Time to move election voting to the weekend?

[VHG]

With the debacle yesterday of long queues and people missing out on voting is it not time to move voting for a general election to a weekend (Saturday AND Sunday).

More and more people work away from home, or work long hours, so that having a single Thursday for voting seems rather silly in this day and age.

I know the long queues problem is new, but for years the number who vote has been dropping, so giving 2 days to vote (Saturday AND Sunday) would give a chance for everyone to vote.

I was in Belgium over a weekend a few years ago when an election was on, and it seemed so civilized to have people being able to vote on a Sunday when they dont normally work.

[daffy654]

Those working away were given ample time to apply for a postal vote. They have nobody to blame but themselves for not getting their vote in in time.

[Gromit]

Daffy, We have not suddenly had an outbreak of mass dopiness, we have voted under these rules for a century, without the problems of Insfficient staff, running out of ballot papers and the doors being shut on long queues of potential voters.

The Electoral Commission is investigating, and it is unlikely to blame the public.

I agree with yor suggestion VHG, the whole procedure needs updating. It Was designed when 5 million had the vote, not 40 million like we have now.

[jno]

voting time was till 10pm; anyone who turned up after that wouldn't have been allowed to vote. The trouble was all those people who turned up in good time (three hours in advance, some of them) and still couldn't vote because there weren't enough staff, enough ballot papers or whatever. That's not their fault in any way.

Sunday makes sense; but I wouldn't go to two days.

[anotheoldgit]

Not going to make any criticism about the identical postings above?

[Famous5]

Anybody is now able to apply in advance for a postal vote, so there's no excuse.

As well as closing at 10 pm, the polls opened at 7 am, so there were 15 hours to get to vote. One woman I heard complaining on TV said she had passed her polling centre at 6 pm on the way home from work, but the queue was too long so she came back later - twice I think.

The authorities need to consider the size of the majority in those constituencies - in many cases that would be greater than the number of people left out. In addition they may not all have voted for the same (presumably losing) party anyway so wouldn't affect the result

[anotheoldgit]

'Move the election voting to the weekend'?

Do you want the NUT down on you?

Let me explain,

Thursday, day off because school is being used as a polling station.
Friday, might as well make this an Inset day.
Saturday, got this off anyway
Sunday, ditto.

Nearly another weeks holiday, which reminds me, must put in for another rise, to pay for all these damn holidays..