Reports of Queues of people unable to vote?

[plekhanov 10]

I wonder how many legal challenges we'll see over the next few days?

Maybe in central, the margin of victory in Hallam is likely to be too large to be affected by those turned away.

[rubydazzler 11]

I wouldn't be surprised

I think we'll be looking at legal challenges from all over the country, not just Sheffield but Hackney, Leeds and other places, all underestimated the turnout ... not enough staff on it would seem.

[Darth Vader 10]

Rubbish! Don't blame the students, the polling card makes no difference whatsoever to the speed of processing voters.

 

It's not just Sheffield, the Beeb is reporting people being turned away from polling stations all over the country. They just weren't prepared for the increase in the turnout, imo.

 

Of course, they weren't. - (By the way, don't shoot the messenger, ruby;) ) I agree with you. Lots of times I've not had my card and the processing time was the same.

 

Actually, as well as the reasons you give, it took me longer this time because I hadn't made my mind up, so looked longer at the alternatives than usual! Either way, if people arrived on time, and didn't get to vote, we should have another vote, in my opinion.

[Guest sibon]

What you mean nobody was excluded apart form all the people who were excluded?

 

No. I mean that nobody was excluded except for the people who didn't get into the Polling Stations in time.

[beckelina 10]

@sibon - I left the house with a small baby at half seven am. By the time I was home from work, baby in bed and other half had spent an hour queuing to vote, I could only get there at 8:15pm and in to vote at 9:15 pm.

Probably lots of similar stories...

[milquetoast1 10]

Basically, we've had years of increasing apathy towards the political process with falling turnouts. As soon as we get an increase in the turnout they can't cope. Since this was predicted, there is no excuse ... or a "disgrace" as Dimbleby said.

 

It's pointless blaming "moronic students", or people turning up without their cards, they've always had to cope with these people in the past.

 

It's pointless blaming people for not taking advantage of postal votes, the system should cope, end of.

 

I start work at 7:00 and finish at 15:30. I don't want to post my vote, for whatever reason, it doesn't matter. Besides, me and my wife always like to walk to the polling station, with the kids, and engage the family in the political process. Fortunately when we got to Bents Green at 19:00 we were in and out no problem, but if we were unable to vote I would be disgusted.

[rubydazzler 11]

Maybe in central, the margin of victory in Hallam is likely to be too large to be affected by those turned away.

I meant countrywide, it's not just Sheffield that's had the problem.

 

Washington and Sunderland West declaring now!! (holds breath) Labour hold! BNP got more than UKIP ...

[plekhanov 10]

They didn't get into the polling station in time. Who is so time limited that they can only arrive shortly before the poll closes?

Some queued for hours, in all my years of voting I've never had to wait for more than a few minutes, are you seriously saying it's individual voters fault if they don't turn up several hours before the polls close?

[Darth Vader 10]

They didn't get into the polling station in time. Who is so time limited that they can only arrive shortly before the poll closes?

 

Do you know what, on my card it doesn't say, arrive early to avoid losing your democratic right to vote.

 

And yes, some people work long hours, sibon, some have families, some cannot get to polling stations under their own steam, and rely on others to get them there.

 

Let's face it, there's been a huge error that needs correcting.

[go4it 10]

Get off your high horse 'goforit', it's not the voters fault that they couldn't vote, at every other election things have been fine.

 

With all the election coverage this past month, did people not think that the turnout might be high.

 

15 hours to vote, postal vote option, and yet people are still complaining.

[punckass 10]

what a joke. anybody blaming the students for turning up late is an idiot, frankly. yes it would have been convenient for them not to queue up at the sametime as us working schmos, being the second-class citizens that they are (i'm joking btw). but at st johns ranmoor they were treated as such, one queue for residents, one for students. outrageous discrimination. unbelievable in this day and age.

 

the point is, everybody has a legal right to vote. the polling cards says turn up between 7am and 10pm, which people did (most with hours to spare). fair enough cut off the queues at 10pm, don't let anyone turn up later but why not process the queue and spend maybe an hour or so clearing the backlog?

 

i hope scc are ashamed of themselves. some stations around the country opened longer to process the backlog but scc denied voters their right. amidst this we went to abbeydale school to vote at 9pm and we were the only people there! i think a voting reform is due in more ways than already discussed.

[punckass 10]

i should mention that the 'permanent resident' queue was processed quicker... and we call this democracy?