to think the Electoral Commission have fucked up the election?

[AgaPanthers]

The Electoral Commission are in charge of registering new political parties. Parties must register a name, and can register a description.

Names are not allowed if they would be likely to result in confusion with another party, and neither are descriptions.
www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/41/section/28
www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/41/section/28A

They have accepted the registration of 'An Independence From Europe' 'UK Independence Now'.

Due to the 'An' at the beginning of the name, this appears at the top of the ballot. twitter.com/MSmithsonPB/status/466245275812917248/photo/1

Many voters have reported confusion between this party and the much better known UK Independence Party (An Independence From Europe is basically a spoiler because their leader was deselected by UKIP).

AIBU to think that the Electoral Commission have fucked up and this is likely to end up in court?

Even a very small vote for the spoiler party could affect the outcome, even 1% could be in enough to take a seat away from UKIP and give it another party. If this happens in any of the constituencies that the 'An Independence from Europe' vote when added to the UKIP vote would have given them an extra seat, this should end up in court.

AIBU to think they have fucked up allowing this, and it's pretty shit of the Electoral Commission considering that they really don't have any other purpose.

If people can't manage to read the name of the party before they vote for it that's hardly the electoral commissions fault.

If it stops UKIP.....

Haha, I have just started a thread on the same topic, allthough I must say you have put the point across far more eloquently!

Completely agree with you, but people should really read the ballot paper properly!

*although

Sorry I am a bit sleep deprived!

Agree with Rose :o

There was a similar issue with a party called something like "the real liberal democrats" a few years ago.

This is not unique to UKIP, there is a very similar 'liberal' party. But yes, the onus is on the voter to be vaguely informed about the person or party they're voting for.

Actually it is the Electoral Commission's fault. That is why the Electoral Commission was established.

Context for you:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Huggett

Mr. Huggett's actions in 1994-1997 resulted in the Electoral Commission being established in 1998

Yanbu its caused confusion today.

And it was another European Elections, albeit in 1994, where the 'Literal Democrats' took 4.3% and the 'Liberal Democrats' 31.4% against a Conservative vote of 31.7% (much less than the Liberal/Literal Democrat vote combined) that really created the feeling - now law - that parties should not be allowed to set out to win votes by confusion.

Yanbu its caused confusion today.

I agree. It's not, struggling for word, cricket?

I fail to see how you can get 'an independence ....' and 'uk...' Mixed up, even if the name means the same thing, they look and sound nothing alike

Its the IQ of some ukip voters

It's in alphabetical order

How hard can it be?

How can someone not read the difference? It is really quite clear

what a shame

It's the People's Front of Judea and the Judean People's Front.

It's obviously been done to confuse. "An Independence from Europe" is at the top of the ballot paper, and UKIP is at the bottom. It's a well known fact that people higher up the ballot paper get more votes.

Well I managed to realise they were different parties and avoided both. It people don't read the whole ballot sheet, it's no ones fault but their own.

It clearly doesn't have UK at the front. Hardly the same as literal/liberal democrats is it?

If there is confusion, it says a lot about the intelligence of UKIP voters.

What does it say about the intelligence of Liberal Democrat voters that 10,000 of them in Devon voted for the wrong party?

It's pretty pathetic that people are making jibes against UKIP voters. You either believe in democracy or you don't. You can't only accept people that vote Green/Labour/your party of choice.

I'm not making jibes about Ukip voters, I'm saying that it's in alphabetical order and you have to actually read it.

I had to look most of the way down the ballot paper from my party and it's usually much nearer the top.

There's also handy symbols on the right which show the party you know

If people can't be bothered to read the ballot paper, there's no hope for anyone, although maybe UKIP voters who were confused should have learned a lesson from the Devonians

"I fail to see how you can get 'an independence ....' and 'uk...' Mixed up, even if the name means the same thing, they look and sound nothing alike"

It actually says "UK Independence Now", right at the top of the ballot paper in large letters. Which is pretty fucking similar to "UK Independence Party".

IMO 'UK Independence Now' sounds more like the party name, and 'An Independence from Europe' is more like the slogan. It certainly doesn't say that the party is called 'An Independence From Europe'. One is slightly bigger than the other, but not hugely, and with it being at the top of the ballot it is going to confuse people/

Basically they have registered their party name as their slogan, and their slogan as their party name. 'UK Independence Now' would not be accepted as a party name, so why can they have it as a slogan?

And it's very silly because they might lose 1 or 2 seats out of it, which really isn't going to make a difference to anyone, but it ends up playing into UKIP's hands if 'the establishment' (in the form of the Electoral Commission) is seen as complicit in cheating them out of their victory.

Yes, I was slightly confused by this on the paper. Not that I was voting ukip. But just as I checked all the options to see what was available I had to do a double take.

Sad to see an independent party, BNP, ukip and some other racist party as 4 of the 8 options.

I think unfortunately a lot of voters will have been confused, especially by the subheading 'UK Independence Now'.

I hope they don't cost UKIP too badly; Britain deserves a UKIP victory.