Why are the polls open for only ONE DAY??

[nebula]

It seems arbitrary that the polls are kept open only for a day in presidential elections. Is that even nearly enough time to ensure everyone who wants to vote gets a chance to do so?

I don't see how can all those millions of voters get a chance to vote within such a short period of time?

Especially given such a massive turnout this election. election officials were expecting a record turnout, so why didn't they plan accordingly by keeping the polls open long enough for everyone to got a chance to vote, without forcing people to stand in line for hours on end? How many potential millions of voters were turned away and left hanging when the polls closed??

How many potential thousands got fed up with the hours of standing in line and went home before they could vote on Tueeday? How many more thousands took one look at the long lines at the polls that stretched for blocks, and said to themselves, "screw it, I'm not standing in that line," and simply didn't bother with it??

What's to keep the officials from holding the poll open for at least a couple of days, or longer if needed, to make sure that everyone who wanted to vote got a chance to??

I suppose since a high turnout would favor Kerry, it would be in Bushler's interest to keep the polls open for as short a period of time as possible!

[AtlantaBob]

1. Well, they did have prevoting in a lot of places....

[newyawker99]

9. Hi AtlantaBob!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[crispini]

2. Hey, we early vote in my state.

We had two weeks to do it in. Thank goodness! We had 1000 voters through our precinct, and we were SLAMMED. If the 1300 people that had early voted in our precinct were there too, it would have been awful.

Dunno why more states don't early vote. :shrug:

[rinsd]

3. They aren't......

Many states offer early voting at the registrar's office and of course absentee ballots. Oregon votes entirely by mail.

Also the polls do not close until the last person on line at poll closing time(depends on your area) has voted.

I am not so much for the ease of voting as re-establishing its importance amongst the populace. I think that is an area not dealt with except in a partronizing manner.

[oldtime dfl_er]

4. not only that but....

why don't we have our candidate elections on one day, and issues/referendums/initiatives etc on a different day?

[IAMREALITY]

5. Because Let's Face it,

Going to the polls once and waiting on line is enough for most people.....

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Carolab]

7. Why not vote ON WEEKENDS?

This having to take time off from work (assuming you HAVE a job) is a bunch of crap.

[marshall]

8. It's in the Constitution

[nebula]

10. I realize there was early voting and absentee balloting

but still, the lines were pretty huge in a number of places on Tuesday.

If I came to cast my vote and saw the lines stretching two or three blocks long in my area, I might want to reconsider voting at all. It's hard to imagine standing in line for a couple of hours, let alone up to 10 hours or more as was the case in some areas.

[sabra]

11. I need a few more post to make a new thread

[Eric J in MN]

12. A Republican in Ohio arranged for minority districts to have fewer

voting machines last Tuesday than they did for the primaries:

http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/3/2004/983