In a way, Sandra James’ trip to the polls in November was like a trip to Disney World: interminable lines followed by a payoff that made it all worthwhile. James, one of a number of voters who waited several hours to cast a ballot, spoke Monday at a congressional forum on voting problems. The event was sponsored by U.S. Reps. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., and Gerry Connolly, D-Va. Connolly is sponsoring a bill in Congress designed to encourage states to adopt early voting and same-day registration by providing funding for additional equipment, such as voting machines.
James, an assistant pastor at a Baptist church, said she had anticipated long lines and went to the polls prepared: She wore comfortable shoes, dressed warmly and arrived at 7 a.m. She was undaunted when she saw the long line snaking outside Potomac Middle School in Woodbridge, a predominantly African-American precinct that turned out to have some of the worst lines in the region. She and her 21-year-old daughter, a first-time voter, got in line and waited.
After an hour in the cold, they finally made it inside. And that’s when, like theme park attractions that obscure the true length of the line, she realized her wait had only just begun. “It was chaotic,” she said. “You couldn’t tell where the lines were beginning or ending. It was then we realized we were going to be snaking up and down corridors the next three hours.”
She finally cast her ballot after a 3 1/2 hour wait “but it was worth it,” she said. A few people who confronted the long lines bailed out, but the vast majority endured the delays.
Elections officials blamed a number of factors on the long lines. Keith Scarborough, a Democrat and chairman of Prince William County’s electoral board, said two ballot questions with complicated wording confused and slowed voters. He suggested such ballot questions be deferred in the future to off-year elections.
Virginia’s newfound status as a presidential battleground pushed turnout to record and near-record levels, and new state laws tightened ID requirements. Primarily, though, he said the county had grown in population and lacked either the financial will or ability to buy enough voting machines.
Full Article: Va., Md. Reps Sponsor Forum On Voting Problems « CBS Baltimore.