We really need to fix that

>>> in line for a very long time -- by the way, we have to fix that.

>> i wonder if they'll filibuster that effort. thanks for staying with us tonight.

>>> they had a great night tuesday, but there is something we cannot forget. we started reporting on the long lines, the wait stretched from 4 to 5 to 6, to in some cases 7 hours. these lines did not deter the 120 million people who did vote we're grateful they got out and voted. no doubt. to me there's something really un-american about this whole process. it's ridiculous to force moms and dads and students and workers and elderly folks to wait four hours to cast a ballot? it turns out minorities suffered the longest waits. the afl-cio reports that minorities were more likely to wait at least 30 minutes to vote. 22% of african-americans and 24% of hispanics waited the longest. threat one election official is now apologizing. these were the early voting lines at lee county election headquarters in ft. myers, florida . on election night some voters were still in line long after the polls closed. the last ballot was cast at 1:30 a.m . in the morning, that would be on wednesday. here's something we haven't seen before. the election supervisor gave this emotional apology.

>> i want to close by apologizing to the voters of lee coun county, to those who waited in long lines -- excuse me -- during eight days of early voting . to those who waited in long lines at the precincts, and to those who got discouraged and left without voting.

>> florida counties say these didn't have enough scanners. dozens of poll workers overslept. 19 polls places in hawaii ran out of the ballots. folks, i think this is terribly unacceptable. the president said we have to fix this. i say let's get to work. let's turn to crystal ball , co-host of the cycle and ari melber. do you think in a maybe the american people and democrats, i think the democrats want to do something about this. is there any way to shame republican leadership into doing this, crystal?

>> well, probably not, though i think if the american people get upset enough about any issue and make any issue hot enough, you can make a change. i would point to our home state of virginia . republicans took over the state senate , they held the house of delegates , trying to push through this extreme legislation, and eventually they went too far, mandating transadvantagible probes. people in virginia got upset, even though ropes controlled every level of government, they still had to pull back that bill. so anything is possible, but i think the big thing here is it's very unusual and it's very bad idea to have partisan officials in charge of elections at all.

>> how do we fix this? is this going to take a federal law ? the president said we need to fix this. you're not going to fix it on a state level. this is with all these state houses, seen it in ohio, seen it in florida . i mean, it's been an iron fist , how do we fix it?

>> i think that's the question, and at the start i'm glad you're covering this. this is not considered always an exciting story. people waiting in line, but it's an important story. it goes to the heart of democracy. we had we had the help america vote act , and it came out of the 2000 reforms with ought frustration over florida . we need federal requirements. we need protection for early vote . we need an ability for the great number of people who want to vote, which by the way, is a good thing, to make sure they have access from the start. i think it goes, i'll say this briefly. it goes to what our democracy is about. if you define it as everyone being able to vote, we were not a democracy in the 17 unz or 1800s . we fund whatever we want to fund in this country. we've had billions go out of a back end of a truck in baghdad. nobody asked any questions whatsoever. this is america, and this is how we treat the taxpayers. they rigged it to do this. one party has done it. the democrats haven't done this. is this a funding issue? of course it is. the republicans don't want to fund it.

>> they don't want to fund it, but as you pointed out in the statistics, it's not like everyone is suffering the same.

>> well, what about that?

>> it's obviously that minority communities, communities that tend to vote democratic, are being unfairly burdened, forced to wait in much longer lines, given much less adequate resources. i do want to sound a positive note. all the efforts to increase the number of ids, eliminate sunday souls to the polls, i think it made people so determined there was no way they were going to get out of that line. they were angry, bound and determined to cast their ballot.

>> we should point out there were no democratic statehouses anywhere in america that wanted to suppress the vote. how is that, ari? how could this be just a real good republican idea?

>> look, i think crystal hit it on the head. the problem for the reps here is that people can see what they are up to. people are roundly rejecting it. but you're speaking to policy. you're speaking to what should be the minimum requirements, regardless of the politics. i think you need federal requirements that secure early vote , and access to the polls without any intervention by part sal state officials.

>> you just saw the videotape of the president, what do you think?

>> it has been amazing. it's been incredible to see the president give a sigh of relief and look back at nostalgia at his own life and what his campaign means not just for him but for the entire country. seeing him connect in that emotional way with the young people who worked their tails off for him. it's moving.

>> i think getting reelected means more than getting elegislate elected the first time. he really realizes he's on the cusp many doing something huge. no doubt. ari, great to have you with us.

>>> lots more coming up in the next half hour of "the ed show." stay with us.

>>> the white establishment is now the minority.

>>> up next, eugene robinson on the right-wing freakout over minority voters.

>>> how did righties gets this election so wrong?

>> he's succeeded by suppressing the vote.

>> michael tomaski from "the daily beast " breaks it down. humans