Poll feed to the Miami Herald at St. Michael's Church

Tuesday morning, voters found short and quick moving lines as they arrived at precincts 548 and 562 at St. Michael’s Church in Little Havana.

“I got here at 6:20 a.m. just in case, but once the polls opened at 7 a.m. I only had to wait fifteen minutes,” Miami Dade Student and first-time voter Odel Mosquera said. “It definitely was not as bad as the lines during early voting.”

Within the first hour, Precinct 548’s line increased to 110 people, whereas Precinct 562 only had a line of 55 waiting to vote. Officials were letting in five at a time, as both lines were moving into the same building.

“This was my first time voting, and it went faster than what I expected. Hopefully there won’t be any problems with the machines,” Mosquera said. “Inside, all booths were occupied, and they would just rotate you out when someone finished.”

Not all voters however, found the waiting time to be short. Voters, who had waited in the wrong precinct line, were sent back to make a new line at their correct precinct number. Others left without casting their ballot.

“I arrived right at 7 a.m. and waited the entire line, only to be told that I had been in the wrong line and that I had to make the other line for my precinct,” Berta Lopez, 58 said. “I had to start all over again, and did not get out until 9 a.m.”

Many voters arrived not knowing which precinct they belonged to, and while some where helped others were sent away.

“I came in asking what precinct I belonged to, since I was taking my elderly mother who is 87 years old to wait in the line and I wanted to make sure we would not have to wait twice,” Ada Ramirez, 62 said. “They told me that I had to wait the line before they could help me.”

Ramirez, who decides to take the matter into her own hands, calls the 311 helpline to find out what precinct she belongs to. Having found her precinct number, Ramirez decides to help fellow voters also unaware of their precinct number only to be faced with another obstacle.

“When I called again, the lines were busy, and I couldn’t help the others,” Ramirez said.

In addition to the confusion between the two facing precinct lines, no signage was posted to indicate which precinct number they represented.

“I didn’t know that there were going to be two precincts at this site,” Juan E. Elias, 60 said. “I didn’t even know what line I was waiting in.”

Each line only had one worker to help direct the flow of people, and when they were questioned as to why there was no signage posted, the response was that they were not given enough. The clerk in attendance refused to comment.