Anyone have problems voting yesterday?

[Rhona]

with 15 hours to vote in, i think there was plenty of time to vote, whether in work or not.

Not so, I'm afraid. There were two hour queues throughout the day at our polling station. We tried three times (despite pouring rain!), then Mr R got turned away at 10.00 p.m. One woman he spoke with had tried seven times through the day. With the best will in the world, I can't stay in a queue, in the rain, with a two year old and a nine month old baby for two hours!

Ollie - I think I get your point to an extent regarding people who are unemployed, for example, but I'm not sure why a 'house wife' would necessarily vote a different way to someone working. I'm taking a career break to raise our family, so I am a stay-at-home-mother at the moment, but my politics haven't changed as a result!

[Caro]

Straightforward for me, but my brother was surprised to discover he'd been removed from the electoral roll after 2008, even though he's not moved or anything. I'm assuming he failed to fill in a form in 2008 we all had to fill in to remain eligible?

[OllieMartin]

Ollie - I think I get your point to an extent regarding people who are unemployed, for example, but I'm not sure why a 'house wife' would necessarily vote a different way to someone working. I'm taking a career break to raise our family, so I am a stay-at-home-mother at the moment, but my politics haven't changed as a result!

Pure speculation on my part, but I was thinking that the unemployed might avoid voting Conservative because they had the most serious plans on the reduction of benefits. The Employed would possibly vote for the party with the best policies on income tax and NI reduction.

...maybe?

[Mick O]

No problem. I decided to be postal voter.

[Alison]

No problems at all voting here, me and OH went after work and we were the only ones there although (the polling station is at the school opposite our house) we noticed a steady stream before and afterwards. Sadly am not happy with the result in our area but in an area where the seat changed hands (old MP had stood down anyway) I knew that my vote was relevant.

One thing though, a couple of friends who live very close to me both had different polling stations to each other and to me (ie at least 3 in a fairly small area) and am pretty sure that even if everybody had turned up at our polling station at the same time then we'd have still all been sorted in a couple of hours so can only assume that some areas (eg Sheffield) must have a much lower concentration of stations than we do, very strange.

[Rhona]

... so can only assume that some areas (eg Sheffield) must have a much lower concentration of stations than we do, very strange.

I'm not sure about that part - possibly. I do know that on our first attempt at voting, one of the people in charge of the station went running past us shrieking something about 'we haven't got enough people' and 'someone hasn't turned up.' Immediately reassuring.

I know one of the reasons given by the returning officer for such a 'rum do' as Jonathan Dimbleby put it last night, was the huge amount of students turning up to vote. Not so at ours - hardly any students around here.

There's a certain expectation to vote, and attempts to get people engaged in politics etc. and failure to ensure people can actually cast their vote when they try to is very poor.

Ah well. Since Cleggy won by a landslide here, it wouldn't have made much difference I suppose.

[enrich100]

My only problem was enjoying each and every MP that stood after claiming they had immunity from from paying back their ilegal expences claims loose their seats. sadly it seems some are entitled upto £65000 to a get back to a normal life handshake deal and they get legal aid to fight the repayments which makes me not so happy

[Helgalush]

Pure speculation on my part, but I was thinking that the unemployed might avoid voting Conservative because they had the most serious plans on the reduction of benefits. The Employed would possibly vote for the party with the best policies on income tax and NI reduction.

...maybe?

Or maybe they will vote for the party that they think is most likely to boost the economy and employment rates?

[OllieMartin]

Or maybe they will vote for the party that they think is most likely to boost the economy and employment rates?

Which pary is that then?

[Hilary B]

One thing mentioned with the long queues was that some people (students were mentioned as especially likely to do so) were arriving at the polling station without polling cards, which means it takes longer to sort out who is who and who has already voted. Can't see it taing much longer for that if the way they do it around here is anything to go by. One collects the cards, the other one still looks people up by address to tick off who has voted!

[Sanjo]

One thing mentioned with the long queues was that some people (students were mentioned as especially likely to do so) were arriving at the polling station without polling cards, which means it takes longer to sort out who is who and who has already voted. Can't see it taing much longer for that if the way they do it around here is anything to go by. One collects the cards, the other one still looks people up by address to tick off who has voted!

Yep,that happens here too, after they have shouted out your name very loudly and then mark you off on the list.
My OH thinks I'm paranoid because it always seems to me that they are keeping a check of what number I am. Big Brother or what!!!!
No wonder I have sleepless nights

[enrich100]

Student usually get the blame for not voting, atleast they have made the effort, remember for most its the first time they vote so it is understandable they might not know the correct process