Tomorrow I’ll be a Presiding Officer in a polling station. AMA

[Tygertiger]

This may not be the most thrilling AMA in the world, but if there is anything you’ve always wondered about the voting process, go ahead!

Do you ever get any criers? At the risk of coming off as a right weirdo, voting makes me feel very emotional, and whilst I've never cried, I often well up - sort of a sense of pride that I live in a country where we get a free vote, and thinking of the women who fought for our right to do it. I know it's weird, but surely I'm not alone?

What do you do if there's a fire or some other emergency?

We evacuate the building taking as much kit as possible and then set up a temporary polling station from our car or under a tree.

We ring our inspector and they will help us create a better temp station. You can use a council library van, a fire engine etc.

I’ve learnt so much from this thread! Thank you!

Anyone got any absolute nightmare regulars? I have a couple who come in and they have MAJOR beef with voter ID.

They like to throw their bus passes at us and call us fascists. They wind up the queue and loudly slag us off to everyone. They tick off what posters we have displayed and as for large print items, magnifiers, ask me to mark their ballots. There is no need for any of it. I do look forward to them.

How many voters are there usually allocated to a particular polling station? Do they vary greatly in size or do they try to spread it out evenly so each has approx the same?

I had one at the police & crime commissioners who didn't have a clue what the election was for. He swore at us and stormed out with his ballot paper and I had to run out after him to get it back!

IME around 2500, unless it's a very rural area. But a chunk of these will have a postal vote so they don't come in to vote in person.

One I know of has 150! It’s very rural. There will be smaller too I bet. I have just over 3,300.

Another PO here too 🤗 I should be asleep but I'm double checking my alarms are set for 5am!

@CharismaticMegafauna
I'm not sure if anyone has answered your "tips" request or not, and it's highly possible you'll only read this on polling day, but I've only just seen it.
As you are hopefully aware you are not allowed to leave the polling station till after 10pm, so make sure you bring food, drinks etc with you. Also phone charger/makeup/ scent - or whatever you'd usually have to keep you feeling "normal" on a very long day.
Layers. You will either be hot or cold or both at any point during the day.
Comfy clothes in neutral colours that wouldn't make you seem affiliated with any party.
Your PO will have told you about coffee making facilities - don't forget milk and sugar if you use them.
Depending on the size of your station there'll be a few people waiting as you open.
Enjoy it. It's such a special experience.

I’m sure you do, of course, but I wondered if you see it as a kind of ‘sacred duty’? (If that doesn’t sound too pompous.) I’ve always hoped that if I was responsible for counting the votes, for example, I’d be 100% accurate and honest, even if I hated one party with all my heart and the vote was neck and neck. I’d try to be the same if I was a publisher or book reviewer. If I thought a book was superb, but I hated the author and his views, I’d be honest and say I thought it was a great book. Democracy, freedom of speech, and freedom generally, are so precious and rare, and so easily lost, that we have to fight tooth and nail to preserve them.

Honestly I do it for the money. I know if I didn’t do it, someone else would. I am pleased to support democracy but I’ve had a hellish few weeks with work and I’m knackered. I need it to be Monday so I can breathe.

Sorry 😬

@Politicians247UnderwearExtinguishingService I used to do a lot of canvassing and you do get a surprising number of people on polling day who need a lift etc, especially more elderly people, so that's what the knocking up does.

The voter ID you do early in the campaign (or in fact all of the time) gives you 'your' voters and that's where you concentrate on election day. You're not focusing your attention on people who you think might vote for your opponent. I mean obviously you don't make the lift contingent on them confirming they'll vote for your candidate, but if a party don't have you down as expressing a preference for them they're not going to try and get your vote out.

And then the tellers mean they can cross you off the list anyway.

I can't do it any more due to my job and I really miss it! You get to have great chats with people, and a lot of people like speaking to party representatives. If you're canvassing for a sitting MP or Councillor you often get a bit of case work on the doorstep as well which is satisfying to get dealt with.

I’m not sure I’d say sacred, but I certainly work at elections because I believe strongly in democracy and the importance of supporting our democratic processes. In my experience the other staff in polling stations are a mix of people like me, the local busybodies, the council staff who’ve been roped in, and people for whom it’s a bit of easy money.

This is where if you’ve answered the door to a canvasser and told them you’re voting for their party, there’s a chance they’ll turn up on the day to check that you have!

I’ve never had my door knocked on though…

I suspect this is getting much less common with the emphasis on online campaigning.

Whatever you do, don't ever try to enter a contest to vote for your favourite Italian chapel

Thanks, I didn't realise that so many older folk relied on it. I wonder why they don't apply for postal votes?

However, I still consider it very undemocratic and actually dishonest to deliberately focus on helping voters whom you believe will vote for you not to lose their suffrage owing to infirmity or frailty, but to quite happily see those with differing/opposing views lose theirs.

Either you offer to help all people (well, as many as you can) to get to the voting booth, regardless of their political stance; or you don't help anybody.

Do they really believe that people who say they're voting for them on the doorstep are actually telling them the truth?

I mean, if they stand and have a detailed and lengthy conversation with you, you can probably tell; but when you turn up unsolicited and very probably unwanted, just as their favourite programme is on or they're about to leave for an appointment, sit down to a meal or whatever - people will say any old thing to get rid of you.

I'm all for public surgeries, where you invite all interested people to come along and talk to you; and if you give out a phone number for folk who can't get to you but tell you they want you to go to their home, fantastic.

However, when it's unsolicited (or not wholly led by them) I'd categorise it the same in the integrity stakes as the salespeople who have a shop in the high street for you to go to if you choose to - or even put leaflets with a phone number on them through letterboxes - as opposed to the ones who knock on your door and try to push themselves and their product/message on you, whether you like it (or actively consented) or not.

Why do you write the number of my voting slip next to my name if it's supposed to be an anonymous process? Do these documents get destroyed or can someone in 50 years see that I voted for "Monster Raving Looney Party"?

I'm not allowed to work as a PO anymore due to my job (I did apply for permission from my employer but was turned down as a conflict of interest). I'm sad to miss it and just be a normal voter as I loved being part of the buzz. Enjoy everyone!

I’ve answered this one earlier if you search for OP answers - but in essence it’s to prevent fraud and nobody will look :)

I’m getting ready and will be leaving the house in 40 mins or so to go and set up. Good luck to my fellow POs and poll clerks on the thread, I hope it goes smoothly for all of us! See you on the other side!

Thanks for the very interesting thread! I'm off shortly too for election duties

Exactly where my mind went too @Politicians247UnderwearExtinguishingService !