So - What Do We Think About ........

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Snowdrops
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Joined: Wed Nov 21, 2007 5:20 pm

So - What Do We Think About ........

Post by Snowdrops »

The voting fiasco last night when people were:

1) locked out and not allowed to vote

2) locked in and allowed to vote after the official closing time

3) not enough ballot papers available at (at least) one polling station
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yoyo123
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Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: East Kent

Post by yoyo123 »

dreadful
Snowdrops
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Joined: Wed Nov 21, 2007 5:20 pm

Post by Snowdrops »

Yoyo, I wanted more from you!!!

To those locked out, I say sorry, but the stations are open for 15 hours in the day, you should have been able to get there if it meant that much to you. You could have applied for a postal vote.

To those locked in, I think this was the right decision. No outside interference from results being made public, but still able to cast their vote. As long as they were queued up before the 10 pm deadling I have no problem with what happened.

To the lack of ballot papers - this is dreadful. They know how many was on the electoral roll and should have been issued with the correct number of papers. What's gone wrong there then?
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yoyo123
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Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: East Kent

Post by yoyo123 »

one constituency had the wrong ballot papers for teh first 90 mins so no-one could vote
SSM
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Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2009 12:09 pm

Post by SSM »

I agree with your views on points 2 and 3 above SD but not on 1. On point 1 it depends what time they joined the queue. If they turned up before 9.45pm then they should have been allowed into the hall and been able to vote, as lets be honest, when in the past have you had to wait in a queue in order to vote :?:
Snowdrops
Posts: 4667
Joined: Wed Nov 21, 2007 5:20 pm

Post by Snowdrops »

But there was only a 4% increase in voters.

One couple this morning were saying they'd tried three times to vote before finally being turned away. For them to try three times this means they turned up three times and twice went away because they didn't want to wait. If they had waited they probably would have got in. I would rather the officers in charge had allowed them all in and locked the doors, but it didn't happen.
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mike1880
Posts: 2563
Joined: Sat Sep 27, 2008 10:51 pm

Post by mike1880 »

SOme people queued for an hour and a half or more and were turned away at 10pm; IMHO those people allowed plenty of time to vote.

To my mind it's all indicative of the increasing contempt the political elite has for the people of this country. Suddenly being allowed to vote has become a privilege instead of a right. I hope some heads will roll.

Next time, avoid the problem by registering for a postal vote. Register your relatives, friends and neighbours while you're at it to save them the trouble - in fact, while you're about it, you might as well fill it in for them.

Banana republic? Of course not, we're not a republic!

Mike
T.i.p.s.y

Post by T.i.p.s.y »

This is what happened at our polling station. Only 4 people on duty. One read your poll card number, the next person marked it off, the thirf handed you a ballot paper and the next sat next to the ballot box. There was a queue when I arrived at 7:30am in the morning so it should have been clear there were not enough people running the show. The number remained at 4 helpers from what I've heard.

The timings are also antiquated. In London many, many people work from 7am-9pm on most days. Then they have to get transport back to their homes, which are often not in London. My OH did a postal vote but as it was he and some colleagues were stuck in emergency meetings for 12 hours and they could not vote. Had they left to vote then it would not have gone down well and they could have kissed any potential promotions goodbye. In the borough of London that I have just left there were huge queues and many could not vote but had it been opened at 5am and shut at 12midnight then I don't think some of these problems would have occurred. :(

The lack of ballot papers is outrageous! :x
hermanmunster
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Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Post by hermanmunster »

I suspect that this is a city problem - the villages and towns tend to have polling stations with very small lists. I used to live in a village where I was the last person on the roll and was number 162. We had 15 hours to vote, with a 60% turnout that means about 6 an hour.
doodles
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Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2009 9:19 pm

Post by doodles »

Completely agree Tipsy - my DH went to work before the polls opened and got back home at about 9.45 p.m. and had to run around to the polling station - luckily there wasn't a queue.

Very easy to say "they had plenty of time to vote" but if you started a shift /meeting before 7p.m. and did 12 hours by the time you get home and then queue you are cutting it fine!
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad !
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