Charles Stewart III, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Stephen Ansolabehere, Harvard University

 Waiting in long lines discourages some people from voting, undermines confidence in the electoral system, and imposes economic costs on voters.

• Estimates of lost votes due to long lines in 2012 range from 500,000 to 700,000.
• Voters who wait in long lines are less confident their votes are counted as intended, and that votes nationwide are counted as intended. o Long lines affect the confident of voters in states with long lines, even when individuals do not experience the long lines themselves.
• The economic cost to voters of standing in line to vote is approximately $500 million. 

Waiting in long lines was not universal in 2012.

• Average wait times ranged from 2 minutes in Vermont to 39 minutes in Florida.
• Wait times in states and counties were consistent with patterns in 2008.
• There was significant variation in wait times within states, and even within counties.
• Minority voters, early voters, and urban dwellers experienced the longest lines. 

Most standard recommendations for shortening lines derive from simple, straightforward application of queuing theory.

• These recommendations revolve around reducing the number of in-person voters, increasing service points, and decreasing transaction times.
• There is little empirical evidence that the recommendations prescribed as solutions to long lines have actually been effective in reducing waiting times.
• Budgetary and space constraints weigh heavily in implementing reforms to reduce lines. 

Unlike the response to the “lost votes” that beset the 2000 presidential election, there are no easily implemented reforms that have been demonstrated to be effective through systematic study.