Reply to: My poling card just came in the post....

[oraclesmith]

What would happen if a fascist government ever came to power and started looking for contrary minded citizens or perhaps Labour would want to publicly identify BNP voters?

The incumbent government would have nothing to do with it. The storage and disposal process is controlled by the Courts and local authority officers - not council members, MP's or anyone else. Local authority officers, like most civil servants, are actually very resistant to interference by politicians/councillors, especially where they have the law on their side. If an activist ever demanded a deco at the ballot papers, they would be very likely to get a visit from the cops.

If an extremist government got in - like the Nazi's in the 30's, then of course they could do anything they wanted - to override any existing legal structure - providing they had the military/police support needed. But if they had that, they wouldn't need to have an election, would they?

[Troll]

Yes that's right. Your electoral number is required on the voting papers counterfoil (by law). You shouldn't argue it out with the poll clerk as they are just doing their job.

I used to get a few people on every election challenging this, and there is a fairly standard reply - something along the lines of;

'Your electoral number is marked on the counterfoil according to electoral law. The ballot papers and the counterfoils are handled completely seperately by different electoral officers, are stored securely and seperately for X months and are only brought together on the orders of a Court of Law should there be an investigation into the electoral process'

What would happen if a fascist government ever came to power and started looking for contrary minded citizens or perhaps Labour would want to publicly identify BNP voters?

[scooterscot]

I look forward to you not commenting on the quality of government we have until the next election then.

Find a post of mine where I have done. Go on I'll eat my hat if you can.


I'll vote on council issues, things that effect me locally, like the smegging trams, I've even taking the time to write to councillors on more than one occasion. I did not see 'none of the above option' last time I looked, so what can I do?

[scooterscot]

Don't you recycle it?

But of course. The shredded remains go into the compost heap. Some months later the compost is used on the veggie patch. If you look closely at my genetically altered bourganvilia the leafs read "Take that account number you thieving Nigerian gypsies"

[Clippy]

Electing not to vote is exercising his democratic right to disagree with all of the candidates.

All voting forms should have a "none of the above" option.

AndyW option!

[oraclesmith]

Yes that's right. Your electoral number is required on the voting papers counterfoil (by law). You shouldn't argue it out with the poll clerk as they are just doing their job.

I used to get a few people on every election challenging this, and there is a fairly standard reply - something along the lines of;

'Your electoral number is marked on the counterfoil according to electoral law. The ballot papers and the counterfoils are handled completely seperately by different electoral officers, are stored securely and seperately for X months and are only brought together on the orders of a Court of Law should there be an investigation into the electoral process'

Some people think that the political canvassers who turn up at the door must access this information, but this is not correct. What they do is mark on their copy of the register who they think has voted and keep records of who claimed to vote for them when they asked in previous years. So when they say 'I see you voted for us at the last election, can we count on your vote again?' it's based on that information and not the official ballot papers.

[EternalOptimist]

I had quite an argument the last time I voted as the person at the desk checking your details against the electoral roll adds a unique number to your voting card, meaning the voting card could be tracked back to you.

This is justified as all returns are sealed for 100 years bolluxs

Last permie job I had, we had to distribute 30 survey forms to be filled in at the meeting by thirty engineers. They were highly reluctant, because they were feedback forms on the area managers performance, and they were afraid the forms were marked in some way.
So we put all the forms in a heap, shuffled them and told them to take one at random. This pleased them, and they duly filled them in.
Unfortunately for them, all thirty marked the manager down as a total @rse

[Troll]

Found it. I think.

I think that was the Electoral Administration Act 2006:

"Among its main provisions, the Act:

* Allows people to register anonymously on electoral registers

I had quite an argument the last time I voted as the person at the desk checking your details against the electoral roll adds a unique number to your voting card, meaning the voting card could be tracked back to you.

This is justified as all returns are sealed for 100 years bolluxs

[oraclesmith]

As a Presiding Officer at many local elections, I can tell you that your poll card has next to no value in terms of the election process.

- It is advisory only, telling you where and when you can vote.
- It does not entitle you to vote.
- The polling clerk/presiding officer should ask you your identity when you get your voting papers, regardless of whether you have a poll card.
- You don't need your poll card to vote, you just have to declare your name and address.

Pretty much the only people who value them are the political party tellers on the door, who may ask for them as you leave so that they know who has voted (but not what they voted for). They do this to cross ref against a list of their own supporters so they can rustle up any latecomers.

[TykeMerc]

WTF

It means that you don't appear on the commercially available Register of Electors. There's a tick box on the form to keep you off the copy that's sold to all of the marketing scumbags.

[HairyArsedBloke]

"Among its main provisions, the Act:

* Allows people to register anonymously on electoral registers
* Allows for alterations to ballot paper designs, including the of photographs on ballot papers
* Bars candidates from using in their name or description expressions such as "Don't vote for them" or "None of the above""

WTF

[Pogle]

....and in the shredder it goes.

Don't you recycle it?

[Platypus]

Should I sell them on eBay?

Offer your vote to Gordo for a quid?

[BrowneIssue]

We eventualy had empty seats on the exec.

... which, if it got little done except what needed to be done, was probably a good thing.

I quite like the idea of an empty Commons that does nothing for a few months. They don't actually 'run' the country They just bugger about, start illegal wars, line their pockets with our tax money and spend more time talking about themselves than ever doing any work.

[BrowneIssue]

I agree. And Parliament knows that so many of us now agree that they made that illegal in the last lot of electoral 'reforms'.

That shows they all know how tulipe they are.

Found it. I think.

I think that was the Electoral Administration Act 2006:

"Among its main provisions, the Act:

* Allows people to register anonymously on electoral registers
* Allows for alterations to ballot paper designs, including the of photographs on ballot papers
* Bars candidates from using in their name or description expressions such as "Don't vote for them" or "None of the above""

I think it is sections 48 and 49.