We have compulsory voting and the queue is never more than 30 minutes! That's because, as in the UK and Canada, our elections are run by an independent and impartial government body. In the US, the polls are run by all sorts of groups, including political parties and elected officials.
The Maine and Nebraska thing is because they are the only two states that don't give all their electoral college votes to the winner of the popular vote. So if you win 51% in any other state, you get ALL their votes. If you win 51% or more in Maine, you get half their votes, then the other half are given by each district. So to win all Maine's votes, you have to win 51% or more of the popular vote overall AND in each district. Nebraska is divided into three districts, and each district gives 1/3 of the state's votes. So to win all of Nebraska's votes, you have to win 51% or more of the popular vote in each district.
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The Maine and Nebraska thing is because they are the only two states that don't give all their electoral college votes to the winner of the popular vote. So if you win 51% in any other state, you get ALL their votes. If you win 51% or more in Maine, you get half their votes, then the other half are given by each district. So to win all Maine's votes, you have to win 51% or more of the popular vote overall AND in each district. Nebraska is divided into three districts, and each district gives 1/3 of the state's votes. So to win all of Nebraska's votes, you have to win 51% or more of the popular vote in each district.