are so damned. then early voters in miami not part of partisan campaigning? and if we cannot fix it now after the stay in line election, when else could we ever fix this? why wouldn't at uc irvine and the author of the voting wars from florida 2000 to the next election meltdown. >> why do you think the lines are so damn long in this election? >> well, some of the reason is because there was a deliberate effort in ohio and florida and other places mostly with republican legislatures to cut back the numbers of days and hours of early voting. i think this was seen as a way of depressing democratic turnout. people seemed to stay in line for a long time but it certainly seemed to be intended to make it harder for people to vote. >> you have argued that congress should step in and do something to fix the problems. what power does congress hold here? >> well, you know, congress can do a lot more than you might think. because the constitutions gives congress the power to set the rules for congressional elections. it can't set the rules for local elections, but if it sets for local elections as it did in 1993, the states basically all come along and change their rules with it. the problem is not one of constitutional power but of political will.