On 1 September 2024, citizens queued at a polling station in Baku during Azerbaijan’s parliamentary election. A dated agency photograph identifies the city, the election and people standing in line to cast their ballots. This is direct evidence of the wait itself, rather than an inference from the existence of an electoral system. The article separates that everyday act from any broader judgment about the political setting. However different election systems may be, a polling-station queue shows a familiar human rhythm: arriving, keeping one’s place and waiting for a turn to take part in a public process.