Most Jurisdictions Did Not Collect Data for Calculating Wait Times, Primarily because Wait Times Have Not Been an Issue, but Some Have Made Estimates Using Various Practices

On the basis of our survey, we estimate that 78 percent (from 74 to 83  percent) of local jurisdictions nationwide did not collect, receive, or have  available information that would allow them to calculate voter wait times  that occurred at individual polling places on Election Day 2012. Some jurisdictions did collect some types of wait-time-related information  that election administration researchers and state and local officials have  said could be helpful in measuring wait times. Because there is no  comprehensive set of data on voter wait times across jurisdictions  nationwide and we estimate that most jurisdictions did not collect data on  wait times based on our survey of election jurisdictions, we relied on  election officials in the jurisdictions we surveyed to estimate wait times for  these measures based on their perspectives, data, or other information  on wait times. A Number of Factors Affected Voter Wait Times on Election Day 2012, and Their Impacts Varied across Jurisdictions

On the basis of our survey of local election jurisdictions, interviews with  election officials and researchers, and review of relevant literature, we  found that various factors, such as voting before Election Day and ballot  characteristics, affected voter wait times at different stages in the voting  process on Election Day 2012. For example, we estimate that 22 percent  (from 17 to 27 percent) of all jurisdictions nationwide had wait times that  officials considered too long at a few or more polling places on Election  Day, and we asked officials in these jurisdictions to select which factors  they believed contributed to long voter wait times at polling places in their  jurisdiction. Impact of Factors Varied across Jurisdictions

Multiple factors affected wait times on Election Day 2012 in the 5 local  jurisdictions we selected for interviews. While the nine  factors we identified apply generally across all jurisdictions, their specific  impact on Election Day 2012 wait times depended on the unique  circumstances in each of our selected jurisdictions, leading to targeted  approaches for reducing wait times where needed and where resources  allowed. According to jurisdiction officials, lengthy ballots—an average of eight 17- inch pages—were the primary cause of long voter wait times. To what extent did local election jurisdictions collect data to measure  voter wait times and have long voter wait times on Election Day 2012? 2. For both objectives, we (1) conducted a web-based survey of election  officials from a nationally representative stratified random sample of 423  local election jurisdictions, excluding jurisdictions with populations of  10,000 or fewer and jurisdictions in Oregon and Washington; (2)  analyzed responses from the 2012 Cooperative Congressional Election  Study (CCES), a survey of U.S. citizens aged 18 and over; (3)  interviewed state election officials from 47 states and the District of  Columbia, as well as local election administration officials, on-site or by  phone, from 5 selected local jurisdictions—Detroit, Michigan; Hartford,  Connecticut; Lee County, Florida; Los Angeles County, California; and  Prince William County, Virginia; and (4) interviewed officials from the  Election Assistance Commission (EAC) and 14 researchers and  representatives from research organizations in the field of election  administration. Overall, there are about 10,500 local government jurisdictions responsible  for conducting elections nationwide. We analyzed survey responses to provide nationwide estimates for  Election Day 2012 of any data collected on wait times, voter wait times,  views on the factors that affected long wait times, policies and practices  used, and any revisions to policies to address the possible causes of long  wait times, among other things.sampling error—that is, the extent to which the survey results differ from  what would have been obtained if the whole population had been  observed. While these 5 jurisdictions are not representative of all election  jurisdictions nationwide and their responses cannot be generalized to  other local election jurisdictions, officials in these locations provided a  range of perspectives on voter wait times and information on how factors  affected wait times in practice and allowed us to compare Election Day  2012 experiences across jurisdictions. 1.
Why GAO Did This Study

Millions turn out to vote in U.S. general elections, and there were reports of long wait times at some polling places on Election Day in 2012. The authority to regulate elections is shared by federal, state, and local officials; however, responsibility for conducting federal elections primarily resides with about 10,500 local election jurisdictions. GAO was asked to examine voter wait times for the November 2012 election.
This report addresses (1) the extent to which local election jurisdictions collected data to measure voter wait times and had long wait times on Election Day 2012, and (2) the factors that affected wait times and their impacts across jurisdictions. GAO surveyed officials from a nationwide generalizable sample of 423 local election jurisdictions, excluding jurisdictions with populations of 10,000 or fewer and in the vote-by-mail states of Oregon and Washington, to obtain information on voter wait times (80 percent responded). Estimates from the survey are subject to sampling error and are reported with 95 percent confidence intervals. GAO also interviewed election officials from 47 of 50 states and the District of Columbia to obtain their views on wait time issues. GAO also selected 5 local jurisdictions based on, among other things, demographic characteristics and estimated wait times to examine in more detail their Election Day 2012 experiences. The results from these 5 jurisdictions are not generalizable, but provide insights into jurisdictions' experiences. GAO also reviewed literature on wait times and interviewed 14 election researchers selected based on their work on election wait times.

What GAO Found

On the basis of GAO's nationwide generalizable survey of local election jurisdictions, GAO estimates that 78 percent (from 74 to 83 percent) of jurisdictions did not collect data that would allow them to calculate wait times, primarily because wait times have not been an issue, and most jurisdictions did not have long wait times on Election Day 2012. Specifically, GAO estimates that 78 percent (from 73 to 83 percent) of local jurisdictions nationwide had no polling places with wait times officials considered to be too long and 22 percent (from 17 to 27 percent) had wait times that officials considered too long at a few or more polling places on Election Day 2012. Jurisdiction officials had varying views on the length of time that would be considered too long—for example, some officials considered 10 minutes too long, while others considered 30 minutes too long. Because there is no comprehensive set of data on wait times across jurisdictions nationwide, GAO relied on election officials in the jurisdictions it surveyed to estimate wait times based on their perspectives and any data or information they collected on voter wait times.
Multiple factors affected voter wait times on Election Day 2012, and their impacts varied across jurisdictions. Specifically, GAO's survey of local election jurisdictions, review of wait time literature, and interviews with election officials and researchers identified nine common factors that affected wait times.
The specific impact of these nine factors depended on the unique circumstances in each of the 5 local jurisdictions GAO selected for interviews, leading to targeted approaches for reducing wait times where needed. For example, according to election officials in 2 jurisdictions, lengthy ballots were the primary cause of long wait times. In 1 of these jurisdictions, state constitutional amendments accounted for five of its eight ballot pages on average, and since the 2012 election, a state law was enacted that established additional word limits to such amendments, which officials said could help reduce wait times. Another jurisdiction that had ballots of similar length did not report long wait times.
In comments on draft report excerpts, 1 jurisdiction stated that our description of its experiences was accurate. The Election Assistance Commission and 4 other jurisdictions did not have comments.