Reports of Queues of people unable to vote?

[Funky_Gibbon 42]

“We were faced with a difficult situation with the numbers of people, and a large amount of students turning up to vote without polling cards. This made the administration process of ensuring the correct person was given a ballot paper much longer.

 

That sound about right to me. I've met a number of students who thought they could vote without a polling card.

[SYorksDeano 10]

is that off the scc website wy deano?

 

It certainly is, here is the link:

 

http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/whats-new/generalelection

[rubydazzler 11]

I queued for 40 minutes in the pouring rain at Woodseats Library to vote (after working in Derby all day) and got in at about 21:40. The queue behind me was at least as long as when I'd joined it.

I've never seen anything like this before.

Me neither. I went about 8.30 and I was amazed at the amount of people queuing. I'm not sure whether it was due to a bigger turnout or some other reason.

 

Not so good if people didn't manage to cast their vote though

 

ETA: They're showing pix of people queuing to vote, Dimbelby says it's a disgrace .... third world politics, he says.

[go4it 10]

So has our Lib-Dem council sabotaged their own party by choosing inadequately sized venues for the polling stations?

 

No, there's nothing they could have done.

 

People who were working all day should have voted at 7am or signed up to post their vote.

 

People always leave things to the last minute.

 

People always forget to bring their polling card.

 

The size of the venue has nothing to do with it. People should plan ahead. It's like when people bang on Tesco's door at 6pm on Christmas Eve every year. Some people never learn.

[ECCOnoob 1,020]

Statement from the council

 

 

News Statement

 

6 May 2010

 

John Mothersole, Returning Officer for Sheffield, apologised to residents who were unable to vote in Sheffield today.

 

He said: “We got this wrong and I would like to apologise.

 

“We were faced with a difficult situation with the numbers of people, and a large amount of students turning up to vote without polling cards. This made the administration process of ensuring the correct person was given a ballot paper much longer.

 

“The only remedy, which we could not take, was to extend the voting times.”

 

Ends

 

Maybe they should make a rule saying no card... no vote... surely that would speed up the process in future and avoid another situation like this

[dieselbabe 10]

I queued for 40 minutes in the pouring rain at Woodseats Library to vote (after working in Derby all day) and got in at about 21:40. The queue behind me was at least as long as when I'd joined it.

 

I've never seen anything like this before.

 

That was the same poll station i was talking about that my friend waited in for 45 minutes. She says to she never seen it that bad before, she says near a hour to go vote and the queues was just has long has they was when she started she said no way every one was going to get a vote with an hour to go, even at dinner it was long queues, never seen that happen before.

[go4it 10]

Maybe they should make a rule saying no card... no vote... surely that would speed up the process in future and avoid another situation like this

 

I think part of the problem is that a BBC trailer said that you didn't have to have your card to vote. As a result many people have just not bothered to look for their card, and have hence held up the queues.

[RJK3 10]

Feel sorry for those who could not vote but I just cant understand it. How can it take so long? [...] Are people just holding up the system or something???

 

Because they did not have enough polling stations for particular areas, and didn't respond to polling stations that were busy all day long. People had been back there all throughout the day, and the queues were unrelenting in their length.

 

Also, they didn't send polling officials from the essentially empty polling stations to help out at those that had literally hundreds of would-be voters lining up.

 

Basically a failure of administration seeding the problem leading up to the election, compounded by poor leadership on the day.

[curious 10]

don't see how its any one's fault than the moronic students who are so selfish that they never see the outcome of their own actions!! hundreds of people unable to vote because they're too bloody lazy to take their polling card and speed up the process of voting for everyone.

[xgrifterx 10]

dimbledore on the beeb is calling it a disgrace, and there must be an in/enquiry (apols its late and i cant type or spell), he called it third world politics.

 

OH took their card and it still needed checking 3 times before the seemingly dim women with pencils at the desk found name on list, got papers out, wrote down the numbers on the paper linking your vote to your name and address.....

Edited May 6, 2010 by xgrifterx

[pippadoll 10]

It is a disgrace. Understaffed definitely.

 

Third world. Close.

[rubydazzler 11]

hundreds of people unable to vote because they're too bloody lazy to take their polling card and speed up the process of voting for everyone.

How does taking your card speed up the process? They still have to look you up, cross you off and give you the ballot paper. I can't see that having the card makes any difference, unless you don't know your own address?