 posts)Since I'm in So.Cal, I look around and other states like OH, VA, GA, TX and feel for the people who clearly are being disenfranchised.
Thanks again for your report!
Botany
(70,581 posts)The size of the lines are a function of something called
"souls to the polls" in the African American community.
Nobody was being disenfranchised in that picture.
The line @ 4:30 was much shorter too.
Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)Botany
(70,581 posts)Everyone of them will get to vote and that vote will be counted.
Wait times are about 30 minutes .... it is an old Kohl's department
store and they have @ least 50 voting machines and everybody has the
right to ask for a paper ballot too. Trust me I was just there ... the line is
moving.
They are exercising their franchise in that picture.
pam4water
(2,916 posts)Botany
(70,581 posts)This is a good thing The wait time is about 30 minutes!
the line is moving ...... you are looking @ hundreds and hundreds
of solid democratic votes.
People will get to vote and that vote will be counted!
Everybody in that line @ 5:00 PM will get to vote ..... nobody was leaving the line
they were going inside and voting. It is a really big operation.
Anybody who couldn't vote today can vote there tomorrow from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM
(yes suck butt hours) and if they can't vote on monday they will be able to vote on
tuesday in their regular precinct.
pam4water
(2,916 posts)hear people in the line will get to vote. And people are giving up. I hope lines are long near me on Tuesday. I can't stand for long periods of time It was bad last 3 elections. I don't know what voter turn out will be in Pittsburgh this year. I don't have a feel for the motivation of voters this year.
Botany
(70,581 posts)... they will have from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM on election day.
But even with shorter hours during yesterday and today the turn out has been epic.
On election we have ways to make sure that the lines will not get too long too.
* Sec. of State Husted tried to have no voting @ all during the last three days
before election day. He got to limit some hours but we still got out the vote.
clm0805
(14 posts)in a really republican area. Everybody fit inside the building and we only had to wait a few minutes. Me, my husband, my 18 year old daughter, my mom and step-dad all voted for Obama, Sherrod Brown and yes on issue 2. We went outside to wait for my mom and there was a guy yelling from the sidewalk that he had repub voting guide and a lady yelled back "you must be crazy if you think I'm voting for Romney". Will be helping with GOTV tomorrow and Tuesday. OBama/Biden 2012!!!
hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)davidwparker
(5,397 posts)Flatulo
(5,005 posts)Outrageous, just outrageous.
Is this in a heavily Democratic precinct?
Botany
(70,581 posts)This is not a precinct it is the early voting location for all or Franklin County
I was just there PEOPLE ARE DOING IT! Please read my posts above!
BTW I have been doing election protection work in Ohio for 8 years.
This long line of solid democratic voters is a good thing.
i was just talking to people in that line and they are upbeat and happy
to be there ..... and their vote will be counted.
Snarkoleptic
(6,001 posts)lpbk2713
(42,766 posts)All one has to do is look at this pic and they will be a believer.
Botany
(70,581 posts)The people in that picture are voting and their votes will be counted.
The location is an old department store and they have @ least 50 machines
and I would bet at least 100 ..... i just voted there last monday and I
was inside and saw the machines!
The size of the line is a good thing! I have been there 3 times today ....
people were lining up @ 10:00 AM for the polls to open @ 1:00 PM.
Team Obama is on the ground helping ALL PEOPLE IN LINE WHO NEED IT.
LisaL
(44,974 posts)Is there going to be early voting on Monday? Or is today the last day?
Botany
(70,581 posts)@ the early voting locations ..... and if you are in line @ or before 2 PM
you will be able to vote at that place.
On tuesday ..... regular election day .... people in Ohio can vote @ their home
precinct from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM/
-LOKI -BAD FOR YA
(308 posts)jtuck004
(15,882 posts)I looked up the population of Ohio, and it seems odd to blame 1 guy for telling 11,544,950 people that they have to put up with this.
One would think they wouldn't cooperate if they felt strongly enough. Seems just a couple million standing on the governor's lawn would do it.
Maybe there is a lesson here in looking around and seeing how much progress is being made by the Teahadists
getting into positions in state and muni and school government to create greater change, while so much attention is being paid nationally.
David Zephyr
(22,785 posts)This is how Jon Husted needs to be remembered. An anti-American politician who drove people to stand in lines in order to simply vote. He needs to be shamed by name so this is the legacy of his life on this earth. And he should go to prison for orchestrating this.
Carly
(39 posts)I thought for some reason I'd be able to pop in and out of there. Instead I waited in line for 2 hours! The line snaked through the parking garage! The Obama campaign provided water and lunches! I noticed lots of people holding brochures that listed the democratic candidates but I only saw a few republican ones.
donheld
(21,311 posts)Why I fought hard against those around me who say Fuck the Vote. I dare them to tell these people that.
Bucky
(54,065 posts)struggle4progress
(118,338 posts)Uncle Joe
(58,417 posts)Thanks for the thread, Kadie.
That's probably the total number of people who vote at my precinct up in the hills.
I may be a hillbilly, but I know there is simply no way every person in that interminable line will stay and wait - for one reason or another.
This needs to be addressed. If the states can't afford to figure out how to accommodate voters, the feds need to step in and do something.
Election Day should also be a federal holiday. But Americans are rubes.
The lawmakers see us coming and start rubbing their hands together, drooling. Ready to tell us, "The bible says no day off to vote or you go to hell. Vote for Jesus on Sunday if it doesn't work out today. "