How Long Are The Voting Lines?

Today’s the day that this seemingly-endless election cycle comes to an end. America is voting, and given all the talk about rigged elections and voter suppression, you may be wondering: How long are the lines to vote?

Obviously, that’s going to vary greatly depending on where you are. I live in Berkeley, California, and the line at my polling place was non-existent. But that’s not the case everywhere. There have been some reports of very long lines — and not necessarily in the places you’d expect.

For instance, there seem to be some very long lines to vote in New York. Fox News analyst Monica Crowley reported a three-hour line to vote; CNN’s Don Lemon said he witnessed a two-hour voting line in the Empire state, and several other Twitter users posted photos of voters lined up outside New York polling locations. Many voters also reported unusually long lines in Hollywood.

There were also reports of long lines in states that are a bit more swingy than New York and California. In Georgia, former Democratic official said there was a half-hour line that stretched around the corner in one voting precinct. In North Carolina, a mechanical error processing voter registration caused further delays, resulting in a court order to extend voting in Durham County by one hour. judge Mother Jones’ David Korn posted a photo of a long line at a voting location in Philadelphia, and there were scattered accounts of extended wait times in Arizona and Texas as well.

On the one hand, it's never a good thing when citizens have to wait in line to vote. That said, it's encouraging to see so many people involved in the democratic process, especially in states that aren't likely to play a decisive role in deciding who America's next president is. And there are trickles of good news: According to BuzzFeed reporter Mike Hayes, the Philadelphia District Attorney said there have been "no major issues" at polling locations.

If you find yourself in a long voting line today, give a shout out to the folks at Pizza to the Polls, a group that deploys free pizza pies to weary voters. Not everything about this election is terrible!