# Why are there long lines at US election offices? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 6, 2012, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-long-lines-at-us-election-offices/640060 "2012-11-06T10:10:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-long-lines-at-us-election-offices/640060/82 "2012-11-07T01:08:21Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > - You can vote “straight party”, meaning you check one box to choose all the candidates of one party. This is not available in all states. Certainly not in mine. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-long-lines-at-us-election-offices/640060/83 "2012-11-07T01:10:36Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > - You can vote “straight party”, meaning you check one box to choose all the candidates of one party. A lot of places don’t have a straight-party box. ETA: It seems to me, if you care that much about one party, you should be willing to go to the effort to check a bunch of boxes, anyway. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-long-lines-at-us-election-offices/640060/84 "2012-11-07T02:52:46Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > - Most places I’ve voted give you an option to vote _just_ on the presidential race and skip all the other if you choose to do so. Most places? In what universe is there a place in the U.S. that forces you to vote for any office at all? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-long-lines-at-us-election-offices/640060/85 "2012-11-07T02:56:39Z")
I was referring to the options that appear on my ballot as “Presidential election only” and “General election”. In other places you can, of course, just mark the races you care about and then turn your ballot in without checking everything off. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-long-lines-at-us-election-offices/640060/86 "2012-11-07T03:33:48Z")
I went to my Fairfax County, Virginia polling place at 5 p.m. It was brisk but not too crowded. I waited in line only about 5 minutes. Of course, I took a paper ballot and when I checked in immediately got to go vote. The lines for the machines were long, though. Machines? Come on, peoples, go for the paper! But then, I live in a fairly affluent area. Lower-income urban areas of Northern Virginia and Richmond, underserved and underequipped, are still trying to have everybody waiting in line to get their chance to vote. Democratic-majority areas. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-long-lines-at-us-election-offices/640060/87 "2012-11-07T03:35:10Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > That’s 89 different votes to be made. By way of comparison: the NSW Senate ballot paper for the Australian Federal election in 2010 had 84 candidates listed, and a full below-the-line vote involves numbering them all from 1 to 84 in pencil. Add a typical lower house ballot and you have around 89 votes. To be fair, there is a shortcut option on the Senate ballot paper that most people use. Despite the comically large ballot papers, there seems to be no significant problems with queues or counting. ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-long-lines-at-us-election-offices/640060/88 "2012-11-07T11:06:31Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Well, you Germans _are_ known for your efficiency. 😉 > I realize you had a smilie at the end, but treating this as a serious question: > > - Some people such as myself do our research and make our decision before we go to the polls. It’s not that difficult to get either a sample ballot or list of candidates appearing on your ballot well in advance of the election. With the internet, it’s much easier to research candidates than when I first started voting 30 years ago. Since all I have to do is check off my selections rather than pondering each candidate I’m in and out pretty fast. > > - You can vote “straight party”, meaning you check one box to choose all the candidates of one party. > > - You are not obligated to vote on everything > > - Most places I’ve voted give you an option to vote _just_ on the presidential race and skip all the other if you choose to do so. > > - Early and absentee voting is becoming more and more common, reducing the number who actually have to go to the polling places on election day. > > - A lot of Americans don’t bother to vote at all. This is really interesting. I heard a report on the radio about a voter in Florida (who also happens to be a senior citizen). This gentleman said he spent one hour(!) in the polling booth. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-long-lines-at-us-election-offices/640060/89 "2012-11-07T11:33:15Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > So how long are terms of office? If each office gets its own election, and you only have to vote once every 2 years, does that mean everyone gets 6 years in office? The president/vp hold office for 4 years. US senators hold office for 4 years. US representatives hold office for 2 years. All local officers, such as state senators, representatives, etc. depend upon the state laws, but usually two years. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-long-lines-at-us-election-offices/640060/90 "2012-11-07T11:56:40Z")
> [@barbitu8](#): > > US senators hold office for 4 years. [Six years.](http://www.usconstitution.net/xconst_A1Sec3.html) ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-long-lines-at-us-election-offices/640060/91 "2012-11-07T14:37:40Z")
> [@barbitu8](#): > > The president/vp hold office for 4 years. US senators hold office for 4 years. US representatives hold office for 2 years. All local officers, such as state senators, representatives, etc. depend upon the state laws, but usually two years. What? I was asking him about German elected officials, not US. I’m quite familiar (and apparently more familiar than you - Senators are 6 year terms, staggered so 1/3 of them are elected every 2 years) with the terms of office of US officials. My point was that **Donnerwetter** said that in Germany they NEVER mix elections - and there are 3 different types of elections (Fed, state, local), and they only have to vote once every 2 or 3 years, indicating a minimum term of office of 6 years for the math to work. If they had terms as short as we do, and didn’t elect multiple officials on the same day, they’d be heading to the polls every few months. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-long-lines-at-us-election-offices/640060/92 "2012-11-07T16:11:41Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I was referring to the options that appear on my ballot as “Presidential election only” and “General election”. In other places you can, of course, just mark the races you care about and then turn your ballot in without checking everything off. Fascinating. This is the first I’ve heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-long-lines-at-us-election-offices/640060/93 "2012-11-07T16:48:11Z")
Thanks for asking this question - I’ve seen people ask it elsewhere too and I’d wondered myself. > [@muldoonthief](#): > > What? I was asking him about German elected officials, not US. I’m quite familiar (and apparently more familiar than you - Senators are 6 year terms, staggered so 1/3 of them are elected every 2 years) with the terms of office of US officials. > > My point was that **Donnerwetter** said that in Germany they NEVER mix elections - and there are 3 different types of elections (Fed, state, local), and they only have to vote once every 2 or 3 years, indicating a minimum term of office of 6 years for the math to work. If they had terms as short as we do, and didn’t elect multiple officials on the same day, they’d be heading to the polls every few months. He said rarely, not never. And he already answered the question about how long the terms are. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-long-lines-at-us-election-offices/640060/94 "2012-11-07T17:08:49Z")
I live in Florida and I just went online and applied for an absentee ballot. It took me quite a while to do the actual voting because of the 12 constitutional amendments on the ballot. I don’t see how anyone could vote in less than an hour in person unless they brought a cheat sheet with them. I went to the league of women voters website and voted the opposite of what they recommended. A friend of mine says there wasn’t any line in his voting place. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-long-lines-at-us-election-offices/640060/95 "2012-11-07T17:27:43Z")
Make no mistake about it, the lines are real in many places. Personally I went at 10:30 and had less than a 5 minute wait. There were some lines in CT, but not too many. OTOH my family in OH said lines were quite bad in many places. VA apparently had very long lines near Washington DC by the time polls closed. Partially this is partisan. After the 2004 mess up in OH, they extended early voting for 2008 and things went relatively smoothly. If you followed the news, you’ll know that each county in OH has two Democratic and two Republican election officials. They voted 4-0 to keep early election hours in most (perhaps all) red counties and 2-2 not to have them in blue counties with the Republican officials voting no. The Republican secretary of State cast the no deciding ballot until it was over-ruled in court that they had to have the rules everywhere. It’s very hard to think this wasn’t partisan. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-long-lines-at-us-election-offices/640060/96 "2012-11-07T17:43:23Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I was referring to the options that appear on my ballot as “Presidential election only” and “General election”. In other places you can, of course, just mark the races you care about and then turn your ballot in without checking everything off. Can you link to a sample ballot showing this? I looked online, and found sample ballots for [Allen County, Indiana (PDF)](http://www.acimap.us/website/Ballots/22G.pdf), and for [Brown County, Indiana (multiple links)](http://www.bcdemocrat.com/index.php?id=5741), but nothing like that. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-long-lines-at-us-election-offices/640060/97 "2012-11-07T17:54:22Z")
Blaming the wait on one party or another is moronic. I suspect that the waits are largely due to inefficient organization. A few years ago I lived in a very liberal city next to Boston and had to wait at least 45 minutes to vote. What made it doubly frustrating was that the school where I voted was for two precincts; there were two lines and the other precinct never had a wait. People in line told me that this was normal every year. Now I live in equally liberal Boston (about 1 mile away from my previous home) and I haven’t had to wait more than 30 seconds to get through the line. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2012, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-long-lines-at-us-election-offices/640060/98 "2012-11-08T01:50:11Z")
I was reading the in Miami-Dade County that 90% of the polling palces were closed by 11PM, but then there were some still open at 1AM. There are some counties in Florida that always seem to be a cluster-fuck. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2012, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-long-lines-at-us-election-offices/640060/99 "2012-11-08T02:21:54Z")
> [@Deeg](#): > > Blaming the wait on one party or another is moronic. If what **OldGuy** wrote is accurate, I’ll have to disagree with that: > [@OldGuy](#): > > After the 2004 mess up in OH, they extended early voting for 2008 and things went relatively smoothly. If you followed the news, you’ll know that each county in OH has two Democratic and two Republican election officials. They voted 4-0 to keep early election hours in most (perhaps all) red counties and 2-2 not to have them in blue counties with the Republican officials voting no. The Republican secretary of State cast the no deciding ballot until it was over-ruled in court that they had to have the rules everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2012, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-long-lines-at-us-election-offices/640060/100 "2012-11-08T02:33:12Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > Can you link to a sample ballot showing this? I looked online, and found sample ballots for [Allen County, Indiana (PDF)](http://www.acimap.us/website/Ballots/22G.pdf), and for [Brown County, Indiana (multiple links)](http://www.bcdemocrat.com/index.php?id=5741), but nothing like that. No, I can’t - it was an option on the voting machine itself, which then took you to the ballot. Apparently, it’s not considered an actual part of the ballot. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2012, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-long-lines-at-us-election-offices/640060/101 "2012-11-08T03:34:23Z")
> [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > \I went to the league of women voters website and voted the opposite of what they recommended.\ Was it the same [League of Women Voters](http://www.lwv.org/content/about-us) site that I went to? Because this one says: > [@](#): > > The League is nonpartisan, which means we don’t support or oppose candidates for public office. and I’ve always gotten non-partisan information from them. I voted early this year, and it took about five minutes for me to get in and receive my paper ballot, which was printed on both sides of a legal-size paper. I’d reviewed my sample ballot and made up my mind on the many issues, and it took me about fifteen minutes just to color in the little ovals. There was no line to feed the ballot into the counting machine, so I was in and out of there in under half an hour. My brother, who lives in the next county over, voted yesterday morning at 10:30, because that’s usually the slowest time on election day. He stood in line for two full hours before getting in and receiving his ballot. There were three printing machines at each of the five voting locations in his city, which has a population of about 89,000 people. Contrast that with my city, which had 69 polling places, each of which had between 3 and 5 machines to serve a population of 552,000. It’s all in how good your county clerk is. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-long-lines-at-us-election-offices/640060.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-long-lines-at-us-election-offices/640060.md?page=6)