UK General Election 4th July – are you registered to vote? NON POLITICAL POST
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Anyone working on a Count should have been made aware that they cannot leave until released by the Returning Officer. They should also be aware that the count has to be carried out in such a way that it can be readily observed by candidates, agents, and observers.
Prior to the introduction of photo ID, the only check was that the person applying for a ballot paper had to state their name out loud, and the Poll Clerk issuing the Ballot Paper repeated the name of the voter (and their elector number). Other voters or other people in the Polling Station could draw attention to anyone falsely claiming to be a person named on the register. The system worked reasonably well in the days when we all knew our neighbours.
Voter ID was introduced in NI more than 20 years ago, and has been used in E&W for local elections since May 23.
@Andrew. Rishi only knows the English private schools holiday dates! Apparently everyone in NI is upset for the same reason.
But why on earth does anyone bother to vote in person these days 🤷♀️
But drawing a willie against a candidate is also likely to result in the paper being rejected for uncertainty.
Yes it will but it brightens up a boring count for the count staff.
Also worked the counts in days gone by, we walked out one year because of the tantrums by the candidates. The Council booked in local bank cashiers like me to do the counts, and the candidates started complaining that the cashiers were sorting and counting the votes so quickly that they couldn’t keep up. For some reason the candidates thought we should be counting them out one at a time like the Post Office would to someone vulnerable. We were flicking the votes like cash (a counting method where you hold notes firmly tensioned in the left hand and “walk” the notes with the first three fingers of your right)
It was an absolute farce, the returning officer actually ordered the Police to stop us from leaving.
Never again.
That’s funny. At the London count we had to verify the number of papers one by one making a new pile, not flicking through them in the corner of the paper.
They should have hired council staff not bank clerks!
Anyone working on a Count should have been made aware that they cannot leave until released by the Returning Officer. They should also be aware that the count has to be carried out in such a way that it can be readily observed by candidates, agents, and observers.
Prior to the introduction of photo ID, the only check was that the person applying for a ballot paper had to state their name out loud, and the Poll Clerk issuing the Ballot Paper repeated the name of the voter (and their elector number). Other voters or other people in the Polling Station could draw attention to anyone falsely claiming to be a person named on the register. The system worked reasonably well in the days when we all knew our neighbours.
Voter ID was introduced in NI more than 20 years ago, and has been used in E&W for local elections since May 23.
It was often difficult to get voters to state their name out loud so we could repeat it, especially those who have brought their card with them as they would say ‘it’s on there’. It was to time consuming to explain about needing it for personation purposes.
Which I believe means to impersonate, represent, or assume without authority. I just said it was for legal purposes, but it often didn’t go down to well, as I guess they thought we were being bureaucratic for the sake of it, and not for a legitimate reason.
The language I want to use to express my ire for the lot running the last 14 years, wont be hfp friendly.
I can’t believe we still spend millions on humans to count the votes when a country like India has been using voting machines for years now.
Surely it can’t be difficult to set up an online version using the government gateway sign in?
But why on earth does anyone bother to vote in person these days 🤷♀️
My polling station is 10 yards from my workplace. Considerably closer than the post box :p
@AndrewBut why on earth does anyone bother to vote in person these days 🤷♀️
Our polling station is a rather beautiful one mile walk across fields to the village hall and one usually bumps into someone interesting there. The letterbox is slightly further and it anyway seems rather less participative than voting in person.
@Andrew. Rishi only knows the English private schools holiday dates! Apparently everyone in NI is upset for the same reason.
But why on earth does anyone bother to vote in person these days 🤷♀️
maybe it’s just me, but I quite like walking round to my local polling station on a summers night. I’m nearly one of the last ones in there and ask them if they have been busy. I usually stop off and have a pint on the way back.
@Andrew. Rishi only knows the English private schools holiday dates! Apparently everyone in NI is upset for the same reason.
But why on earth does anyone bother to vote in person these days 🤷♀️
maybe it’s just me, but I quite like walking round to my local polling station on a summers night. I’m nearly one of the last ones in there and ask them if they have been busy. I usually stop off and have a pint on the way back.
Yes there is something likable and old school about going out to vote in person, although I do agree that it’s a costly system. I’m sure years ago I did one election where the count was done electronically, and it seemed to be successful, so I don’t know why they didn’t carry on with it.
Anyone working on a Count should have been made aware that they cannot leave until released by the Returning Officer. They should also be aware that the count has to be carried out in such a way that it can be readily observed by candidates, agents, and observers.
When I’m told that something *cannot* be done, I’m very much in favour of evidencing that it can be done.
How hard is it to count at the same speed as someone’s fingers are moving?
@Andrew. Rishi only knows the English private schools holiday dates! Apparently everyone in NI is upset for the same reason.
But why on earth does anyone bother to vote in person these days 🤷♀️
maybe it’s just me, but I quite like walking round to my local polling station on a summers night. I’m nearly one of the last ones in there and ask them if they have been busy. I usually stop off and have a pint on the way back.
I usually get excited by the late-night swingometer, but it looks like it’s already swung…
@JDB, it sounds idyllic, though I’m very surprised you won’t be somewhere like Patagonia or Outer Mongolia on that date. Did Dave give you a heads up 🤷♀️😂
I can’t believe we still spend millions on humans to count the votes when a country like India has been using voting machines for years now.
Surely it can’t be difficult to set up an online version using the government gateway sign in?
The London Mayor and GLA elections count used to be automated. They used people this time. Maybe more chance of fraud if automated?
@JDB, it sounds idyllic, though I’m very surprised you won’t be somewhere like Patagonia or Outer Mongolia on that date. Did Dave give you a heads up 🤷♀️😂
Dave didn’t know! He has postponed drink until after GE. As he is no longer an MP, at least he no longer needs to borrow my Dad’s shooting car for his election campaign to appear man of the people.
July wouldn’t be ideal in either of those places but actually, since we aren’t tied to school holidays we generally avoid going away in July/August to avoid the hordes of amateur travellers at airports, overcrowded places, high season prices and more.
Mick Jagger always told me not to name drop
Ooh yes let’s use the American vote counting model
Early night, then @Michael C? Result might be in quickly. I remember it was an early night when everyone got fed up with Labour and there was a massive landslide victory of the Tories.
Well, only 41 more sleeps until the next massive landslide. Phew!
It was an absolute farce, the returning officer actually ordered the Police to stop us from leaving.
I’d like to think that was the end of all counting for that day and you all walked off the job?
I can’t believe we still spend millions on humans to count the votes when a country like India has been using voting machines for years now.
Surely it can’t be difficult to set up an online version using the government gateway sign in?
The London Mayor and GLA elections count used to be automated. They used people this time. Maybe more chance of fraud if automated?
Yes that was the one I was thinking of that had am automated count.
I thought it was a good idea, although from the dark recesses of my mind, I seem to remember having to tell every voter not to fold their ballot paper, which many didn’t like as they had been folding them for 30 odd years and didn’t see why they should stop now etc etc
It was automated inasmuch as the ballot papers were scanned and digitally read – I don’t think it was the first time the method was used, but I seem to recall there were problems with the fibres from the paper stock used causing frequent jams in the scanners and some breakages.
I would guess that each machine was manually loaded (not one by one, hopefully), but that would require manual sorting and loading of the ballot papers first.
I imagine there would need to be a fair bit of programming/training for the reader software each election – particularly for local elections, where there must be quite a few different ballot papers in each Count area.
Once security has become bullet proof, electronic voting will be the way forward – which will lead to shouts of discrimination against the less techno-able of society and accusations of vote rigging galore
It was automated inasmuch as the ballot papers were scanned and digitally read – I don’t think it was the first time the method was used, but I seem to recall there were problems with the fibres from the paper stock used causing frequent jams in the scanners and some breakages.
I would guess that each machine was manually loaded (not one by one, hopefully), but that would require manual sorting and loading of the ballot papers first.
I imagine there would need to be a fair bit of programming/training for the reader software each election – particularly for local elections, where there must be quite a few different ballot papers in each Count area.
Once security has become bullet proof, electronic voting will be the way forward – which will lead to shouts of discrimination against the less techno-able of society and accusations of vote rigging galore
I did wonder if it was technical issues that stopped it becoming the norm. I actually stopped doing the count, as having worked non-stop from 5am to 10.30 pm, I was no longer at my best. As you say hopefully security will become bullet proof, and thus save a lot of money.
Well, only 41 more sleeps until the next massive landslide. Phew!
Well, only 41 more sleeps until we start blaming the other party! – ftfy.
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