Early voting

[Diedra Moose]

Early voting is an incredible tool that should be utilized by more counties in FLorida and other states. It enables people who work all week to vote on Saturdays, and allows the voting system to be tested among other things.

 

Hillsborough County, however, is not totally reaping the benfits. Only 2% of all voting machines were distributed to voting sites, leading to 5 hour lines at polling places like the one I went to in Tampa.

 

One might ask why more machines were not distributed after the first week of early voting as the number of voters incresed? Any comments or suggestions about this, early voting, or voting in general?

 

AND WHAT DO YOU SAY TO PEOPLE WHO AREN'T VOTING?!?!?!?! ...I'm jsut a little ticked

[Pangloss]

I just think it was bad timing to do early voting in the 2004 election. We've got enough problems right now with the new electronic voting machines. Adding early voting into the mix just made things worse. It should have been held up until 2006.

 

As for the long lines at the voting places, I'm not sure I understand why people don't just leave and come back on a different day. It seems very odd to me that someone would wait five hours to vote, when they can just leave and come back another time.

[bloodhound]

well if everyone thought that then, then therer would be a line when they came back as wee!!!

[Diedra Moose]

As for the long lines at the voting places, I'm not sure I understand why people don't just leave and come back on a different day. It seems very odd to me that someone would wait five hours to vote, when they can just leave and come back another time.

 

It'll be the same on any other day. I'm going to try aigan on Monday at the downtown site, but I was told it won't be much better...considerign I'm supposed to be in class on Monday, I will proabably jsut vote during a lull on election day since I'm working the polls

[Pangloss]

Just to throw a little logic into the mix: It wasn't like that when I went to vote in 2000, and we didn't even have early voting then. There was something like a 50% voter turnout in 2000, with both candidates setting records for total numbers of votes. Even if we DOUBLE that and get 100% turnout in 2004, given the fact that we have early voting, it's not logical to conclude that the polls will be packed 100% of the time.

 

The polls are crowded because there are relatively few early voting locations, and people are taking advantage of it in unexpected numbers because it's just easier to vote that way if you're working. That's all it is.

 

I am taking full advantage of early voting.... by waiting until election day, and voting at my standard polling place. I think it'll be a breeze.