Why aren't cities in FL, OH, and NC providing more places to vote and more voting machines?

[Onlooker]

When I read about the long, long lines in places like Florida, OH, and NC outside polling places, it begs the question: Why aren't municipalities setting up more election facilities? Why don't they rent more voting machines or use more paper ballots or absentee ballots. No one should have to wait in line for hours to vote. That's outrageous. Is the state somehow involved in this problem? Or is this just a local problem?

[Lex]

1. We need a new Voting Rights Amendment that sets minimum standards for all states and

and precincts and get rid of these long lines, voting machine irregularities, and other local abuses.

[oswaldactedalone]

2. Long lines

have not been a problem in NC. You may have seen where one place happened to have students at small colleges along with locals voting at the same time following a rally. We have a Dem Secretary of State in NC and voting here is not a problem. What's been going on in Florida and Ohio with their Repig Sec'ys of State and voter suppression is a travesty.

[OldDem2012]

3. Look at which party controls each of those states....FL, OH, and NC...and then look at the....

....problems with suppression of the vote in each state. Long lines usually discourage voters by making them give up and go home...and guess who those states are trying to discourage.

[silvershadow]

5. I was gonna say short answer, Republicans. But isn't NC Democratically controlled? I was

thinking it was...

[Scuba]

6. Bingo.

[djean111]

4. Here in Florida - because Gov Rick Scott decreed that there will be less early voting.

Less hours.
Less places.
It is a deliberate state "problem" - only the problem for the state is that people are voting.
The Florida government is quite happy with fewer sites and fewer hours.
By 2016 there might only be one place to vote in Florida - in The Villages. For 4 hours. 1 am to 5 am.
or a voter might have to be a white landowner.
Nothing would surprise me now.

[Laurian]

7. State and local elections have consequences, and this is one.

We need to remember that Republicans elected at the state level resulted in all this voter suppression crap. I think ALEC probably had a role in coordinating this activity among Republican led states.

No more apathy like 2010, or it will just get worse......

[Kolesar]

8. *This* early voting at the BOE means shorter lines on Tuesday

The voters have not been voting at their normal polling places yet.

[LiberalFighter]

16. You got that right.

Either they were voting at one place (election board) in the county or there were multiple places but not as many as there will be on election day.

[liberal N proud]

9. Because we have republican regime in the state houses and the Secretaries of State run the elections

They are doing everything they can to make it difficult for people to vote. They know that people will get discouraged from standing in line and leave.

This is their last ditch effort to disenfranchise voters.

[brooklynite]

10. Let's apply a BIT of reality...

On Election Day polls are opened in each individual district, and the Board of election rents out hundreds of rooms (school gyms, church auditoriums etc.), and hires hundreds of staff for -one day-. For multi-day or multi-week early voting, the cost of renting the same space and personnel (assuming they were all available for the full period) would be prohibitively high, so they generally open -one- early voting center in each City or County. That's why the lines are so much longer; a much larger pool of voters is showing up. Personally, the solution shouldn't have to be -more- early voting centers, it should be a more reliable -Election Day- voting system, so that so many people don't show up early because they think something will go wrong on Election Day.

[LisaL]

14. Election day is Tuesday and many people can't vote because they have to work.

[John2]

11. We

don't have any problems in North Carolina but my fellow North Carolinians are about to create one with a Republican Governor. The man has promised to pass Voter ID laws where there is no problem in North Carolina or very little fraud. I guess I'm going to get more into politics. These Tea Party people are sneaky. I expect them to get a lot of people mad in the near future.

[notoriousd]

12. I'm also a North Carolina resident

...and haven't heard about any voting lines here. I live in Orange County and voted at the location on UNC's campus in less than 5 mins. Our early voting started a while ago, so there has been plenty of time for everyone to stop in if they want to. I will point out that we currently have a Democratic governor and secretary of state.

[ncgrits]

18. I'll join you John2. The republicans are going to "fix" something that isn't broken.

Seems to me NC early voting is a model of how it should work, for the most part. Any lines were the result of the "enthusiasm gap".

I think you're right about North Carolinians getting mad. We like our early voting and registering on the same day and the whole democratic package (small d). But because all those things benefit Democrats (cap d), Republicans will put a stop to it.

Heck, I'm ALREADY mad!

[randr]

13. I live in a predominately Republcian district and it took me 5 minutes to vote.

[Not Me]

15. In Florida there are also restrictions on the sites that can be used for early voting

It is limited to Supervisor of Election offices and publicly-owned library buildings (as opposed to buildings that the library may rent). And even then, not every library building is used. This is the law that the Republicans who control the FL legislature crafted.

Quelle surprise.

[Rocky888]

17. Rick Scott is why and he has to go 2014!!!

I am a 5th generation Floridian. We have thousands more registered dems here. Somehow the republicans have managed to hold this state hostage for years through their voting theft nd lack of dem enthusiasm in off year elections. This has to change and take our state back or the republicans will ruin what they have not been able to so far. There are still major questions about how Rick Scott won this state. Even the reddest of my freinds claim they did not vote for him.