# How long did you have to wait to vote? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 4, 2008, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-you-have-to-wait-to-vote/471069 "2008-11-04T16:31:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-you-have-to-wait-to-vote/471069/41 "2008-11-04T18:47:46Z")
Went in at 7:45, came out at 8:35. Paper ballets of the “fill in the oval” variety. I suspect the electronic ones from last time were sent to \<_insert whichever state screws up this election_\> ---
**Author:** ![AmericanMaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@AmericanMaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmericanMaid)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-you-have-to-wait-to-vote/471069/42 "2008-11-04T18:48:50Z")
30 minutes. I got in line around 7:30 AM ---
**Author:** ![Agnostic\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@Agnostic\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agnostic_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-you-have-to-wait-to-vote/471069/43 "2008-11-04T18:49:46Z")
Just got back. I voted in north St Louis county. It took just over 90 minutes. The line was about half as long when I finished, but they are expecting it to pick up again after lunch. They were pretty good at keeping it moving though. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-you-have-to-wait-to-vote/471069/44 "2008-11-04T18:53:34Z")
No time to get my number (ballot) for the voting machine, about 8 minutes in line for a machine. The Devil’s Grandfather votes on a paper ballot, and avoided the 8 minute wait. We’d brough books with us, because we were expecting a longer line, so it wasn’t a problem. Some of our neighbors had a much longer line for the machines. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-you-have-to-wait-to-vote/471069/45 "2008-11-04T18:56:33Z")
7 minutes, most of which was waiting for the geriatric poll worker to sloooowly turn the pages of the voter rolls and find my name so I could sign in. Arrived: 8:54 am. 7 people in line ahead of me. 7 voting stations. Left: 9:01 am. According to the tally machine I was voter #127 for that precinct. Polls had opened at 7 am This was in Southern California, where people waited over 3 hours to vote early at the only early voting station in Los Angeles County. Thanks, suckers, for voting early and getting out my way!! ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-you-have-to-wait-to-vote/471069/46 "2008-11-04T18:57:18Z")
Effectively no wait. Signed in and then went and used the electronic voting machine. It looks like we have 4 machines going where we usually only had 2. They break the voter books up usually in two and this time it was at least 4. They had more volunteers than I have ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![3acresandatruck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e79b87/32.png) [@3acresandatruck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3acresandatruck)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-you-have-to-wait-to-vote/471069/47 "2008-11-04T18:57:28Z")
It took a little longer than needed, because I was goofing around, taking pictures of the election judges, the election judge taking pictures of me, letting people go ahead of me so I wouldn’t slow them down, etc. Just a few minutes, really. I was in and out in under ten minutes, including all our local elections, county charter, judges, etc. It was around 9 AM or so, in Jefferson County, MO. ---
**Author:** ![the\_thecat\_hat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@the\_thecat\_hat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_thecat_hat)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-you-have-to-wait-to-vote/471069/48 "2008-11-04T19:00:05Z")
40 minutes. Maryland. At noon. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-you-have-to-wait-to-vote/471069/49 "2008-11-04T19:05:29Z")
Took me about 20 minutes, counting the walk from where I parked. The line was all the way out the door of the old courthouse…but after I got in line, a guy came out calling for people with last names starting with P-Z to come forward. Looks to me like my polling place was not anticipating nearly as many voters as they’re getting. A routine election at this precinct draws 250-300 voters all day long. I was number 401 to sign the book and be issued a ballot, and that was at 9:15 AM. I’ve never seen turnout this heavy…and I’m in a fairly small town in a rural part of the state. ---
**Author:** ![Risha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@Risha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Risha)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-you-have-to-wait-to-vote/471069/50 "2008-11-04T19:05:50Z")
Less than a minute - I think that there were two people in front of us. Which is actually a longer wait than I’ve ever had at that location before. Voted at around 7:30, which was an hour and a half after it opened. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-you-have-to-wait-to-vote/471069/51 "2008-11-04T19:08:43Z")
No wait at all. There were maybe 10 others voting. This was at 8:30 in Tucson. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-you-have-to-wait-to-vote/471069/52 "2008-11-04T19:20:07Z")
No wait. I was number 49 to vote, at 10:00. This could be a record setter in terms of turnout. Normally about 130 to 140 people vote at my Volunteer Fire Department. The workers are all excited, they say maybe 200 will vote today. Perhaps in the old horse and wagon days when people were still out in the country there were more than 200 votes recorded here, but never in modern times. ---
**Author:** ![XaMcQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/f9ae1b/32.png) [@XaMcQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XaMcQ)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-you-have-to-wait-to-vote/471069/53 "2008-11-04T19:23:46Z")
Atlanta, GA. Hubby and I got there at 7:15 this morning and got to vote at 10:00. Things were moving right along, but there were a lot of people voting. They set up three more machines just as we got to the front of the line. ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-you-have-to-wait-to-vote/471069/54 "2008-11-04T19:33:38Z")
It took me about 30 minutes, but I arrived about 3 minutes before the polls opened (granted, so did everyone else). During the election in 92’ it took me an hour to even reach the boothe. ---
**Author:** ![levi1820](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@levi1820](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levi1820)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-you-have-to-wait-to-vote/471069/55 "2008-11-04T19:35:09Z")
No wait. Only a few other people voting at 2 pm in Asheville NC. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-you-have-to-wait-to-vote/471069/56 "2008-11-04T19:36:45Z")
A little over an hour – 10:45-11:45 in Brookline, MA. ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-you-have-to-wait-to-vote/471069/57 "2008-11-04T19:38:22Z")
Suburban Detroit, democrat heavy district here. Had to wait about 30 minutes @ 11:30 or so. The poll workers said that was about the lightest it had been today, with much longer lines earlier. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-you-have-to-wait-to-vote/471069/58 "2008-11-04T20:06:28Z")
Washington DC suburb. Went at 2:30 pm. No wait. ---
**Author:** ![Q.N.Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3da27b/32.png) [@Q.N.Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.N.Jones)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-you-have-to-wait-to-vote/471069/59 "2008-11-04T20:17:39Z")
Went at 1:30 in the afternoon. No wait. I’m in Ames, Iowa, population around 50,000. ---
**Author:** ![Sublata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7cd45c/32.png) [@Sublata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublata)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-you-have-to-wait-to-vote/471069/60 "2008-11-04T20:25:30Z")
About 1 hour, in NW Indiana. I got to the polls five minutes before they opened (6 AM) and there were already about 80 people in line. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-you-have-to-wait-to-vote/471069.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-you-have-to-wait-to-vote/471069.md?page=4)