Photo ID required if you want to vote in person

[french frank]

Siunds like the local authority is to blame (or political organisations?) for those errors - for a change! Late delivery is another matter.

With the unaddressed free Election Communication (thus marked), the political parties just hand over the correct number of items for the number of households. As long as the communication has all the correct information (candidate name, constituency &c) the leaflets are just handed over to Royal Mail in bulk. I think it's up to RM to decide which letterboxes they're supposed to go into, constituency by constituency. I'll see if I get one tomorrow :-)

[burning dog]

FF. You are quite correct if you are talking about Election Communication

[Dave2002]

My point is that in the UK you never know whether your vote has been counted or assigned to the candidate you chose.

In some countries of course your vote will probably be counted, and assigned to a candidate you didn't want.

So elections in the UK are a matter of trust, honesty etc. Putting id codes on ballot papers could increase surety that all the votes were scrutinised and correctly assigned, but sadly that could also cause severe security risks for some individuals in some countries.

It is not easy - one just has to hope. The failure to get polling cards out, or postal votes out in a timely fashion is a major issue - though whether it will actually have an unwanted outcome depends very much on circumstances.

[french frank]

My point is that in the UK you never know whether your vote has been counted or assigned to the candidate you chose.

After the election candidates and their agents can get a copy of the marked register from the council's electoral services office. When your ballot paper is handed to you to complete the teller checks that your name appears on the register and ticks it off. So it's technically possible if not very practical. And would you want to know once the election is over? You can leave it to your candidate's team to check that all their votes go on the right pile.

[oddoneout]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/03/close-election-results-could-be-challenged-over-delayed-postal-votes

This GE might be one where missed votes from the likes of missing postal papers etc is more of an issue.

[Serial_Apologist]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics...d-postal-votes

This GE might be one where missed votes from the likes of missing postal papers etc is more of an issue.

How would the posters know?

[oddoneout]

How would the posters know?

I don't suppose they would but the information as to whether an individual's vote has been received is recorded as part of the process for dealing with postal votes, although it isn't the main objective, so does exist. Same as the in person ballot where the ballot paper is linked to the individual it was issued to/who used it when issued at the polling station.
Where results are very close then the number of vote packs not received, and so not able to be used by electors, becomes relevant I assume. Whether the number that have not/are suspected not to have been received to be processed is taken into account I don't know - may be not if the ballot is going to be re-run anyway.
This gives an idea of why processing postal votes can take some time? No wonder things get held up in some cases.

https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/guidance-returning-officers-administering-local-government-elections-england/absent-voting/receiving-and-opening-postal-votes/process-opening-postal-votes

[Ein Heldenleben]

I sent my postal vote back in plenty of time - and it only had to go a few miles. I could have taken it directly to the council offices.

In either case, how would I ever know if it was (a) received at the intended destination, and (b) ever actually counted?

In the end it's just a matter of trust that if we send things back in time they will be counted and added into the counts.

How would I ever find out if anything else had happened?

I’m pretty sure that is a postal vote as with a physical vote you will be marked off as having voted via a line through your electoral register number. In theory that process should be FOI- able . I think there’s even a way of matching the ballot paper to the number but it’s made deliberately cumbersome to protect the secrecy of the vote cast. If memory serves the electoral reg no is written on the counter foil to the voting slip when handed to you by the clerks at the polling station. So a ballot paper could be matched to a counterfoil. I think these are deliberately kept in separate sacks and destroyed separately. I’ve been at quite a few counts and I can assure you that the level of scrutiny by both independent officers and party reps is extraordinary. P

The real problems are abuse of postal ballots at nursing homes , in cultures where the “man of the house” decides where the family vote goes, multiple illegal registration , and late delivery of postal votes - several thousand went astray in my constituency (where I live ) at the last election. It didn’t make a difference to the result but it was a major scandal.
Your vote will be counted and it will be against the right name. However I would always deliver a postal ballot by hand.

[oliver sudden]

I’m registered as an overseas voter and was told to sort out a proxy since the ballot paper might not make it to Germany and back in time. I don’t have anyone who could have done that in my constituency so got a friend in London to do it, but in the end we missed the deadline to apply for a postal vote for him by a couple of hours.

But as it happens, in any case I am currently in the UK (nowhere near my constituency) to do some recording. I had planned to be travelling directly home from here on Thursday. Instead I shall get myself as close to my polling station as possible tomorrow evening, then go the rest of the way in the morning, vote as early as I can, then head down to London for my flight in the afternoon. If I have time I shall have a cup of tea with the current residents of the house I was born in.

Wish me luck!

(PS: no I couldn’t realistically have asked the people I’ll be having tea with, I haven’t actually met them in person yet…)

I have voted! Spent the night in Ipswich (might go for Felixstowe if there’s a next time ), got the bus to Trimley St Martin, did my democracy thing, had the aforementioned cup of tea as well as some toast, had a tour of the house I was born in, took lots of photos to send to Mum, had a phone call with Mum and the current residents, they made me sandwiches and drove me to the station.

(Actually if there is a next time they suggested I stay with them.)

So, that was nice. Might be more niceness on the way if the polls are right.

[french frank]

I have voted!

Heroic. Well done! Question: why does the BBC always illustrate polling day with photographs of dogs?

[oddoneout]

I have voted! Spent the night in Ipswich (might go for Felixstowe if there’s a next time ), got the bus to Trimley St Martin, did my democracy thing, had the aforementioned cup of tea as well as some toast, had a tour of the house I was born in, took lots of photos to send to Mum, had a phone call with Mum and the current residents, they made me sandwiches and drove me to the station.

(Actually if there is a next time they suggested I stay with them.)

So, that was nice. Might be more niceness on the way if the polls are right.

Whatever else happens that was a "Good News" story. Good to hear that your arrangements all worked out, and might lead to further pleasant encounters.

[Old Grumpy]

Question: why does the BBC always illustrate polling day with photographs of dogs?

Because "Brtiain is a nation of dog lovers"...


...well I'm bloody well not!

[Pulcinella]

I have voted! Spent the night in Ipswich (might go for Felixstowe if there’s a next time ), got the bus to Trimley St Martin, did my democracy thing, had the aforementioned cup of tea as well as some toast, had a tour of the house I was born in, took lots of photos to send to Mum, had a phone call with Mum and the current residents, they made me sandwiches and drove me to the station.

(Actually if there is a next time they suggested I stay with them.)

So, that was nice. Might be more niceness on the way if the polls are right.

Ah: Rish!'s favourite meal, apparently.
But presumably not at 6pm on a Friday, with his family.

I was both amused and annoyed at having to give my full name when I voted, despite saying to the polling station clerk: It's right there on my photo ID!

[LMcD]

I have voted! Spent the night in Ipswich (might go for Felixstowe if there’s a next time ), got the bus to Trimley St Martin, did my democracy thing, had the aforementioned cup of tea as well as some toast, had a tour of the house I was born in, took lots of photos to send to Mum, had a phone call with Mum and the current residents, they made me sandwiches and drove me to the station.

(Actually if there is a next time they suggested I stay with them.)

So, that was nice. Might be more niceness on the way if the polls are right.

Lovely polling weather in Felixstowe today! I'm hoping that my vote might actually matter for once.

[Simon Biazeck]

I have been abroad on the ROH tour to Japan, so I delivered my postal vote to the polling station. Fortunately, my first full day back in the UK is polling day.