In the two years since Donald Trump was elected president, a swelling wave of resistance has been bubbling up across the country as women, minorities, immigrants, and the LGTBQ community are seeing the rights infringed upon — or at risk of being infringed upon. And today is the day that discontented progressives may change that by heading to the polls to vote in the midterm election and herald in the much-hyped blue wave everyone is hoping for.
But if early voting turnout was any indication, people heading to the polls on Election Day were going to anticipate long lines, and long lines there were. Many took to social media to express longer waits than they had ever previously experienced, whether it was the before-work bottleneck or due to states where voter suppression is rampant.
Georgia in particular, is experiencing the latter problem thanks to the hotly contested race between Democrat Stacey Abrams, who is vying to be the first black female governor; and Republican Brian Kemp, the current Georgia Secretary of State who is just so happens to be in charge of running the election.
So for one reason or another, voters are dealing with long waits, as you can see from just a handful of the thousands of photos posted to Twitter on Tuesday.
Voters wait in line at a junior high gymnasium in Maine as Americans head to the polls in fiercely-contested midterm elections. https://t.co/QF15MHa8Bu #ElectionDay pic.twitter.com/OO8TchObQJ
— ABC News (@ABC) November 6, 2018
Never seen lines like this for a #MidtermElection 💙💙 literally teared up seeing the crowd #CaliforniaCounts line went around the building. #keepgoing voters. All ages, all races, all love for each other. #VoteBlueToSaveDemocracy pic.twitter.com/mZE76iKM18
— tara strong (@tarastrong) November 6, 2018
15 years voting at this location and never waited in line. Me: "this is what democracy looks like." My neighbor: "this is what saving democracy looks like." Word. #ElectionDay pic.twitter.com/f9oic9Mwkp
— Erika Wood (@erikalwood) November 6, 2018
30-ish-minute line to vote at Wheatsville Co-op. #TXDecides pic.twitter.com/y9d6Auao7G
— Jimmy (@maasdinero) November 6, 2018
Lines around the block in the rain. Go Brooklyn! 🗳#VoteToday pic.twitter.com/YBhKDh9AXY
— Dana Delany (@DanaDelany) November 6, 2018
Hundreds of people in line at Erasmus high in BK waiting to scan their ballots because of broken scanners. Good system pic.twitter.com/9keg8EfXiF
— Hamilton Nolan (@hamiltonnolan) November 6, 2018
Hundreds of voters are waiting in line in Atlanta for THREE voting machines on #ElectionDay. That’s not a typo. pic.twitter.com/6nNjWf0hVn
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) November 6, 2018
My dad would never let me wear his sticker when I was younger. He said you only get it when you exercise your constitutional right to vote. It made me want to vote so badly. WELL HERE I AM. #GoVote pic.twitter.com/xGnKG6TfB2
— Ash Perez 🤙🏽 (@itsashlyperez) November 6, 2018
My husband is at our St Louis polling site and he says lines are longer than he's ever seen. They're so long, he's in a corridor of the polling site he did not know existed. They rerouted the line to make room 😮
This is good. Get out and vote, Missouri! Polls open til 7:00 pm!
— Sarah Kendzior (@sarahkendzior) November 6, 2018
https://twitter.com/MilesK_Johnson/status/1059887744212758530
For those aimlessly scrolling their Twitter feed while contemplating bailing out of line, others — celebrities in particular — had messages of encouragement to stay in place.
STAY IN LINE. STAY IN LINE NO MATTER WHAT. If the line is long, it’s raining, you’re bored, you’re tired, please hear me shouting at you in your head Billy on the Street style and STAY IN LINE! EVERY VOTE COUNTS. WE NEED YOUR VOTE.
Now LET’S VOTE, LESBIANS, LET’S VOTE!!!!!
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) November 6, 2018
https://twitter.com/kumailn/status/1059886577252532224
The man in front of me in this poll line just ripped a godawful fart but I remain undeterred #VOTE
— Andy Richter (@AndyRichter) November 6, 2018
https://twitter.com/imillhiser/status/1059887732951056385
Inspired by the long lines, disappointed in the lack of sufficient booths. Everyone, hold your place in line! Make your voices heard. And just remember, you can call 866-OUR-VOTE or text “OUR VOTE” to 97779 at any time to get help or report potential problems with voting sites! https://t.co/pYgGUIFipV
— Thomas Sanders (@ThomasSanders) November 6, 2018
Please RETWEET these words for the sake of all voters:
(1) Whatever happens, STAY IN THE LINE TO VOTE and VOTE (bring comfortable shoes and bottled water if you expect a wait);
(2) If someone tells you that you can't vote, call a voter help line AND demand a provisional ballot.
— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) November 5, 2018
"If you are in line, STAY IN LINE NO MATTER WHAT!" –me sitting in a nice chair eating kettle corn but full of good advice
— Ken Jennings (@KenJennings) November 6, 2018
Have you voted yet? Yes, you! It’s not too late (depending when you’re reading this) so get out and vote.