Is there a time limit that one can spend in the polling booth?
Normally people will stand in line, get their ballots, then go into the little curtained booth to privately vote. My question: are there any laws about how long you are permitted to stand there?
Ballot-box Bottleneck:
A few dedicated supporters of liberty get to the polling stations when they open, and try to be first in line. After getting their ballot, they go into the booth and camp, ALL day. That is the hard part - both having the dedication to stand in one place for up to 12 hours, but also to resist the poll-workers telling you to hurry.
Excuses to use: "I'm a slow reader" "I just can't decide - this vote is important for the entire nation and I don't want to screw it up" "Get back to me with a citation of a law telling me that there's a time limit" "Are you trying to deny my right to vote?"
Of course, polling stations must allow anyone in line to vote, even after the polls are closed, but how many people are going to stand in line for ever?
This seems to be a way that a very few number of dedicated supporters can make a big difference in each and every district, peacefully, while also making a public statement.
People dedicated enough to wait to vote will still be allowed to, so there is no effort of 'disenfranchisement' that I'm suggesting, just a measure to make sure that those people who don't really care about being heard give up.
Even if a polling place isn't filled with dissenters, those that have the stamina to stay and block even a few booths will at least slow the process down and weed out those who don't have time to wait even a little longer.
Out of all the ideas I've considered for peaceful disobedience, this seems to have the best possible results with respect to the amount of time, effort and numbers that Liberty-minded groups can donate. It also allows people to support whatever candidate(s) they think are better solutions while agreeing that the system is broken.
Any thoughts?
** I am not advocating the execution of this or any similar plan, merely exploring the consequences if one were to attempt to do so.
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