Feds At The Polls, Part 1

Emails have been pouring in from feds who are telling us that they're seeing huge lines to vote. Lots of folks are saying that it was taking so long that they were worried about missing work, so they left their precincts and will come back at the end of the day when they can dig in for the long haul without worrying about getting into the office too late. A number and DC- and Virginia-based readers are telling us that in polling places where voters can choose between paper ballots and electronic voting, the paper ballot lines are moving more quickly.

In North Carolina, it's raining, and reader Debra said all she needed to be in and out without a wait was "Just be an early riser, which was easily done with the recent change from day-light-savings-time, to regular days." In contrast, reader Catherine, who is always the first or second person in line at the polls at her customary voting time of 5:45 in the morning found 100 people ahead of her this time.

"It most definitely is the largest turnout for any election I have seen to date," writes reader Robert. "People seem to be motivated, perhaps by current events, to cast their vote. It’s great! We get the government we vote for. It’s time to stop complaining and participate in the decision making. Get out there and vote!"

And reader Bonnie, who writes in with the subject line "Poll Madness" has some suggestions for making things easier in the future: " feel that we are fortunate to be granted any time off to vote. Nobody I know working in the private industry is given paid time-off to vote. I think that there are several options that should be considered for future elections. First, moreâ€"and speedier volunteers should be recruited to assist at the polls. Second, the absentee ballet system in Virginia should not be limited to those with extreme hardships or other reasons making voting in person impossible. I would have voted absentee but I did not want to lie on the form. Third, I think it is time to reconsider our system of one-day elections where everyone in the country is limited to a small window of time in only one day to vote."

Thanks for the stories--keep them coming! Tom and I will be posting here all day (and I'll have an update on my trip out to Obama's final event in Manassas shortly and updates very, very late at night), so check in until the very end.