Political 'door Knockers'.

[Khandro]

Politicians seem to hold great store by "getting out and knocking on doors" (even the PM). Have you ever been swayed to change you mind for whom it is you want to vote, or do you think you could be ?

[EDDIE51]

Jackdaw, I remember the loudspeaker cars now you come to mention it, and they did offer lift's to the polling station.
I remember a Communist Party candidate going round and offering lifts in his Moscovitch ,I don't remember anyone accepting!

[bednobs]

the point is not to sway voters, but to get an ear to the ground, to find out what is important to the people you represent

[mikey4444]

Bednobs....most of those important things are going to be the same, almost everywhere you go I would have thought.

NHS, Pensioners, local schools, pot holes, public toilets, etc, etc.

[Jackdaw33]

I agree with bedknobs. One of the reasons why the Liberals were so successful in local government back in the 80s was they knocked on doors all year round, not just at election time, asking people about their concerns. It was called 'pavement politics'.

[Khandro]

mikey; ref. "that huge red VOTE LABOUR poster in my front window" you will soon be so rare, people will be knocking for your autograph!

[bednobs]

i disagree mikey - for example, pensions may be important in retirement row, but probably not in central london

[EDDIE51]

douglas9401 The 'Number' on a voting slip is just a verification code to ensure that the vote slip is an official one issued at the correct polling station.
It does not identify the voter, every slip issued at the same polling station has the same code. It DOES NOT identify the actual voter just which polling station it was issued at.
If it was not used people could print off their own voting slips and put them in the ballot.

[EDDIE51]

bednobs, why would pensions not be important in central London?
Everyone is eventually going to end up as a pensioner no matter where they live or work.
Also far, far more people work in central London than actually live there, so schools roads etc are just as important to them as they affect where they live.

[jourdain2]

No, I haven't. In fact I once had a Conservative door-knocker backing down the steps when I told him that it was pointless voting for anyone anymore because the EU was in charge of our country. Can't remember the date - not long after Maastricht. He turned tail and fled - I felt very satisfied!

[Dodger666]

We have lived at our present address for almost 35 years. We have never been visited by any politician campaigning for our vote. That's certainly due to the constituency being strong Tory and candidates of other parties knowing it's a complete waste of their time.

[sunny-dave]

Yet again someone is firing from the hip without actually verifying their information.

Each ballot paper *does* carry an individual number which could be used to identify the voter - very rarely used, but potentially useful if electoral fraud is being investigated.

See this article :

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/generalelection/general-election-2015-explained-voting-10227175.html

"Today, to prevent fraud, every ballot paper carries a Serial number as well as a unique official mark. This means that, although the ballot in UK elections is supposed to be secret, it is theoretically possible to trace each vote to the voter who cast it. It is, however, illegal to do so."

[sunny-dave]

To answer the OP - I always talk at length to anyone from opposing parties who bangs on my door - whilst they are attempting (and failing) to convert me, they are not doing anything useful for their party ...

... I used to know an elderly lady who always had a lift from the Tories to the Polling Station - when I expressed my surprise (she was a forthright Labour supporter in the pub), she said "They have nicer cars and anyway, while they are taking me, they may be missing out on a Tory voter).