US Elections: How to avoid long queues on polling day? All you need to know about tips and timing

As United States presidential elections are around the corner, Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris are locked in a neck-to-neck race.

One week ahead of election day, November 5, more than 43 million ballots have been cast across 47 states and the District of Columbia, according to data collected by CNN, Edison Research, and Catalist.

The pre-election voting across the US is more than a quarter of the roughly 158 million votes cast for US presidential elections in 2020.

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How to avoid long lines on poll day?

Early voting has made the election process easier by helping voters avoid these long queues and also giving more flexibility to those who might not be able to make it to the polling stationon election day.

However, early voting also works differently for different states. Casey Burgat, director of the Legislative Affairs Program at George Washington University said, “We just say ‘early’ as this catch-all term, but sometimes it's months in advance, sometimes it's a few weeks, and then [there are] even the differences in [state] processes.”

In terms of precautionary measures, voters should keep in mind that there will be lines at certain times at early voting sites and election day polling stations. For that, they should come in comfortable shoes, bring a chair if you have difficulty standing, and also pack water to keep yourself hydrated while standing in the lines.

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According to the website of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, waiting lines are typically longest at the beginning and end of the early voting period. So, to avoid that, visit the polling booth during the mid-time.

Moreover, the voters should also check their county board of elections' website to see in advance if they have a wait time tracker for voting sites.

Wait-time tracker

Wake County also created a wait-time tracker and interactive map, which allows voters to see which early voting location is closest to them with the shortest wait times.

The early voting trends cannot predict the results of an election, however, they can provide hints about who is voting, at least so far.

(With inputs from agencies)