CLEVELAND -- Early voters here are waiting in line for more than two hours in the cold to beat the rush on Election Day.
Surprisingly, the scene feels more like a party than an agonizing wait. The Jackson Five is blasting from speakers set up on a street corner. Volunteers with various groups are handing out food and warm drinks -- Obama campaign volunteers showed up with 50 pizzas while HuffPost was here -- to try to keep people content as they stand in the 41-degree weather. A rap group is also walking up and down the line, rapping, "no more drama, vote for Obama."
Still, this is about getting your votes in, and some people have other places to be. Teresa, an older black woman at the front of the line, said she'd been waiting for more than two hours to cast her vote.
"I'm not amused," she said.
Still, Teresa said she appreciated that volunteers were handing out food. "Coffee, pizza, chips and all that stuff," she said.
A little further back, Julia Chen, in her early 40s, said she wasn't surprised by the long wait.
"Everybody's lives are different than they were before. Everybody's schedules are different ... I have to work until 6 on Tuesday," Chen said. "I don't want to rush."
Chen, who lives in the suburbs, said she also didn't mind the wait. For one thing, she said, she got to know the people next to her in line.
"When you first show up, you're like, 'holy shit,'" she said, but when you get up front, "You're like 'yay!'"
Indeed, the line can be breathtaking at first sight. Starting from the tail end, it runs for about a block, then around the corner for another two blocks, and then around the corner for about half a block.
"Jesus," one woman said as she walked up with a little girl.
"Tell me again why we're here?" another woman said to her friend.
Greg, a retiree who was leaving the scene as HuffPost arrived, said it was absolutely worth his two-plus hour wait to vote. He was smoking a cigarette to celebrate.
"If I die tomorrow, at least my vote counts today," he said.
None of the people HuffPost talked to said they saw anybody leave in frustration. A volunteer said he saw some leave earlier in the day, however.
Support HuffPost
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.
Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.
Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your contribution of as little as $2 will go a long way.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you’ll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.