no wonder its easy to cheat the voting system

chav1 · 05-05-2005, 15:14

2 points about todays voting that worry me

i live right next door to a polling station yet i had to walk 1/2 a mile to the polling station on blackburn road

this makes me think that something is not right with how the boundreis of voting are decided and that they purpously didnt want my street voting in its own area to shif our voters to blackburn road

i have no idea how elections work but why was my vote shifted to blackburn road area when i am clearly in milnshaw ward

the second most alarming fact is that in the polling station on blackburn road you voted with a pencil to make your cross

call me paranoid but pencil markings can easily be erased and with all the election fraud been commited it makes me wonder if my vote has been altered as it would be so easy to do

i asked why it was pencil and was ignored

forgive me for been an idiot if it has always been tha case that you vote with a pencil i have only voted once before and cant remember if it was pen or pencil but with all the election fraud going on these days wouldnt a pen be more appropiate

vorlon24 · 05-05-2005, 16:04

Up until this election I think I have always voted with a pencil.

I think it may have been a chinagraph one, as pens run out and normal pencils break.

I only voted with a pen this time because it was done by post

chav1 · 05-05-2005, 16:27

so it looks like we have to rely on the honesty of the people in charge

vorlon24 · 05-05-2005, 16:29

I never really gave it much thought.

You drop your piece of paper in the slot and go home.

They take it somewhere, unlock it later on and do what they have to do.

If you worry about the integrity of anyone you'd never get anything done. Sometimes you just have to trust people

Tealeaf · 05-05-2005, 16:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by chav1

so it looks like we have to rely on the honesty of the people in charge

.........and also the honesty of the people who walk into the polling station. This morning, I left the flat without my polling card but did have my passport on me. The only thing I had to do was give my full name and address and I was handed a ballot paper...no request for identification whatsoever. I could have easily have said I was someone else in the block, used their vote this morning and come gone back tonight for another go.

vorlon24 · 05-05-2005, 16:39

But then they might get suspicious if there was 2 votes for UKIP!!!

chav1 · 05-05-2005, 16:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by vorlon24

If you worry about the integrity of anyone you'd never get anything done. Sometimes you just have to trust people

in todays world that just cant be done especialy with election fraud happening as near as blackburn

this country need a more secure voting system we live in the year 2005 for christs sake and the best defense against election fraud is a mark made by a pencil

all it takes to win the election is a rubber

lettie · 05-05-2005, 16:46

I voted at St Johns School this morning and it was definitely with a little biro on a piece of string...

chav1 · 05-05-2005, 16:57

i bet it was one of those biros that has the ink that can be rubbed out lol

lettie · 05-05-2005, 16:59

Hehehe, it was one of those sort that everyone nicks from the bookies..

chav1 · 05-05-2005, 17:03

your vote is safe then because that ink just dosnt shift especialy after one of those pens leaks in your pocket lol

Sparkologist · 05-05-2005, 17:08

Was it a blue pen or a red one Lettie?

If it was blue, I will lay a bet that the nearest bookies was Uncle Joe Corals.
If it was a red one, I deduce that the nearest gambling establishment was William Hills.

Sherlock Holmes had nowt on me.

lettie · 05-05-2005, 17:15

It was a blue one. I think it's wonderful that the powers that be are saving public money by nicking pens from the bookies.

WillowTheWhisp · 05-05-2005, 17:39

It could have come from Argos. They have little pens there too.

I've always voted with a pencil and if it were to be rubbed out there would still be a trace of the mark on the paper and I'm pretty sure that paper would then arouse suspicion. I'm still not happy with the postal voting system though which is so obviouslsy open to abuse.

One very interesting point here is that Busman lives in the next street to me but we hadn't noticed that he had a different polling station so we both went to the one I always go to and they ticked my number off or wrote it down or whatever they do before you go in, then they ticked his off too! (but of course it must have been someone else's) Only when we got inside did we realise that his street didn't feature and he didn't have ballot papers. What happens when the person turns up to vote with the number they mistook his for? Hopefully the fact that their address hasn't been checked off will mean they still get a vote.

Sara · 05-05-2005, 18:33

Pencils are cheaper than Pens, probably that is the reason why you had to use a pencil Chav1, next time take your own pen.