As reported by the Washington Post, election officials in Maryland and Virginia are taking steps to avoid the long lines at polling locations which occurred during the 2012 elections.

About 12 percent of all voters in both states had to wait for more than hour, sometimes outdoors in chilly weather, before casting their votes, the Government Accountability Office found. Maryland, Virginia and Florida were the nation’s three worst-performing states in terms of delays.

Election officials said they have bought new equipment; carved out smaller, more manageable precincts; and trained volunteers in better management of long lines in an attempt to avoid repeating the problem on Nov. 4.

The GAO report was based on a survey of the nation’s 10,500 local elections offices.