Voting In America

The following is a summary of my voting experience in this year's elections.

During the first week of early voting, my wife and I showed up to our voting station with our two toddler girls on a Thursday afternoon to be greeted by a 2+ hour line.  We decided to pass since we had our two young children with us.

Last week I went to our county seat to try to early vote again.  I had business in the area to begin with and I had heard that the lines were 2+ hours but decided to check out the situation for myself anyway.   Voting was downtown and our county seat features what I would call a very traditional American downtown with a courthouse centered in a block with surrounding businesses and only on-street blocking - no parking lots.  I circled the block twice, encountered lots of traffic, and couldn't find a single place to park.  I decided against continuing to circle the block like a shark waiting for a surfer to fall of his/her board and went home.

At this point I was left with voting on election day.  Polls opened at 6 AM on a random Tuesday.  I say random knowing that there is tradition and reason for this date but simultaneously am questioning the validity in modern society.  I arrived at 6:15 AM to what seemed like a large but reasonable crowd.  I waited an hour in line.  I was approaching the voting booths, to be surprised to find the line curved to my left down a hallway which nearly doubled the line.  Based on the number of people in front of me and the pace of the line up to that point, I estimated I had at least an additional 45 minutes to wait in inline.  I had to be at work by 8 because I had a full day of patients scheduled and couldn't be late and it takes me 30 minutes to get to work so there was no way I could stay.  I ended up bailing to get to work on time and keep the appointments I said I could make.

I've heard numerous excuses for this situation, including that the voting machines are so old no company supports them anymore and repair parts have to be purchased off Ebay.  I don't care about the excuses, this situation is absolute bullshit.  There has to be a way to make this experience easier and more feasible.  Get more (or updated) machines, hold the election over multiple days versus one, hold the elections in venues with parking lots.  Whatever it takes.