Policy

U.S. Election Revealed That Voting Remains Messy

You'd think we'd have a handle on it after two centuries plus

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Call it the sentence that spawned a thousand ideas for election reform.

When President Obama stood on stage in Chicago last month delivering his victory speech, he thanked the millions of Americans who cast their ballots on Election Day. He especially noted those who "waited in line for a very long time" just to vote.

"By the way," he added, "we have to fix that."

There's a lot to fix. Reports from diverse parts of the country detailed all sorts of problems at polling places. Ballots were misprinted, poll workers were unclear about certain laws or regulations and long lines greeted many voters at the polls.