So all of these people who wern't able to vote,

[Callisto]

I'm not sure if I have much sympathy for them really. It does clearly state that you have to vote at your designated polling station before 10pm.

One of the officers in charge said:

"Many did not have their polling cards, which significantly adds time. Some people went to the wrong polling station.

"And... the absolute laziness from the elector by not joining queues when they arrive, returning at a later time only to find a longer line and re-returning at 2200 BST, which, as it clearly states, is closing time."

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8666338.stm

[OnlyWantsOne]

The polling stations opend at 7am, if they were that bothered they wouldnt have left it til 9.30pm to go and que up

[southeastastra]

argh this is bugging me now!!! dp gets in at 9.30 every night and i'm sure lots of these late voters were the same. also we didn't get our voting cards at all this time.

why blame the voters? .

[ahedgehogis]

i have a friend who worked 7am til 7pm, then at college til 9pm and still managed to vote

[beanlet]

There are plenty of people in those queues who were queuing for 2 hours! In normal circumstances you would well and truly expect to vote before 10 PM if you turned up at 8.

Sounds like some of the polling stations were very poorly organised, TBH -- at least one actually ran out of ballot papers! That's unforgivable.

[OnlyWantsOne]

postal votes?

helllooooo?

Postal votes

[McDreamy]

I think you are being very harsh. There are plenty of people who wouldn't be able to turn up until after 9.30pm. If I were still working I would have been one of them (although wouldn't have been a problem in my area).

You did not need to take your Polling card and some people didn't even receive one. I was one of those people and it took me no longer to vote than the elderly lady in front of me who had her card.

[southeastastra]

but people weren't anticipating the mess that did happen last night, never happened before has it? hindsight is so helpful

[AMumInScotland]

There was a lady on the radio this morning who had joined the queue at 8:30pm and stayed there solidly, and just missed being able to vote. I don't think there's anything unreasonable in turning up at 8:30 when the polls are open till 10 - perfectly reasonable to think the system will be run efficiently enough not to have a problem. If I went to a shop an hour and a half before closing time, I'd be pretty annoyed if they couldn't serve me!

[AMumInScotland]

There was also someone from the Electoral Commission on the radio, who was explaining that even though they oversee things, the local Returning Officers each make the practical arrangements. She said they'd be making a report, and I got the impression they'd reported before on problems but nobody has wanted to change the system. Hopefully this mess will convince them that something needs to be done!

[wannaBe]

tbh I think there's blame on both sides.

I think that having understaffed poling stations that run out of ballot papers is totally unacceptable and there is no excuse for that. Equally no excuse for making people queue for over an hour and then telling them they cannot vote.

But equally I don't think that someone can expect to turn up at 10:00 and then be surprised when the poling station is closed.

Equally people who did not have poling cards - you don't need a poling card to vote, but even if you felt you did, this election has been well publicised for the past month, people have had ample time to think "Oh, I haven't got my poling card yet" and to contact someone wrt getting a replacement one/getting clarification re the rules i.e. whether a card is required.

[McDreamy]

But you don't need a polling card to vote and it says that on the card. And my council made it quite clear they wouldn't issue me with a card.

[southeastastra]

i find it odd that people are defending the councils here, was obviously a monumental muck up, no excuses really.

[amidaiwish]

if this happened in afghanistan or somewhere we'd be claiming the result is invalid.

it's outrageous

if you get to a shop which shuts at 5pm, then the doors close at 5pm. the queue should have been shut at 10pm and everyone in the queue allowed to vote. give me one reason why this couldn't have been allowed?

[MrsTittleMouse]

admidaiwish - because the people in the queue would have been able to find out about the exit poll data and it could affect the way that they voted.

[ClaireDeLoon]

I really can't believe that people are blaming the voters for not knowing that the queues were too long to enable them to vote at their chosen time and saying they should have foreseen this and organised a postal vote. Mumsnet really is as judgey as is portrayed sometimes.

[islandofsodor]

By amidaiwish Fri 07-May-10 12:24:53
if this happened in afghanistan or somewhere we'd be claiming the result is invalid.

it's outrageous

Exactly!" How hypocritical of us.

By ClaireDeLoon Fri 07-May-10 12:29:29
Mumsnet really is as judgey as is portrayed sometimes.

Sadly this seems the case.

[RibenaBerry]

Monumental stuff up.

Why don't we delay the count till the next morning - thus anyone who wanted to keep queuing could.

Why don't we have elections at weekends, so that many more people would have the option to vote in the day.

Fundamentally, councils banked on low turnouts and they got caught out when people were, shock horror, interested in this election.

[Chil1234]

I think the situation with the polling stations turning away voters was simply disgraceful. Third world stuff. Yes, people have got 15 hours to turn up, but if the clerks can see the queue is stretching around the block and people have been waiting ages rather than someone banging on the door at five past ten expecting special treatment... then they should have been advised to process everyone still waiting but turn away newcomers.

[ClaireDeLoon]

LadyintheRadiator
"You are not a better person for voting at 7.30 am instead of 9.30 pm."

Exactly! What on earth is wrong with turning up at 9.30pm? The hours are 7am to 10pm. Turning up at 9.30pm is fine, it doesn't mean you're stupid and shouldn;t be allowed a vote.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

why don't we delay release of exit polls until all votes are cast? - much better than the media love of exit polls dictating things!!!

if you are in the queue at 10pm you should get to vote.

its ludicrous that people here are suggesting that your democratic right to vote should be dictated by how many people have turned out to vote before you.

[Hohumchops]

If this had happened to me I'd be making the effort to visit Downing Street to make sure my vote counted - can they sue the government? Surely it is a contravention of citizen's rights in a democratic country and definitely makes the results invalid imo.

It seems like the famous US wrong result election cock up to me

[MegSophandEmma]

If people turned up at 10pm, yes fair do's, but most of these people arrived well within the time frame and had their right taken from them.

It's disgusting IMO

[ASecretLemonadeDrinkerDAVE]

Exit poll could have been delayed. It's disgusting, esp. when I have seen seats won by tens and hundreds and even possibly 2 in Northern Ireland with over 21,000 to each of the top two!