to think sister in law should carry out proxy vote as agreed.

[abigboydidit]

Mother and father in law are abroad and sister in law agreed to carry out proxy vote for referendum in their absence. It does mean travelling 10 mins by car to polling station but she said she was happy to do so.

She has double checked with in laws and now MiL voting Yes and FiL voting No (was undecided). SiL has decided not to vote (but to pretend she did) as the votes cancel each other out.

I am unable to come up with a counter argument beyond the fact that for me it is about voting and the incredible privilege we have in this country to make our voice heard. I am struggling to put it into words beyond that so SiL won't hand over the cards to me to let me put the vote in instead (assuming I could anyway?).

AIBU?

Because the actual numbers of people voting also sends a clear message of interest, and to give politicians a proper mandate to govern).

DH and I usually cancel each other our with our voting habits, but I still make him go and exercise his democratic muscle

It's a serious betrayal of trust. Additionally, the higher the turn-out, the greater the legitimacy of the result, even if the two votes 'cancel each other out'. She should be ashamed.

Because every vote used counts towards the overall turnout, and the result will have more legitimacy with a 70% turnout than a 30% turnout.

Besides, they've asked her to do it, and it's only 10 minutes out of her way to do it. It's not much effort, so why not just do as asked? It's clearly important enough to them to arrange a proxy vote.

If you impersonate a proxy, then yes you are breaking the law and voting irregularities can nullify an election.

(I think in practice you'd be very unlikely to be spotted as checks at polling stations are minimal, but as proxies are not so common then they might be the ones that are noticed; also think that it would be clear it was isolated incident that did not affect outcome, so nullification would not happen. You could still be penalised though).

I think she is wrong to say she will do this, and then not do it. I wouldn't specifically contact PILs, IYSWIM, but if I was talking to them between now and polling day then it might slip.

I see your point but if they felt so strongly could they not have done a postal vote themselves? You talk about the privilage we have, but they've given it up by not doing it themselves.

I actually think that on this occasion you should dob your SiL in to your PiLs (or get your dh to do so). It is a serious breach of their trust if she pretends to have done so.

This is an important vote and part of its validity will be judged on its turnout.

...if they were abroad before the postal votes went out, then proxy voting is the only way to ensure you can vote.

My dad left for a 2 month holiday in the middle of August the joys of being retired before the postal votes were sent out, so made sure to organise a trusted neighbour (who is voting the same way as him) as his proxy. :)

Yanbu - she was asked and agreed to do it.

OK thanks prettybrd, I'm not British so thought it worked a bit differently.

Awful of her. It shows trust on quite a big scale and she is shitting on that. It will come out eventually if she carries it through and I imagine it will do irrevocable damage to their relationship. Lazy and disrespectful.

I once voted by proxy for a friend. We were voting differently. I would not have dreamed of not carrying out my friend's wishes.

I would call them today and tell them. She is massively breaching their trust.

Thanks everyone. The trip was last minute (funeral) so they didn't have a chance for postal vote. I will email them and let them know her plans..