to postal vote even if I'm not disabled

[nettlewine]

Hiya,

I always vote but it is a bit of a faf getting there to do it. My friend says she postal votes to avoid this. Is it fine for me to do this next time? Even though there's nothing preventing me from voting in person, it just would be easier.

Thanks

Just a little warning, mine didnt show up for three elections running, so i'm back to the polling station this year!

We've done postal votes for years. you don't have to give a reason.

I've just received my postal vote. I have to pass two really local and convenient polling stations to reach the one I've been allocated. I can't be arsed frankly, so postal vote it is!

I've been voting by post for donkeys years, because I am disorganised busy and often forgot didn't have time to go to the polling station.

You don't need to be able to justify it to do it. I must admit though, I can't remember how I went about setting it up.

Looking forward to electronic submission tbh.

We've just had a letter from our LA saying that they made an 'admin error' re postal voting dates this year.
got the (undated!) letter yesterday and the deadline to sort out (their) mess, is 5pm today.

Gah.

I registered for postal voting for the first time but mine hasn't come through.

YANBU - you do not need to give a reason so get yourself a postal vote sorted and do not give it another thought. I voted last week - vote early and vote often...

Ive postal voted in the past but there is something in my Suffragette self that gets quite emotional making that big black X in person so prefer to do it that way if I can.

Meanwhile, MrsLH and I will scooter and walk respectively to our polling station.

Must be about 200 yards if that .

Definitely YANBU. Party activists love a postal voter because they are way more likely to actually vote.

(Also, if you forget to post said vote, you can take it down to the polling station on the day)

But like rollmeover, I like the ritual of the stubby pencils and the booth. I generally bring the DC to join the fun of the experience (I suppose this may not technically be allowed )

Yep we've already voted here.

Found this BBC article from the 2010 election

It's OK to bring kids in, but they're not allowed to mark your X for you.

Dogs can come in if under control, but horses must be left outside.

It's OK to come dressed as a pirate, but it's not OK to be drunk, so don't get too deep into your Jack Sparrow impression.

Actually prepperpig, the local authorities don't "prefer it" in view of the additional work it takes to send out the postal votes. But as a pp says, those who receive a postal vote tend to actually use it - about 70% are returned.

Postal votes can be returned to the polling station up to close of poll.

DH does, he has an unpredictable work schedule and is often away at short notice. Without a postal option he'd miss out a lot.

It used to be that you had to be disabled tomask for a postal vote but around the Millenium it all changed.
anyone can now apply for a postal vote but think you've left it too late for this election.
www.gov.uk/government/publications/apply-for-a-postal-vote

I dislike postal voting for a number of reasons, firstly the risk that my ballot might not turn up, or might not make it back to the returning officer.

Secondly that it means the last few days of campaigning are rendered pointless. Looking back to a time when postal voting was less widely used than now, how many voters changed their mind from Labour to something else the night before the election when Neil Kinnock made such an utter tit of himself? The polls had Labour way ahead, but Kinnock's arrogance at a pre-election night rally, broadcast on the late evening news, seems to have been almost entirely responsible for a swing that led to a surprise Conservative victory.

And finally because I do think postal votes can be abused more easily than personal voting. The only time I voted by post was when I had booked a holiday and was going to be leaving town half an hour before the polls opened. I was disturbed to see how easy it would have been for someone else in my household or with access to my post to have filled in and posted my ballot paper without my knowledge.

Having said, I do think anyone who is likely to find it difficult or impossible to vote in person should be entitled to a postal vote without question.

If the government use the same computer programmers who have set up Vehicle Licensing and Income Tax Self Assessment, I don't mind internet voting.

Was away for one election so had a postal vote. I have kept it going ever since. If I hadn't had a postal vote I wouldn't have bothered for some local elections. Voted last weekend.

My parents have postal voted for years, as they travel so much that they cannot guarantee if they'll be around on polling day (bloody baby boomers!).

DH and I will emulate LurkingHusband and his wife, and stroll the 300 yards down to our local polling station to make our mark, taking all the children with us as we want them to see voting as a necessary duty. Then we might pop into the pub opposite for a snifter if it's a nice evening

We postal voted last time as we were out of the country at the time on holiday. I have applied for one this year as I didn't know my shift until yesterday. I commute from the west country to London so didn't want to risk getting stuck on a train and not getting back in time.

However as I am not working that day I will take my postal vote in to the Polling station as DH and I like the ritual of voting.

Alpacalypse to be fair, it's pretty easy to nick someone's personal vote, considering all you have to do is walk in and say a valid name and address.

My grandparents turned up at the polling station one year to find they'd 'already voted'.

I always do it, easier for work reasons. The election is done and dusted for me (yawn).

Requiring people to go to a physical place on a set date seems old-fashioned to me. Bring on online voting!

I once developed a web-site that implemented how I though democracy should look if designed from scratch in the internet age. Among the differences:-

• Parliament/s replaced by internet forums
• Online voting, including changing your vote at any time, with immediate effect, possibly changing who was "in power"
• No "general elections", rendered redundant by previous point

My implementation envisioned a geographical hierarchy of power in which there would be a world parliament, country parliaments and below that level further and further subdivisions, each corresponding to current real world political or administrative authorities, as far as possible.

There was no direct voting for higher level parliaments, people could participate directly in the lowest forum that represented their location, and vote for a forum representative who would represent their interests by participating in the forum on the next level up, including electing a representative for that forum in the one above it...

I'm sure some people would object to the lack of direct voting in my approach. However if I were to do it again, the biggest change I would make would be to somehow incorporate political parties. They have no role in my system, and I think that's possibly an error. Parties do actually serve an important purpose, as a brand name that summarise a set of policies, and they give a corporate body with a reputation that needs to be preserved, by not fucking up, when in power.

First year that I've not postal voted.

And only because works been sooo nuts I missed the deadline.

Getting to our allocated station on time is going to be a PIA, it very very busy and I know last time they turned people away