Turnout

[GenevaSaint]

Turnout seemed very good in Southampton Itchen. I had to queue up for about 25 minutes to vote @ 6.30.

 

Will be very interesting to see turnout figures.

[dune]

Turnout seemed very good in Southampton Itchen. I had to queue up for about 25 minutes to vote @ 6.30.

 

Will be very interesting to see turnout figures.

 

i think voting such be incentivised. a miniscule amoun shoulg be added to income tax which in time built up. at each election you get a cheque or tax credit to the value of the pot should you vote, if you don't vote the money goes to the treasury.

[nathan]

Big debate about people being turned away all over the country. Disgrace, they should have let them carry on voting until at least 12.

[dune]

Big debate about people being turned away all over the country. Disgrace, they should have let them carry on voting until at least 12.

 

no, if they can't make it in 16 hours then they can get a postal vote. they get no sympathy from me at all.

[John Boy Saint]

Big debate about people being turned away all over the country. Disgrace, they should have let them carry on voting until at least 12.

People have had since 7am this morning, if you allowed people to carry on voting past midnight there is a danger that it would set a precedent that could influence future elections by less scrupulous candidates; Mandleson just had a little thought in that direction on the beeb.

[dune]

Mandleson just had a little thought in that direction on the beeb.

 

Pray tell what were his weasal words?

 

He should stick to ballroom dancing, but maybe next time with a man.

[Barry the Badger]

If people turned up after 9PM then they have nobody but themselves to blame.

 

The only problem with it is the inconsistency, some places allowing people to vote past 10PM whilst others turned people away.

[trousers]

 

no, if they can't make it in 16 hours then they can get a postal vote. they get no sympathy from me at all.

+ 1

[dune]

If people turned up after 9PM then they have nobody but themselves to blame.

 

The only problem with it is the inconsistency, some places allowing people to vote past 10PM whilst others turned people away.

 

well i change my tune then and slithery snake mandelson was wrong. anyone in the queue b4 10 was there on time and theyshud be able to vote

[dune]

+ 1

 

-1

 

so

 

1

[CB Fry]

If people turned up after 9PM then they have nobody but themselves to blame.

 

The only problem with it is the inconsistency, some places allowing people to vote past 10PM whilst others turned people away.

 

 

Correct. Sounds like a load of div students bumbling down there from the pub with no polling cards which slows everything down for everyone else.

 

Frigging stations opened at 7am FFS.

[dune]

unless of course the polling card said you had to arrive at least x amount from ft, but i dont think they did

[dubai_phil]

PMSL

 

What sort of Third World Country do you lot live in..

 

P*ss Up & Brewery comes to mind

 

Do you guys want us to send the UN Inspectors in next time to help run your election properly?

 

Electoral Commission - great job almost as badly run as PCFC

[CB Fry]

unless of course the polling card said you had to arrive at least x amount from ft, but i dont think they did

 

 

Polling card says the stations close at 10pm. So closing them at 10pm sounds fair enough.

[dune]

Correct. Sounds like a load of div students bumbling down there from the pub with no polling cards which slows everything down for everyone else.

 

Frigging stations opened at 7am FFS.

 

students you say, i smell liberal voters, i go back to my original comment, lazy long haired druggies shud sort themselves out cos one day'll have to get a job and most of em will end up the tesco fag counter with attitudes like that

[bridge too far]

But what about people (like my dearly beloved) who work 12 hour shifts + 1 hour journey to work and 1 hour back?

[dune]

But what about people (like my dearly beloved) who work 12 hour shifts + 1 hour journey to work and 1 hour back?

 

btf, if you see Dave Xam can you get me an A3 glossy signed pic please. I loved Mrs T (cried when she left ha) and i wanna turn the little bedroom into a shrine to right wing politics. Thanks in advance.

[CB Fry]

But what about people (like my dearly beloved) who work 12 hour shifts + 1 hour journey to work and 1 hour back?

 

 

Postal vote.

[bridge too far]

btf, if you see Dave Xam can you get me an A3 glossy signed pic please. I loved Mrs T (cried when she left ha) and i wanna turn the little bedroom into a shrine to right wing politics. Thanks in advance.

 

If you think I'm going to encourage your onanism, you've got another think coming (so to speak).

 

We never see Dave here anyway.

[TopGun]

It's clear that the vote will be a higher turnout than usual and I think social media such as FB has had an effect in galvanising people. A true change.

 

It's also clear from places like Manchester Withington and Sheffield Hallam that a load of students got late inspiration to vote from the pub, so it is a bit their fault that they can't get in by 10pm.

 

But it also means that the 24/7 society indicates that in the future polling booths should be open until at least 11pm.

[dune]

It's clear that the vote will be a higher turnout than usual and I think social media such as FB has had an effect in galvanising people. A true change.

 

It's also clear from places like Manchester Withington and Sheffield Hallam that a load of students got late inspiration to vote from the pub, so it is a bit their fault that they can't get in by 10pm.

 

But it also means that the 24/7 society indicates that in the future polling booths should be open until at least 11pm.

 

god, i think it's wrong that students can vote, maybe girls at 18, but lads dpn't grow up til at least 21

[oldskoolsi]

I've never had to queue to vote so I myself would think that if doors closed at 10pm, I shouldn't have to get there by 9 to beat the rush. I know turnout is high but it shouldn't have resulted in long queues. People were just unprepared and expect there to be legal challenges if there are any marginal areas affected.

[chrisobee]

Went and voted 9am, no problems, In and out within 5 minutes. Sympathise with those who do work very long hours and personally I wouldn't want to vote by post.

[Doctoroncall]

I've never had to queue to vote so I myself would think that if doors closed at 10pm, I shouldn't have to get there by 9 to beat the rush. I know turnout is high but it shouldn't have resulted in long queues. People were just unprepared and expect there to be legal challenges if there are any marginal areas affected.

 

According to a Human Rights Lawyer, they could get up to £750 compensation as everyone has a right to vote.

 

So do those who wanted to vote have to prove that they were there and attended to vote? If not, wouldn't that leave it open to those who had no intention to vote being able to claim?

[Thorpe-le-Saint]

Anyone who left it till 10pm last night to vote and couldn't get in is a ****, YOU HAD ALL DAY!!!

[Wes Tender]

Polling card says the stations close at 10pm. So closing them at 10pm sounds fair enough.

 

Agree. It was clear enough to anybody with half a brain that the polling stations closed at 10pm and they had since 7am to vote. Nobody has an excuse if they left it to the last minute and then found out that many others had too. They'll know better in a few months when they have to do it again.

 

However, as a technicality, they were entitled to cast their votes if they arrived at the polling station before 10pm, so they should have been cordoned off and allowed to vote.

[trousers]

It transpires that people were turning up a 7pm to be confronted by huge queues, so they went home and came back at 9pm only to be confronted by even longer queues.

 

So this isn't just a case of dome muppet pitching up at 5 to 10, rather that the infrastructure wasn't in place to handle the throughput throughout the evening.

[GenevaSaint]

I'm in the camp that they had 13 hours, but come on, someone must have seen an issue coming here surely. When they saw the queues getting longer they could have done something about it.

 

Which brings us to electoral reform in general, I can submit my tax return via the government gateway why can't I vote via it.

[ribbo]

It transpires that people were turning up a 7pm to be confronted by huge queues, so they went home and came back at 9pm only to be confronted by even longer queues.

 

So this isn't just a case of dome muppet pitching up at 5 to 10, rather that the infrastructure wasn't in place to handle the throughput throughout the evening.

 

poor diddums not wanting to queue, should have bought the polling booth out to them tbh.

[Joensuu]

13 hours or not, the vast majority of people are going to try to go after work. This is especially the case if you work a distance from home. Turning up at 6 or 7pm but still being unable to vote is a complete failure of the polls. I was only able to get to the booth at 8:30pm, thankfully the queue was short, but I couldn't realistically have made it any earlier (unless I'd been granted 3 hour lunch).

 

More reason to make the whole process electronic (and proportional).

[Hatch]

I was in and out in about 90 seconds, and was staggered to see the queues at other polling stations on the telly.

There were at least 8 officials there to see to me and the one other bloke who was there to vote.

 

Surely they know the expected numbers beforehand, so should plan accordingly.

[Barry the Badger]

LOL at the people who think making the voting system "electronic" would improve things or make it simpler.

[SNSUN]

no, if they can't make it in 16 hours then they can get a postal vote. they get no sympathy from me at all.

 

I do shiftwork which is unpredicatable, so I do a postal vote. God knows why more people don't do this - it's so simple!

 

While I don't doubt that some voters had genuine reasons to get to the polling stations so late, you're right - they always have the back up option of a postal vote.

[Doctoroncall]

LOL at the people who think making the voting system "electronic" would improve things or make it simpler.

 

It could, but I've not seen a computerised system deployed in the public arena without issues!

[GenevaSaint]

LOL at the people who think making the voting system "electronic" would improve things or make it simpler.

 

I've worked in IT for 22 years Barry, and it could and should be a possibility. It's only in the public sector that IT projects such as this **** up so much. In the private sector systems that make this look like childs play get implemented without major issues or cost overruns.

[Barry the Badger]

I've worked in IT for 22 years Barry, and it could and should be a possibility. It's only in the public sector that IT projects such as this **** up so much. In the private sector systems that make this look like childs play get implemented without major issues or cost overruns.

 

Sure, I work in IT myself and actually do agree. It SHOULD be easily possible.

 

But I would bet my life on any attempt to computerise the voting system being a complete and total f*ck up.

[IamLeGod]

Correct. Sounds like a load of div students bumbling down there from the pub with no polling cards which slows everything down for everyone else.

 

Frigging stations opened at 7am FFS.

 

Well no not really. If you listened properly you would have seen that students were put into seperate queues in places like Sheffield. Some of whom stood for 3 hours to vote.

 

students you say, i smell liberal voters, i go back to my original comment, lazy long haired druggies shud sort themselves out cos one day'll have to get a job and most of em will end up the tesco fag counter with attitudes like that

 

god, i think it's wrong that students can vote, maybe girls at 18, but lads dpn't grow up til at least 21

 

Seems a tad harsh to blame the 'long haired druggies' as Dune so eloquently put it.

 

Yes, let's take away the vote from Students - because they might be liberal eh Dune?

 

Or are you just worried that the more educated amongst society will disagree with some of your ill-informed opinions?