_This post was co-published with Univision. Lea en español._
Long lines are one of the main problems that affect Latino voters, and Electionland is finding evidence of that this year during early voting.
In 2012, more than half a million voters were unable to cast a ballot because of lines, and studies show that voters in precincts with more minorities tend to face longer wait times. For example, in Florida, Latino voters faced the longest wait times -- more than black and white voters, election administration experts Daniel Smith and Michael Herron found.
Lawyer Wilfredo Ruíz told Electionland that he waited nearly an hour at the Tamarac Public Library in Broward County, Florida on Oct. 24.
Hey! Guess what... I AM VOTING NOW!
— Wilfredo Amr Ruiz (@AnalistaInter) October 24, 2016
If this is the line today, imagine on #ElectionDay #MuslimVote #DumpTrump #MiVotoCuenta #LatinoMuslim pic.twitter.com/YrkpjT3W5M
Grecia Jalomo voted for the first time in Austin, Texas on Oct. 24 and had to wait in line with more than 100 people, she wrote on Twitter. She told Electionland she waited more than an hour to cast her ballot.
Una fila de mas de 100 personas para votar...😩 Pero se que valdra la pena! 💪🏼🇺🇸🗳 #earlyvoting #imwithher
— Grecia GJ (@ggjalomo) October 24, 2016
Cristina Zuñiga of Duncanville, Texas, tweeted that she waited about an hour or so to vote.
@iczuniga Hola Cristina, soy Claudia reportera de #ElectionLand /@ProPublica ya votaste? cuánto tiempo te toco esperar en la fila? Gracias
— La Claudiada (@claudibaez) October 28, 2016
Long lines discourage people from voting and undermine confidence in the electoral system, according to Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Charles Stewart. In one study, he estimated the economic cost to voters of waiting in line to vote is some $500 million. In 2012, Hispanic voters waited an average of 19 minutes in line, compared to 12 for whites, he found.
Filed under:
