Voting In The General Election

[10ClarionSt]

The last time I went to vote was in the by election last October in Heywood and Middleton. I handed my polling card to the woman and she asked where I lived. I said there's a big clue on the card just under my name. She said I had to SAY my address. I could see no reference to this on the card and told her she was being over officious and making it up as she goes along. She wasn't happy. But neither was I, as I had never been asked this before when voting. So I told her where to stick the ballot paper and walked out.

[sandyRoe]

Maybe she thought your were at a bit of personation. If you couldn't say what the address on the card was it might be a clue that it wasn't yours.

[Jomlett]

Before postal voting I was always asked for my address when attending a polling station. It was/is common security practice.

[sandyRoe]

There used to be lots of organised vote stealing here. I've seen people present a card and not know the name on it.

[Garador]

I went to vote with Mrs G some years ago and, living in a small village, knew the officials on duty.

I cast my vote and said to my wife in an audible tone, "Don't put you cross there, put it where I told you to put it!"

She actually put it where she wanted it to go, and I got a stern rebuke from the presiding official, that is, until he realised it was kidology!

By the way, we cancelled out each other's vote, as we always do!

[SirOracle]

Unbelievable conduct !!

[Jomlett]

...and then the voting clerk always drew a line through my address on the voters register.

[ichkeria]

I think I have been asked this. It does sound as though you were being a bit rude to be fair

[weecalf]

Some places have tellers so she could have be letting them know you were a particular name and address .She was only doing what a person had told her to do .go back and tell her you are sorry and hand her a bunch of flowers and a box of chocolates .

[weecalf]

That worries you I had to put a kiss beside a person on the ballot paper

[Baldric]

I always take an Eraser into the booth with me as our Polling Station peeps always pencil your Electoral Roll number onto the Ballot Paper which kind of makes a mockery of the confidential vote.
Only takes a second to get rid of it.

[fiction-factory]

I always assumed the recording of the voter number in pencil was done as a fraud prevention/detection measure. If it was alleged that someone (maybe even the person handing out the tickets) were to steal a pile of papers, fill them in at home and then put them in the box someone could do an audit to see if there some without a pencilled number or with duplicate numbers

[jim360]

Bad idea. The whole point of writing the number on the counterfoil (not the actual ballot paper) is to prevent possible fraud. On the event that someone walks in, claims to be you, and is issued with a vote on that understanding, then their vote would obviously be recorded as your vote. And then you walk in later, claiming to be you -- but of course your number is struck from the list! You've already voted. But you protest, of course, and should be able eventually to confirm your identity, so it is accepted that the previous vote was fraudulent.

But now comes the point. In order to remove the false vote from the box and replace it with your own, the false vote has to be traceable. This is impossible if there is no link between the vote you cast and the "person"/ "roll number" who cast it. This list can be consulted only if there is a suspicion of fraud. During the election it can be handled fairly swiftly; afterwards all counterfoils matching the voter number to the ballot paper number are locked away, and can only be opened with a court order and are anyway destroyed after twelve months.

Your vote remains secret despite this procedure; and you are protected from fraud because of it. Rubbing out the number is self-defeating (unless you were the fraudster, of course).

[chaptazbru2]

You don't have to take your polling card when you go to vote, do you ?

[Mamyalynne]

No.