I don't know about you but my post box has not been groaning under the weight of flyers, leaflets and other glossy ephemera about who I should have voted for. I think its all been a bit quiet on that front. Perhaps even the candidates aren't bothered whether they get any votes.
A work colleague was one of three people on electoral duties at a school. Out of 1000 people registered to vote only 65 did so.
Mind you, at least Barnet had a bit of excitement.
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>> Mind you, at least Barnet had a bit of excitement.
>>
...yeah, maybe there is something in this anti-semitism accustation.......... ;-)
(Mind you, it'll all be the fault of the S Y police, dontcherknow)
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We were going to vote for the Labour candidate but ended up not bothering.
My own reasoning was that there will be a commissioner whatever happens, and that the party the commissioner is attached to is neither here nor there.
Perhaps this means I am an irresponsible person. I always was, a bit. But the commissioner won't be after me because there are plenty out there worse than I am (or so I like to think).
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Gosh, should I have voted for one yesterday? We had no council election but I got no hint that the red-faced, ginger-wigged, ex-Army Tory baboon who got the Thames Valley job in 2012 with 4.5% (yes, one vote in 22) of the eligible votes was up for re-election. I don't remember seeing poll cards at home. Strange.
Last edited by: WillDeBeest on Fri 6 May 16 at 13:34
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>> red-faced, ginger-wigged, ex-Army Tory baboon who got the Thames Valley job in 2012
A pale-faced, punk-haired, former jailbird Labour macaque would make a nice change. The Thames Valley is big enough to take it, surely? Anyway, all things pass...
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6.5%, I might have guessed 15%. But I mentioned this on Wednesday night to a group of fairly engaged people and nearly all said they had had no information or details about who was standing, the implication being that there was probably no point in going to the polling station.
That's true, we have had nothing through the door. Because we have postal votes we looked them up online when the forms came, made our minds up, and voted.
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>> had no information or
>> details about who was standing
Yeah, SWMBO reminded me that yesterday. I guess it's because it's a foregone conclusion and "other" candidates don't want to waste money.
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I'm waiting to see what happens here. The previous incumbent wasted hundreds of thousands on a referendum to see if the council tax payers would accept an increase in their bills to fund extra policing. Guess how they voted?
One candidate has said they won't need an assistant (currently earning around 100K) or a PR company. Got my vote.
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>>The previous incumbent wasted hundreds of thousands on
>> a referendum to see if the council tax payers would accept an increase in their
>> bills to fund extra policing. Guess how they voted?
>> One candidate has said they won't need an assistant (currently earning around 100K) or a
>> PR company. Got my vote.
As did the majority.
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Mindful of the fact that good people have fought and died so that I can have a voting paper, I always make the effort to use it. This time, I wrote across my paper 'The only thing that I know about these people is who they vote for. This is a complete waste of time and money'.
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Why? Do you think someone other that the person who counts it as a spoilt vote is going to read it?
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I voted for my police and crime commisioner.
Did any of you forum members vote yesterday?
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>>
>> Did any of you forum members vote yesterday?
>>
Yes, both in local elections and in the police and crime commissioner election.
The PCC asks for a first and second choice. My second choice won - he was the best of the rest I suppose.
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My first and second choice for the police and crime commisioner did not win.
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Just intrigued as to why you wrote a message. After all all you needed to do was to leave the form blank or put a line though it. I guess it made you feel better
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"Why? Do you think someone other that the person who counts it as a spoilt vote is going to read it?"
Of course not, but a spoilt vote means that at least I could be bothered to get off my ass and say something.
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Our existing Police & Crime Commissioner was re-elected. I saw nothing about who the other candidates were.
I didn't bother to vote, and I'm nt sure many colleagues did, so I'm surprised to see that they had a 64% turnout
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What do you mean by spoilt vote?
Why would you spoil your vote?
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>>>>
>> Of course not, but a spoilt vote means that at least I could be bothered
>> to get off my ass and say something.
>>
Which is even more pointless than not going at all, at least you wouldn't have wasted fuel and/or shoe leather.
As GC said, spoiling your ballot paper is not going to send shock waves through the political establishment. A bored clerk is going to take half a second to scan it before throwing it in the bin and wiping it from his or her memory before they get to the next one.
Something those advocating "None of the above" would do well to remember. If none of the candidates float your boat, stand yourself.
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Why standing for something what shouldn't exist?
Extra cost for the taxpayer having a commissioner which job is pointless in my opinion.
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I disagree with you Dutchie.
I believe that Police and Crime Commisioner are relevant today.
And yes I did vote yesterday.
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" at least you wouldn't have wasted fuel and/or shoe leather."
???
I have a postal vote, and my wife took it with her when she went in to vote. Can I assume that you did waste fuel/shoe leather by going down and voting?
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I see that the pcc election did have a higher turnout than previously, I think it was up about 9% round here. No surprise the conservative chap won.
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I received a voting form for this PCC thingy but no information on any of the candidates. I duly went along to vote, misguidedly thinking there might be some blurb at the polling station. There was none so didn't want to vote without knowing something about them. Crumpled up my paper and gave it to the bored looking pollsters. Wonder how much they got paid for sitting on their arrases all those hours bored stupid?
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"I duly went along to vote, misguidedly thinking there might be some blurb at the polling station."
Polling stations have be, and be seen to be, places of strict neutrality. Any blurb present could be seen as allowing bias. Who misguided you?
"Wonder how much they got paid for sitting on their arrases all those hours bored stupid?"
The pay for a Presiding Officer is roughly £10.86 per hour for 23hrs split between 3 days (training session, collection of equipment, polling day). For a Poll Clerk, it's about £7.85 for 21 hrs split on 2 days (training, polling day).
If you feel that it's easy money, why not apply at your local council offices? If you want a quiet life, try and get a nice little rural polling station. If you'd like a little more excitement, then volunteer for an inner-city polling station when there are 3 elections going on at the same time and you have lots of drunken students and people who can't speak the language but want to vote on behalf of their poorly grandmother who can't get out of bed etc etc etc.
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For a Poll Clerk, it's about
>> £7.85 for 21 hrs split on 2 days (training, polling day).
That's sound alright money plus they're all quiet rural polling stations round here. I would think pretty much LL's way as well.
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I have been a poll clerk a few times.
I do not recall a day of training.
I have seen lots of interesting happenings.
e.g. Hand out the various voting papers and getting responses like " I do not know any of the candidates so can you have the form back?"
Who can have which voting form, parish council, council election,euro election all on the same day so three ballot boxes and chaos ?
The process when a " carer" assists a voter to place their cross on the ballot paper and then trying to explain what a lot more paper work is required as the vote was not private !!!!
I do not think the powers to be liked my comments about their lack of nous in supplying " equipment" . Needed to bring blu tack, sellotape, string etc because the spent all the effort on paperwork and nowt else.
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. Hand out the various voting papers and getting responses like " I do not
>> know any of the candidates so can you have the form back?"
>
what do you do when that happens, just take the form back and bin it?
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"what do you do when that happens, just take the form back and bin it?"
No - ALL voting papers have to be accounted for and returned to the counting centre.
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"I have been a poll clerk a few times.
I do not recall a day of training."
Sorry, Henry, I didn't mean an 'even' split - the vast majority of hours happen on polling day. Our training sessions (there's a fresh one for every election) last for two hours and by the time that you've travelled there and back, that's a half-day gone.
"I do not think the powers to be liked my comments about their lack of nous in supplying " equipment" . Needed to bring blu tack, sellotape, string etc because the spent all the effort on paperwork and nowt else."
Our council provides a 'sundries' pack that contains all that stuff.
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Vera Baird re-elected as PCC for Northumbria.
One of relatively few with serious political experience.
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A Labour candidate won the PCC in Humberside.
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>> get off my ass
No need to bray. You'll go hoarse.
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Is TheManWithNoName, Zero.
Please help.
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Why are you such a complete waste of space?
Please explain.
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Thanks Haywain
I shall do that
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I am not happy with the new Humberside PCC.
The police service in Humberside will fall apart.
Cuts,cuts,cuts thats all it is.
Electing a socialist will not help.
At least Matthew Gove kept the budget in balance.
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Police & Crime Commisioner - yawn - tyrednemotional
