I open my curtains at 7am

[venta]

This morning so far I have: had a shower, washed my hair, posted some stuff, voted, discovered a shop I wanted to go to was closed, and been in work (which is an hour's drive from my house) for nearly twenty minutes already. Blimey.

Having found my polling station - it's a tricky little blighter, and hides, and elections are sufficiently far apart to allow me to forget how to corner it - I got my set of forms.

Which always worries me. I mean, I went in, and handed them a polling card. When asked, I gave my name, confirming that I can read as well as steal polling cards. As it happens, it was my own card I handed over - but shouldn't I be asked to identify myself in some way ?

However. I filled in the little box on the local election form. I read the exciting list of parties available in the European elections - some of which I'd not even heard of. Then neatly, decisively and very blackly, I exercised my democratic right and put the cross in entirely the wrong box.

Feeling extremely stupid, I asked the bloke if there was any provision made for very stupid people who ticked the wrong box. "Oh no", he groaned, with the panic'd expression of one who did not have this eventuality covered in the briefing, and has no idea what to do. I asked if I could borrow the eraser sitting on his desk. He handed it over with the relief of someone who's found a way to make a problem go away, rather than solved it.

I rubbed out the cross, and made a new one (in the right box). It's obvious who I intended to vote for. Sadly, anyone who looked carefully could see the rubbed-out-cross too, so I don't actually know whether I rendered my ballot paper invalid. The bloke on the desk said it would be "ok, so long as it's obvious what you meant", but I'm really not sure I believe him :(


Actually, I didn't open my curtains, but we'll let that pass.

Comments

[wimble.livejournal.com]

been in work...for nearly twenty minutes already.

You're weird, you are.

[nalsa.livejournal.com]

We're trialling out postal voting up here. Secret ballot, my posterior. The whole thing is covered in uniquely identifiable barcodes, making it very, very easy to find out who voted what.

On the plus side, I didn't have to walk to a polling station smack bang in the middle of a remarkably scary sink estate.

[zotz]

The returning officer has to show any papers considered spoilt to the candidates and their election agents, who will obviously argue that each one is a vote for them if it's even vaguely plausible.

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

The ballot papers in Feltham are quite obviously going to be read by computer. Did yours have "DO NOT FOLD !" written on it in big, black letters ? If so then whether or not you've invalidated it just depends on the threshold set on the optical recognizey wossname.

Incidentally, I was required to put one paper into one box and the other two into the other box, each of them a specific way up. I reckon between that and ineptitude with the crayons they'll probably receive at least 10% invalid ballots !