General Chat

I also can't understand why people left it so late to vote, after all the polling stations open at 07.00 and don't close ultil 10.00. I'm sure 15 hours is long enough !
Also . . . . is postal voting available to everyone in the country? If so, why didn't these people use this system, it's so easy?

There was a small queue when I went at around 6pm, but it moved quickly and I don't suppose the whole procedure took longer than 5 mins, but I would have been angry had I stood and queued and not got in in time.
What ever the hours opened, there should be enough staff and forms etc to enable everyone turning up within those hours to cast their vote.
I worked on these polling stations when I worked as a local government office in 1972/3, I was working at a small village station and it was lovely and sunny, enjoyed my day no end and got paid extra too lol

Lizx

Hi Claire, I was saddened to see the mess in some constituencies. Everyone should be able to vote, although I agree 15 hours should be enough to allow this....

We went to our polling station at about 11am and there was no-one in front of us and about 4 people behind. My youngest son (just 18) had been in on his way to school, thrilled that the first time he ever voted was in a general election, and my oldest son went about 2pm when he dragged himself out of bed! He is nearly 23, the lazy so-and-so, but has never bothered before. This time he felt really strongly. My daughter was away from home working so had arranged for me to vote for her as her proxy: have to say the determination of my kids this year surprised me.

My husband has my proxy and he went up early in the morning.
My son waited for his partner to come back from work so they could go together.
But there are people who are working who perhaps could not go early, and they may have been in one of those queues.

Those people did not leave it until the last minute. One woman who was not able to vote had been in the queue for 2 hours. it was a QUEUE.... the problem was that there were not enough people to man the stations...... WHY?

And Theresa, I did not hear that they had run out of forms. That is just awful, isn't it?

An investigation will not get those people their votes back.

Ah well, lets see what happens now.
Deanna X

Well, if they were voting on X Factor, or on Celebrity Dancing the Tango or whatever... they wouldn't have got in after the cut off time, their vote wouldn't have been counted.

There were queues when I went, at about 8pm, but it moved steadily and efficiently....

One of my nephews (almost 17) reckoned last week that a group of his pals were going to blockade the polling station, or hold up the system by going into the stations and making a fuss cos they aren't on the voting schedule, for a lark, to stop folk getting in.... they were all (cept my nephew) missing out on their vote by not being 18 until the new school term, September onwards..... and knew exactly how to mess the system up.

They didn't do it.

But I do wonder if others did.


However, if you have left it too late to queue up, then that is your responsibility.

The only ones I feel sorry for are those who allegedly hung in queues for 5 hours.... something needs to be done about that!

Love

Daff xxxx

Cast my vote around 6pmI didn't have to queue but saw a couple of people leaving as I went in. Was quick as I ahd my voting card, another person goingin as I came out.
However, then walked past another Polling Station (on the way to the chippy) Saw people leaving and going in as I passed, also some groups of young people clasping voting cards seemingly on the way to vote.

It isn't essential to have your voting card when voting.
Polling Stations stay open till 10pm according to my card.
No where does it say, come earlier if you haven't got a card,
or be there ------- minutes before Polling ends to ensure that you are able to vote.
I am amazed that some Polling Stations apparently ran out of voting forms. Although a high turn-out, it isn't as if it was a 90% plus turn out.
Perhaps the long queues were to do with the lack of forms and waiting for some more to come.

Hopefully everyone will learn from the mistakes made this time.

Hullo Mac how are you?

Ukip I think it was in our area went and got the leaflets printed wrong, or summat,
so were barred......

Bob

I voted where I live but felt sorry for those people in Leeds city centre that had waited in the queue for hours,some from 5pm and still didn't get in to vote.there were only 2 people (volunteers)checking everyone off then handing out the papers to vote.

Just 2 people handing out voting papers was ridiculous for the size of the
constituency that they had to deal with.

I can't understand why all those people left it so late.They knew the hours and goodness me 15 hours!! I felt sorry for the people working in the polling stations.How boring handing out voting forms.
Never had this before.When I went to vote,no-one was in there.

We went around 2:30 and there were only a handful of people there at that time. Mind you the old gentlemen ticking your name on the list was oh sooo slooow

I think it may have made a difference in some parts of the country.

I did mine by post but as you will have heard there were problems in other parts of the country.
I cant believe that people have been denied their right to vote becasue of the incompitence of the local councils concerened who,,'didnt think so many would turn up'..
Some people will be outraged,