Mumsnet Talk

I sure did stillsmarting but I will check up Chippy. Bah.

MissWooWoo - contact the elections officer at your local council and check whether you are on the electotal register. The register is updated every year, but this year's forms were went out earlier than normal because of the PCC election. It may be that you have been caught out by that?

MissWooWoo - until I had my card I thought it was some sort of massive TV show! They've really kept us in the dark on this one.

Stupid question, but did you register to vote when the electoral rolls were updated?

Hmm, obviously I don't need a voting card to vote but why didn't I get one? I feel like complaining (to whom I don't know) even though I think the whole concept is a little iffy

MissWooWoo yes there were voting cards. Here there were too many as we had by election, town council and Police Commissioner (and a notification for next door's postal vote through our door as well). The Polling Station here had a steady stream, but that's because there isn't much excitement here!

this may sound a bit thick but was i supposed to have received a voting card as one does for "normal" elections?? I've had nothing on this, no card, no info and only know about the whole concept due to having seen an ad on tv which completely flummoxed me - vote? for a police comissioner? odd!

14.8% in Ceredigion. I didn't vote by choice. I don't want police comissioners.

On top of the fact I don't like the policy full stop, the only way to vote here was along party lines and I don't think this is an appropriate way for the police to be guided. The only way I knew that there were only party political candidates to vote for, by the way, was that they were on my postal ballot when it came through the door. Not a single election campaign message anywhere.

Thanks grimbletart hadn't looked it up, as was working today and then out & about. Heard about Corby on news, though!

It's my birthplace too! Good on 'em!

Sorry Happy - didn't see your question yesterday as I was offline.
Northants PCC was the Conservative. The Corby by-election was won by Labour.

But you've probably seen all about it now...

I work in Newport I didn't vote either( must be catching!)

I see David Cameron claims the low turnout doesn't invalidate the whole concept of PCCs. So 15% average is 'enough' yet when a union strikes on a 40% turnout somehow he claims that is invalid. Either Eton's standard of maths tuition is really not worth the fees, or he's a hypocrite. Or both.

11.96%

2nd lowest

about 14 per cent. They do have real power,Our modest winner announced on
radio this morning that one controversial police project was dead. Thats power

Turnout in Surrey was 15.4%.

I voted but only because people died for my right etc. etc. etc. Asked the officials at the polling station how many had turned out and they said it had been extremely quiet. I hoped low turn out meant we might have a chance to get a non-Tory in but seems the Tory got in on second preferences. Which is a bugger because he's all in favour of the existing plans to hand the entire force over to Group 4.

I tried to find out info about the candidates where I live. They each had a page on the website, but the blurb there was generic and didn't actually say anything about what their policies were or anything like that.

Then I spoke to MIL (very into local politics) who told me that the Lib Dems apparently don't think there should be a commissioner in the first place but had to put forward a candidate anyway and that our local Conservative candidate was an ex-lawyer and very pally with the police.

I didn't feel that two pieces of hearsay info and one leaflet from the Tory bigging herself up didn't make for a constructive vote, so I didn't. The whole thing was a massive farce tbh.

Apparently the web site holding information about candidates didn't work properly, I confess I didn't try it. I spoilt my ballot because I just didn't know hadn't bothered to find out about the candidates, and morally I think it's wrong to not vote.

And my spelling is awful too

Auganie that's naughty

I totally forgot, actually parked in the polling station car park, dropping DD at dancing and didn't go in.

I was going to google, but lost the leaflet that came with my polling card.

None of the candidates sent anything so I didn't know who was standing.

BeyondTheLimitsOfAcceptability and Olivia this is for you! Newport State of Mind

I imagine you've seen it already, but so worth repeating IMO

Llareggub - maybe that's true of the people on this thread, but what about the people who don't have internet access? What about the people who asked to be sent information through the post and got none?

Mmmnotsure - even some people who are online may not know how to research it. My mum who is a professional, far from old and lives on a laptop will call me to ask me to look something up. If my eldest is with them my dad will ring me to ask how to find a game that she wants to play and which link he has to click to log in.

I've heard from a few people that it's not political (as in connected to parties) but that wasn't the impression on the news today

I didn't vote because I don't agree with PCCs. In the same way that I didn't want an elected mayor, I do not want a political figurehead making decisions about the police. My concern is that elected commissioners will be in the job primarily to raise their own profile or to pursue a political agenda like all MPs. I am obviously not alone in my views given reports that there were 10x the usual amount of spoilt ballot papers.

I am glad that the low turnout is going to trigger an investigation. I found it incredibly patronising that most of the MPs interviewed put the low turnout down to lack of understanding.