postal votes

[grego]

Well said Acrylic Bob, you did go off on one but it was great reading, I was intending to vote but I think I've left it too late and I cant be bothered to check.

[WillowTheWhisp]

Not too late if you can manage to get it to the relevant office in time. I didn't post mine, it was hand delivered to the council offices at the bottom of Ormerod Street.

On the point of the requirement for a witnesses signature meaning this isn't a secret ballot ------ the paper is perforated and meant to be detached. All the witness is witnessing is your signature on that particular piece, not your vote on the other part. They have to be separated to put in the different envelopes anyway. (ballot paper into inner envelope, witness paper into outer envelope along with inner envelope)

I prefer "live" voting too - at least that way I actually remembered to go and do it. I kept forgetting to fill this flipping form in.

[MikeA]

As a Deputy Returning Officer in the Midlands (but not in Shropshire), I've only just picked up this thread as I'm completely worn out after too many late nights sorting out ballot boxes and counting votes.

There are some interesting points here. Not returning your ballot paper won't have much impact as it won't be recorded; if you really want to register a protest send it back to the Returning Officer, either blank or with a suitable comment written across it. That way it will be officially recorded as a 'spoilt vote'. I saw hundreds of these in the European election. These figures appear on the official declaration and if ever spoilt votes exceed valid ones it will surely hit the national press. As WillowTheWhisp comments, you'll still have to get someone to witness your signature but this is only a verification of your identity - the witness doesn't see your vote.

I haven't experienced bar codes as we still have polling stations down here but, believe me, the old system of recording the ballot paper number on a copy of the electoral roll was purely to prevent fraud. Nobody looks at them after the election unless one of the candidates complains and, after a statutory period, they are simply destroyed. In the unlikely event of a complaint, the police may simply use the copy list to ask an elector whether or not they voted; even then no-one would see how they voted.

Electoral Registration Officers are responsible for looking after ballot papers after an election; they are responsible professionals and would never ever let a politician have access to them.

[ANNE]

I will probably do that at the next elections instead of putting it through the shredder.

[Acrylic-bob]

Many thanks for the reassurance MikeA, but how does one get ones vote registered as an abstention and not a spoiled vote?

[Mik Dickinson]

Well i have enquired at the Münich Embassy about voting.After being informed that i would have to pay my council tax for the last 22 years, the time i have been in Germany, then i would be entitled to vote.
So as Tealeaf would say i opted out