Just voted

Crapaud

I'm just back from the polling station and I'm surprised at the sheer number of parties that I hadn't heard of. Disappiontingly there weren't any Raving Monster Loony party type candidates. There was the Pirate Party, but, having googled them when I got home, they seem to be serious.

Have you been to vote yet? Any Loonies in your area?

Frank the tank

Yes I have.

Yes there are three tory candidates.

rick_chasey

No local elections where I am...

-spider-

I noted that the Lib Dums were standing in my constituency.

Crapaud

Frank the tank wrote:

Yes I have.

Yes there are three tory candidates.

Three? The Tories, Lib Dems and who else?

I've just realised that George Galloway was standing, so maybe I was wrong.

Cleat Eastwood

in the true spirit of democracy our candidate is standing un-opposed,

RichN95.

Cleat Eastwood wrote:

in the true spirit of democracy our candidate is standing un-opposed,

Is that the Al Qaeda leadership election?

jswba

Cleat Eastwood wrote:

in the true spirit of democracy our candidate is standing un-opposed,

If only you had AV...

shouldbeinbed

Just the 3 Labour, Tory overlord and liberal lackey

We had the pirates last time out for the Debbie Abrahams by election

skyd0g

-spider- wrote:

I noted that the Lib Dums were standing in my constituency.

they're standing in a number of constituencies now, as they appear to have lost their seats.

Buckled_Rims

I just do postal votes now. Can't be arsed with candidates standing outside asking questions.

fish156

Buckled_Rims wrote:

I just do postal votes now. Can't be arsed with candidates standing outside asking questions.

+1

"I've already voted" is also a great way to get rid of doorstep canvassers.

StillGoing

They've learned never to stop me and ask if they can rely on my vote. No matter which party they are, they're a majority of lying scum in it for themselves. I wrote to my local MP telling him that after 30 odd years of voting for him and his party that they will never get my vote again. Must have hit a nerve as his reply was quite terse and merely confirmed my decision. This year we had three votes so I gave them one each so we can do it all again in 6 months when they can't agree on anything.

Makes me laugh how it's all supposed to be anonymous, but they assign a ballot slip number to your vote that is recorded against your name. They can tell exactly how you voted and your voting history.

forward_loop

philthy3 wrote:

They've learned never to stop me and ask if they can rely on my vote. No matter which party they are, they're a majority of lying scum in it for themselves. I wrote to my local MP telling him that after 30 odd years of voting for him and his party that they will never get my vote again. Must have hit a nerve as his reply was quite terse and merely confirmed my decision. This year we had three votes so I gave them one each so we can do it all again in 6 months when they can't agree on anything.

Makes me laugh how it's all supposed to be anonymous, but they assign a ballot slip number to your vote that is recorded against your name. They can tell exactly how you voted and your voting history.

eeerrrr - no !!

They can tell whether you voted or not - so they dont end up with 1,000's of fraudulent votes- they cant tell WHO you voted for (thats the piece of paper with no markings on it other then the candidates and your cross) after they have confirmed you are eligible.

(unless you wrote your name on it in which case it will not be counted)

forward_loop

philthy3 wrote:

They've learned never to stop me and ask if they can rely on my vote. No matter which party they are, they're a majority of lying scum in it for themselves. I wrote to my local MP telling him that after 30 odd years of voting for him and his party that they will never get my vote again. Must have hit a nerve as his reply was quite terse and merely confirmed my decision. This year we had three votes so I gave them one each so we can do it all again in 6 months when they can't agree on anything.

Makes me laugh how it's all supposed to be anonymous, but they assign a ballot slip number to your vote that is recorded against your name. They can tell exactly how you voted and your voting history.

eeerrrr - no !!

They can tell whether you voted or not - so they dont end up with 1,000's of fraudulent votes- they cant tell WHO you voted for (thats the piece of paper with no markings on it other then the candidates and your cross) after they have confirmed you are eligible.

(unless you wrote your name on it in which case it will not be counted)

Crapaud

Well, that was an interesting result (up here anyway). The Tories were wiped out a while ago, the LibDems wiped out because of their affilliation to the Tories in Westminster and Labour trying their best to wipe themselves off the political map through ineptitude and blandness. Interesting times ahead, I fear.

I thought it was curious that Cameron would 'fight independance with every fiber of his being'. I can't think of a better way to get Scotland to vote for independance than to have a Tory to tell us not to.

Politics has just got even more interesting.

StillGoing

Forward loop wrote:

philthy3 wrote:

They've learned never to stop me and ask if they can rely on my vote. No matter which party they are, they're a majority of lying scum in it for themselves. I wrote to my local MP telling him that after 30 odd years of voting for him and his party that they will never get my vote again. Must have hit a nerve as his reply was quite terse and merely confirmed my decision. This year we had three votes so I gave them one each so we can do it all again in 6 months when they can't agree on anything.

Makes me laugh how it's all supposed to be anonymous, but they assign a ballot slip number to your vote that is recorded against your name. They can tell exactly how you voted and your voting history.

eeerrrr - no !!

They can tell whether you voted or not - so they dont end up with 1,000's of fraudulent votes- they cant tell WHO you voted for (thats the piece of paper with no markings on it other then the candidates and your cross) after they have confirmed you are eligible.

(unless you wrote your name on it in which case it will not be counted)

At the top of your voting slip is a seriel number. That seriel number is checked off against your name on a sheet when you get given it. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to work out that they can retrieve your voting slip, against the seriel number to record how you vote. Think it doesn't happen? Then why the seriel number on the voting slip? Of course it happens, it's the government of the days way of keeping tabs on it's population.

verylonglegs

One thing I do think is we need less politicians, there are far too many now for them to be effective.

Buckled_Rims

verylonglegs wrote:

One thing I do think is we need less politicians, there are far too many now for them to be effective.

The big problem is that the political parties are not representative to those they "supposedly" represent. Look at how many solicitors, lawyers and barristers who are Labour candidates. Is it any wonder then that there's a huge increase in new legislation when they are themselves are involved in law and their old firms benefit from this increased demand?

Cleat Eastwood

philthy3 wrote:

Forward loop wrote:

philthy3 wrote:

They've learned never to stop me and ask if they can rely on my vote. No matter which party they are, they're a majority of lying scum in it for themselves. I wrote to my local MP telling him that after 30 odd years of voting for him and his party that they will never get my vote again. Must have hit a nerve as his reply was quite terse and merely confirmed my decision. This year we had three votes so I gave them one each so we can do it all again in 6 months when they can't agree on anything.

Makes me laugh how it's all supposed to be anonymous, but they assign a ballot slip number to your vote that is recorded against your name. They can tell exactly how you voted and your voting history.

eeerrrr - no !!

They can tell whether you voted or not - so they dont end up with 1,000's of fraudulent votes- they cant tell WHO you voted for (thats the piece of paper with no markings on it other then the candidates and your cross) after they have confirmed you are eligible.

(unless you wrote your name on it in which case it will not be counted)

At the top of your voting slip is a seriel number. That seriel number is checked off against your name on a sheet when you get given it. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to work out that they can retrieve your voting slip, against the seriel number to record how you vote. Think it doesn't happen? Then why the seriel number on the voting slip? Of course it happens, it's the government of the days way of keeping tabs on it's population.

Thats not how it works phil. I've been a poll clerk on a number of occasions. Your name is crossed off a list from the electoral register relevant to that ward so that no one can vote again with your name from your address.

The serial number is actually the sequential number of the ballot from a book of 1000 ( polling stations have about 5 books/5000 ballot papers depending on the area). Its used at the end of the day to tally against votes cast and ballot papers issued.


It is completely anonymous.

StillGoing

What happens to the sheet? When I'm given my ballot paper, the seriel number is read out by the person handing it to me and written alongside my name on the voter list by the other person. It wouldn't be difficult for those papers, which must be kept somewhere, to be checked against the ballot papers after elections to record how people voted. There must be a room in GCHQ somewhere with some boff doing just that for the benefit of the Security Services. I know it means that no one can come in after me with a forged voting card and be given another voting slip, but I remain convinced its original intended use has been adapted to other means?

Cleat Eastwood

the serial number is only on the stub in the booklet not on the ballot paper, so theres no way to trace how you voted only that you did vote.

All of the remaining stubs/ballot papers etc are at the end of the day sealed in an envelope and only opened if there is a discrepancy in the results. Then they are incinerated.

But it does have it flaws you're right.

For example you dont need a voting card you can just turn up and say your name and address. If you know the names and adds of your neighbours theres nothing to stop you making multiple votes around the ward.....and vote for the I blame wiggle party.