Postal Voting

[lady_p_gold]

I am cross. I am very bad at opening mail and bothering with things and now I find that I was sent a postal ballot paper and if I didn't want it I had to write and say I didn't by a certain date. I never asked for a postal vote and I have never had one before, and when I read through it it said that you had to have it verified by someone else, more work especially if you live alone ... so the end result is I have not voted when I would have done. How does this skew the figures I wonder. Who started this postal vote lark and why.

[lady_p_gold]

I had never asked for a postal vote so that answers your first point. Obviously in this district they do not ask you. I got home on the night of the election after a long day at work and then went to open my letter which had Official Ballot something written on it, assuming as I had all along that it was my voting card. When I found it was a postal vote of course I then realised that it was too late to elect for a non postal vote. Of course I did not go to the polling station when I knew I would not be able to vote, therefore 'I did not vote when I would have done'. I posted this question merely as a discussion about postal votes. Bernardo - really don't think I deserved that !!!!!

[lady_p_gold]

I never asked for a postal vote, nor would I ever - they obviously send you one in this area without asking you. On the day of the election I returned home from work in the evening, opened my letter which said something like official ballot something, only to find it was a postal vote which if I didn't want I had to tell them weeks ago. I did not then go to the polling station because there was no point as I knew I would not be able to vote, what would be the point of going there with a postal vote form which I knew I could not use ?? I posted this question merely to discuss the implication of postal voting on the results, what on earth would be the point of my posting this if I was making it up, that would be rather pointless. Bernardo, I don't think I deserved that, it was just an honest question.

[lady_p_gold]

I did not ask for a postal vote, they must just send you one in my area. I opened my 'official ballot' letter on the night of the election after returning home from work, only to find it was a postal vote which I then found I should have elected not to have weeks ago. There was no point in going to the polling station with a voting paper which I knew I could not use so of course I did not go to the polling station. I posted this question merely to discuss the impact on results of postal votes. What on earth would be the point of me not being truthful. I don't feel I deserved that Bernardo!

[lady_p_gold]

sorry my post kept disappearing ...... obviously I have trouble with post !

[Pajama Girl]

Lady: You are saying that some of us are missing your point. No, after reading your posts, I think that we do understand your point. And I would say that you are missing our point.

You will probably get mad at me because I will appear to you to be unsympathetic. I am sympathetic. I have left the mail unopened myself and have lived to regret my inattention. It hurts when something happens due to my being disconnected to my own life.

So here is the solution: read your mail. Don't assume you know what is in an unopened envelope. Open it.

Here's a truth about life itself: stuff happens. And here's the appropriate reaction: stay connected enough with your own life to fix the mistakes as soon as you can. You say you did not ask for a postal vote. You did not expect a postal ballot. You did not expect to have to choose your method of voting. You left the envelope unattended. You believe that you were disenfranchised. You could have fixed the problem if you had only opened your mail in a timely manner.

Cont'd

[Pajama Girl]

Cont'd

If you think that it is a conspiracy to deny you and others the vote, get your facts in order, your communication clear and go and do something about it.

And it seems to me, and others who are watching this thread I imagine, that you were not merely posing a discussion of postal votes. So I will respond to what I think is important to you (and it is important to me too): I understand your being cross. I've been there myself. I have left the mail unopened and have lost out on important things. It has happened more than once. It made me mad. I would have liked to blame someone or something else. I think I would have felt better if I could have blamed someone else. I'm sorry it happened to you especially in an election situation since I think voting is so very important. A sacred right. I have even experienced being disenfranchised because of some trivial thing that came up. I never let it happen twice. I was that mad at being disenfranchised even once.

Take care.

[lady_p_gold]

Thank you .... it really was just a simple little post, of course I know it was my fault. Just wanted to see what others thought. Might think twice next time, however thank you for all your replies.

[bernardo]

You have contradicted yourself again.

If you found your postal vote after 10pm on the day of the election, then it was too late to vote, in which case you must have made no attempt to go and vote at any time at the polling station before 10pm.

If you discovered your postal vote before 10pm, then you could have filled it in and taken it to your polling station or to the election office at your local authority in time for the close of polling at 10pm, in which case it would have been counted.

and also:

You claim that "in this district they do not ask you". This is incorrect. It is against the law for local authorities to send postyal votes to people who have not applied for one. The only people who get postal votes are the people who have specifically asked for one. Either you have asked for a postal vote specifically for this election, or you have asked for a permanent postal vote some time previously, in which case they will send you one for each election.

[lady_p_gold]

For God's sake I got home from work at about 6 I found I had a postal vote, it said I could not go to the polling station if I had not told them weeks before that I did not want a postal vote and as I had not opened it I did not do it in time. AT NO TIME HAVE I EVER ASKED FOR A POSTAL VOTE. I merely posted this question to enquire if there was anyone else who unexpectedly got a postal vote and whether because of laziness or stupidity they did not vote. If I had been able to vote I would have gone to the polling station when I got home from work. THE FORM SAID THAT I COULD NOT GO TO THE POLLING STATION. I shall make enquiries at my local council to see why I was not asked, if as you say they are not supposed to. I have never not voted before. I am not accustomed to getting into arguments on AB and after two thousand posts I do not intend to start now.

[lady_p_gold]

Just in case I have found the form it says "this notice is to advise you you have a postal vote, and you will not receive an election poll card. You will not be able to vote in person at the polling station. If you wish to cancel your postal vote you must do so in writing before 5 pm on Tuesday 18 April 2006." I did not open the letter that's all. End of.

[bernardo]

No, not "end of".

It is correct in saying "You will not be able to vote in person at the polling station".

I was also correct in stating that if you have a postal vote, you are entitled to go and hand it in at any polling station or at the Town Hall at any time up to 10pm on polling day.

I did not say or suggest that you would be able to cancel your postal vote on the day of the election, and I did not say or suggest that you could go and vote in person at the polling station.

You have now admitted that you found the postal vote form at 6pm on the day of the election. You therefore had a full four hours in which to fill it in, and walk or drive to the Town Hall or to the polling station to hand it in. The law says that all postal votes have to be counted if they are received by the local authority at any time before 10pm on the day of the election. If you want to complain about it, then you need to explain why you did not bother to do so during those 4 hours before polling finished.

The fact remains that you have contradicted yourself by saying "If I had been able to vote I would have gone to the polling station when I got home from work" but also that you did not bother taking your postal vote to the polling station.

[Pajama Girl]

bernardo, step back.

[bernardo]

Step back? Where from? Where to? Is there something wrong with my previous answer? No there wasn't, because I was only being factually accurate and straightforward. It is lady_p_gold who keeps on contradicting herself and changing her story.

[lady_p_gold]

Ok I now know why we are talking at cross purposes. I did not know that you could take your postal vote along to the polling station if that is what you are saying. I did not see anywhere on the form that it told you that. Therefore I did not see the point in going. I hope at some time when you ask a simple question and are being quite genuine in your replies Bernardo, that you do not have quite such an exchange which seemed quite hostile and uncalled for, however if that is how you wish to reply that is up to you.

[bernardo]

I have never been hostile to anyone. All of my answers in this thread have been entirely factual and starightforward. It has been other people who keep on contradicting themselves and getting confused.

[lady_p_gold]

As I have just stated I did not know that I could go to the polling station before 10 pm it is only since you said that that I enquired at the Council and was told that was the case. I admitted that I did not know it and that was why I did not go, obviously you were better informed than I, however that does not make me confused just ill informed. If hostile was too strong a word then I apologise but it was rather frustrating to be told that I was contradicting myself when I was just giving a factual account of what actually happened. I hope that we can debate something in future with a little more warmth perhaps :)