"Victory" at a Florida Election Office

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After being told the polls were shutting down, citizens in Doral, Florida — who had already been waiting in line for hours at this election office — succeeded in having the decision reversed. These AP photos capture the initial reaction, people springing into action and then the reaction upon hearing they will indeed be able to cast their vote.

If the photo is joyful, let’s remember these images instead as a testament to lost ground, rights undermined and almost undone, and a scene we should never, ever have to see again in America. Next challenge? If many media photos of citizens queuing to vote over the past few weeks have been trumpeting participation, the endless waits are also an indictment.

(photos: Alan Diaz/AP caption 1: Diana Camacho, left, chants we want to vote, after the elections office in Miami-Dade County closed its doors to voters who waited in long lines for an absentee ballot in Doral, Fla., Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012. The doors were reopened after the voters in line demanded to vote.caption 2: Jorge Estomba, district director of Move On, talks to reporetrs after the elections office in Miami-Dade County closed its doors to voters who waited in long lines for an absentee ballot in Doral, Fla., Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012. The doors were reopened after the voters in line demanded to vote.caption 3: Myrna Peralta, left, and other voters react after the elections office in Miami-Dade County reopened its doors to voters who waited in long lines for an absentee ballot in Doral, Fla., Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012. The doors were closed after election officials were overwhelmed by the size of the crowd Sunday. With limited staff and one printer, election officials decided to shut down the main office, doors were reopened after voters protested and demanded to exercise their right to vote.