Anger prevails among American voters ahead of midterm polls

With just hours until America decides the next direction for its local and federal governments at the polls, many are voting frustrated and angry. Issues that many thought would be fixed by now among them: low wages and paralysis on the Hill still pose a problem for progress in Washington.
According to the latest ABC/Washington Post survey, only 22% of Americans say that their finances have improved since President Obama took office. 57% believe that the US standard of living is on the decline. And more than three-quarters of the American public are worried about the direction of the economy. Yet, the numbers of people voting are still projected to be less than expected when comparing voting numbers to what’s at stake and the possible shift of power in Congress. For the president that could mean bad news if Republicans control both houses. For some, overcoming low voter turnout is a tougher challenge to face than others. Minority voters in mostly southern states face more hurdles casting their ballots than their white counterparts in the states nationwide. Over the past decade, Republican lawmakers endorsed a number of measures that critics say suppress minority voting, including voter ID requirements, shortened early voting periods, and limits on same-day voter registration. But minority voters can face other problems too: polling places without enough voting machines or poll workers. President Obama is trying to fire up ambivalent voters. But other areas such as Central Florida are reporting higher-than-normal early voters. Some counties are decentralizing control of polling places, which means there are more places to vote. Election officials in Central Florida and other cities modifying their voting procedures are considering on making the practice a norm for future voting.