The Gadsden Times on voting lines:

Nearly 120 million people in the U.S. voted recently, and the endurance course many of them had to negotiate in doing so would test the hardiest and toughest Marine.

Voters across the country stood in line for hours, in heat and cold, some of them literally passing out, just to cast their ballots. ...

The biggest mess was in Florida, which had a huge turnout of voters and a bloated, 12-page ballot for them to consider. The final votes didn't get cast until 1 a.m. local time, six hours after the polls were supposed to close. There were reports of seven-hour waits to vote — and of people giving up and going home. ...

Four-hour waits were reported in Colorado, Michigan, South Carolina and Virginia. There were three-hour waits in Indiana, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Texas.

Closer to home, people waited more than two hours, in a line that snaked for a block, to vote at a precinct in Irondale, and for a similar time at a site in Madison County. ...

The biggest issue may be the sheer scope of trying to get 120 million voters in 50 states and the District of Columbia to the polls for an election. It cannot be done within a 12-hour window on a single day anymore.

Some states have tried to ease the pressure with early voting, an idea we've said is worth considering, along with moving Election Day to a weekend or making it a national holiday to give people more flexibility in getting to the polls. ...

Expending effort to vote is one thing. Going through an ordeal to do so is another.

The Cullman Times on after the election:

The Republican Party in Alabama made more gains in the general election.

Roy Moore reclaimed the seat of Alabama Supreme Court chief justice while Twinkle Cavanaugh unseated Lucy Baxley for president of the Public Service Commission. The state Legislature already is firmly in the hands of the Grand Old Party, which sets the stage for a crucial 2013 legislative session.

Staring lawmakers in the face is a continued downslide in the general fund, which is responsible for funding many important services for the state, from prisons and Medicaid to court services. The state's funding formulas dump most of the tax dollars collected in Alabama to the state Education Trust Fund, which finished the last budget year with a surplus. ...

Once costs can be controlled, lawmakers should take a serious look at Gov. Robert Bentley's suggestion of combining the education and general budgets. ...

A rising economy will ensure that the education budget gets plenty of money in the years ahead, but under the formula it leaves little for the general fund. Leaving that system in place will only bring crisis after crisis to the state. Lawmakers should make the tough moves in the next session and prepare for a change in the budgeting process in the future. The change is long overdue.