Long voting lines? Fix your bottleneck!

Long lines at the polls? This could have been prevented if everyone had taken an operations class from me. Let me share Bottlenecks 101 to help.

1.) Determine your bottleneck. (Hint: It will be that step in the process that has “inventory” piled up in front of it and little “inventory” after it. What we are trying to process here is voters, so voters are the inventory). Let’s cut to the chase, in most polling places the bottleneck will NOT be check-in, or submitting your completed ballet, or getting your Instagramable “I voted sticker.” It will be at the voting booth itself.

2.) ALL efforts to speed things along MUST focus on getting people through the booths faster. Tips: The second one person is done at the booth, the next person must be in queue and ready to quickly dive in (an idle booth is a sad booth). Things to do before you are in the booth: know what will be on the ballot, decide who you will select, determine exactly how the machine works, and know what the next step is once you have finished. Remember - all of this should happen BEFORE any voter is at the booth.

Side note: Apparently if there is a stylus available it works MUCH better than your finger – don’t ask me how I know.

For some of us it is too late this year, but there will be other elections and other voting lines. Be ready. Spread the word!