This presidential race has generated a high level of excitement and today's election promises to have a record turnout of voters. This is a combination of a huge number of new voters, most registered by the Obama campaign and its allies, and predicted participation of 80-90% of all voters. Unfortunately, the planning and logistics to handle this voter flood has been inadequate, and voters in many places are going to suffer through multi-hour waits. This has already happened in early voting in Florida and other states.

Long lines might seem like a mere inconvenience, but in fact they seriously undermine democracy. Many voters cannot wait for hours. They are forced by personal circumstances to leave without voting, and are thereby disenfranchised. This group would include, for example, people who must get to work and try to vote early in the morning, those who can only take off a short time from work to vote, parents or other caregivers taking care of children and the disabled.

It is readily apparent that less affluent workers who have least control of their lives will be affected first and most. Rachel Maddow, on her MSNBC programme on Monday night, called long voting lines the modern version of the poll tax, an infamous (and now illegal) ploy in the US south to charge voters for the privilege of voting, and thereby suppress voting by poor and minorities.