Overview

Long lines on Election Day have received much attention in the press, especially in the wake of the closely contested 2004 presidential election. Long lines were blamed for low turnout and voter disenfranchisement, but most of these stories were rooted in exit polls and post-election, self-reported interviews. To our knowledge, there has never been a systematic attempt to determine how common lines are, at what times of day and points in the voting process lines form, and how long it takes an average citizen to actually cast his or her vote.

Elections officials across California are typically confronted with trade-offs across various voting criteria – security, accuracy, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness – without having much data to inform their decisions.  Our goal is to use common social science methods to illuminate the various determinants of waiting times for voting, the ways in which counties can reduce lines, and what these changes might cost.  However, to help improve efficiency in these ways, we must first capture data from an actual election.  It is quite possible that the voting process can be made more efficient and more pleasant for the voter without increased public expenditure, but realizing these goals will require better data about how polling places serve voters on Election Day.