I ask this because as a Canadian who just went through an election last week I missed my chance to vote for the first time in 20 years. I had gone to vote early - 5 days before the election - because I knew I would be out of town election day and found that I was TOO LATE to vote early.

The early voting had ended the day before. I don't think it would hurt for the campaigns to let the public know when early voting ends.

If the US is unwilling/unable to conduct free and fair elections, then we need to petition the UN to send in election overseers the way we do with other troubled democracies. This is a national embarrassment and a disgrace, and after 2000 and 2004, it's unforgivable. I hope that's one of Obama's priorities after this election -- maybe applying a uniform standard for all voting machines or something, and some manner of oversight. Or how about a national holiday for Election Day? All of the above?

But leave it to Floridians to fuck up an election

A backasswards state

That should bear close inspection...

I live in Gainesville, a liberal college town in the heart of very conservative rural Florida. In past elections I've waited until election day to vote, and never had any trouble. This year, mostly on a whim, I decided to vote early. I voted Tuesday morning, at my local library. I was surprised to find that there was a line. A small line, I only waited about five minutes, but a line nonetheless. The early voting center was buzzing with activity. People arrived steadily the entire time that I was there. To give you some context, for the last round of local elections I was the only person at the voting location when I went to cast my vote. I've never had to wait in line to vote for any elections local, state, or national.

I can't imagine what election day will be like in the major cities in Florida.

This is the best we can do?

Palin and McCain keep trying to draw distinctions between "real Americans" and "Pro-Americans" and everyone else. They need go no further. The people standing in line for this long to cast their vote are the real Americans. They are true patriots.

Imagine that all the states along Interstate 95 got a series of memos, over the period of several months, describing in detail a series of traffic accidents which would clog I-95 at crucial, typically traffic-prone areas in each state, and that these accidents would all occur on 11/4/08. On that day, many people would never get to work, several old people in the northeast would die of exposure to the cold from not having heat in their cars or whatever, and riots would break out from commuters tired of waiting in traffic jams. Each governor would set aside whatever funds, police officers, or equipment were needed to avert such a tragedy.

We don't see such a serious treatment of elections, even as to the big ones, which only happen once every four years. You'd have to be a mole living underground not to know that this election will produce high voter turnout and has already generated high voter registration numbers. Our leadership has gotten the memos, knows with relative certainty what is coming.

Why haven't we made the voting process seamlessly perfect? We have the resources, and now we have the knowledge, the information, and the foresight. The voting process is clearly not a priority.

I stood in the early voting line today, in Coral Gables, Florida, for over 2 hours. It wasn't a big deal for me because I could afford to take however much time out of my day that I needed, but I wish that all this talk about Joe Plumber were backed up by something that gave the plumbers of this country an easier time voting.

Why are they waiting in line? You can mail in your vote as an absentee voter.

http://election.dos.state.fl.us/voting/absentee.shtml#request

You may request an absentee ballot up to six days before November 4, but don't wait that long - it could get lost. Go online to the web address I just cited, and get your absentee ballot NOW, if not yesterday.

I voted that way yesterday, and it was very easy. FL even allows you to check your ballot has been received, by going on line.

My only question was how many postage stamps to put on the thick envelope (FL should have said) but I think the three I stuck on did the job. It cost me <$1.50. Avoiding lines? Priceless.

If you have (or are) older folks here in FL, this is the way to go. Act now.

Oh gimme a break, people. Yes, voting is a right... but my gosh, two hours, and you're ready to give up? While it'd be awful nice for the local governments to have voting centers that are super-duper effecient, voting is not like fast food. You are a right to it, but if you don't want to wait in a line (and I personally think 2 hours isn't exceeding appropriate) and choose to leave, that is your choice. I had to wait in line for over an hour when the Wisconsin Marriage Amendment came on the ballot, and that was in a relatively small town.

As for his daughters working on Nov. 4th, is the gentlemen aware that his daughters can request time off so they can go vote? It is illegal (at least in Wisconsin) for an employer to prevent his employees from voting.

How presumptive of you to assume the Obama campaign inspired the early wave of voters and shame on you for such biased reporting. The PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN has inspired voters, not one man, or one side! You should report facts, not opinions.

In the article “How many of you have heard the rumor that you won't be allowed to go to the polls and vote if you're wearing a Barack Obama button or T-shirt?" the lawyer asked, getting a big roar from the crowd. "Well, guess what -- that's just not true."

I don’t know Florida rules but in California you cannot were any campaign items into the polling place or with in 100 feet of a polling place. Why would an Obama supporter or a McCain supporter encourage disputes in a polling place that would slow down the voting?

As an Election Inspector in California we will ask anybody wearing campaign materials to cover or remove the items. This will cause delays because people will argue and that will slow things down. At the end of the story it says these people are smart. But it is not smart to wear campaign items when people plan to vote.