“The Myth About Democrat Voter Suppression in 2012 Election”

Forbes.com contributes to the debate and cites to data to rebut the Democrats attempt to play victim at every turn. 


Democrats waited in line an average of 15 minutes to cast their vote versus Republicans’ 12.4 minutes. Strangely, Independents (whom both sides thought they would win) stood in line as long as Democrats.

Although the MIT study does not give margins of error, the 2.6 minute average difference in waiting time surely falls within a reasonable margin of error. The correct Times headline should therefore be: “No differences between Democrats, Republicans, and Independents in waiting time to vote in 2012.”

…While different voters indeed experience different waiting times to vote, differences are explained by poll congestion in large cities and/or whether the voter chooses to vote early. They are not the consequence of systematic attempts to bias election results.