27 Feb 2013
The following editorial appeared in the Press Democrat on Monday, Feb. 18.
Among the guests at the State of the Union address was Desiline Victor, a Miami woman who waited in line for several hours on Election Day.
“Hour after hour, a throng of people stayed in line in support of her — because Desiline is 102 years old,” President Barack Obama said as the TV cameras focused on Victor in the House gallery. “And they erupted in cheers when she finally put on a sticker that read ‘I Voted.’”
Not every would-be voter shared her resolve.
In Florida, more than 200,000 people gave up and went home without casting ballots because of long lines at the polls, according to data analyzed by an Ohio State University professor.
Meanwhile, the average wait in California was six minutes, according to Charles Stewart III, a Massachusetts Technology of Institute professor who calculated Election Day delays around the country.
There’s no secret formula for the relative ease of voting in California. The Golden State has simply made casting ballots convenient with early voting, voting by mail and ample capacity at polling stations.
In contrast, some of the states with long delays tried to erect obstacles for voters, including efforts in Florida to outlaw early voting. Other states, including Virginia and South Carolina, didn’t have enough voting machines or poll workers.
These failures need to be addressed before the next election.
The U.S. Supreme Court also should take note of these Election Day problems in deciding a challenge to a key provision of the federal Voting Rights Act. The act, adopted in 1965, protects minorities from officially sanctioned efforts to keep them from voting.
An Alabama county wants to end federal oversight, arguing it’s no longer needed. The long lines and related problems suggest otherwise, especially given that the problems were often worst in communities with large numbers of poor and minority voters.
The State of the Union wasn’t the first time Obama addressed long lines to vote. In his election night speech, he said, “We have to fix that.”
He’s right. It shouldn’t take all day to vote.
