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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think it's your own fault and you've had ages to sort it!

202 replies

Hurryhurryhurry · 08/06/2016 10:59

Heard the news on the radio about up to 1 million people registering to vote yesterday... On the last day!
Then the site crashed and now many people are annoyed that they couldn't register and want the deadline to be extended.

Wtf! Aibu to think why did you leave it until yesterday?!

OP posts:
Original poster
Hurryhurryhurry · 08/06/2016 17:47

Exactly what beebopsaid.
When I was in uni, if my work wasn't in before the deadline then it didn't get marked. No excuses!
It's a deadline yes, but it's not a target. You don't have to wait until the deadline to do it.

OP posts:
LurkingHusband · 08/06/2016 17:48

(see "Speed Limts")

LurkingHusband · 08/06/2016 17:49

(see "Speed Limits")

Original poster
Hurryhurryhurry · 08/06/2016 17:49

soloman you can go online and google the deadline loads in advance. Or instead of faffing with that just register regardless of whether there's a vote coming up

OP posts:
SolomanDaisy · 08/06/2016 18:01

You can do that, but most expats don't vote in UK elections, so have no need to do that and so have no experience of registering as an overseas voter. They may not even have realised they were eligible to vote until they found out from an expat campaign group. (And I know that 'you' can do the annual registration. I do. In fact I've already voted in the referendum. But I understand that most people, you know, aren't me and do things differently).

CoolforKittyCats · 08/06/2016 18:12

One council has declared that from 1st April they have had 11k applications 9k of which where already registered.

So actually only 2k new registrations.

Noodledoodledoo · 08/06/2016 18:16

I am a last minute Annie type person. I would also class myself as not stupid. Over the past few months I have seen lots of adverts telling me to register to vote for the referendum. It wasn't 100% clear to me from the adverts if I had to register specifically for it so I did check alough dId it back in April. All it needed was the ad to say if you voted in May you were ok to reduce those checking/registering last night.

MistressChalk · 08/06/2016 18:20

I voted in the 2015 elections and hadn't changed address. I had to re-register as if somehow been taken off the register! I didn't realise this until I didn't get my polling card through. I registered weeks ago and received a letter saying I'd be added to the register 'on 1st July, unless there is an election before then in which you will be able to vote if eligible'. Hmm what does that mean??? How do I know if I'm eligible or not? Surely if you've accepted that I'm eligible to be added to the register, I'll be eligible to vote?

runslikethewind · 08/06/2016 18:32

I don't think that there's anything wrong with waiting until close to the deadline to do whatever it is as long as if something goes wrong and you then miss out you take it on the chin and may be not whinge. It must be enough to tip staff over the edge if something's been slow in the lead up to a deadline and then everyone pills in at the last minute and then some whinge when the deadline arrives and they miss out due to last minute high demand. It would drive me nuts!

MrsTerryPratchett · 08/06/2016 18:37

When I was in uni, if my work wasn't in before the deadline then it didn't get marked. No excuses! I'm really curious as to why you are comparing something as trivial as your university coursework and something as important as the right to vote?

So you get your BSc in Knitting? That is hardly a pillar of Western democracy and the future of the UK in Europe. And if the University failed to have staff to receive your work, they would have to give you an extension...

Original poster
Hurryhurryhurry · 08/06/2016 19:03

I'm not even going to respond to your patronising comment mrsterry Confused

OP posts:
CoolforKittyCats · 08/06/2016 19:08

Are you always so patronising mrsterry

OnceThereWasThisGirlWho · 08/06/2016 19:12

MrsTerryPratchett And if the University failed to have staff to receive your work, they would have to give you an extension...

Not necessarily. I'm studying with the Open University and they warn you not to send off work just before the deadline in case you end up having internet problems or their system crashes. They say they don't have to accept work that is late for these reasons (without prior agreed extension), although I suspect if it was system failure they might. No idea how often this happens though.

However, they do warn you in advance. Also, the government should know what people are like and be prepared for the last minute rush! It's not like University, this is not the time to be teaching people about the importance of deadlines - as you say, a pillar of democrcy is at stake.

Libitina · 08/06/2016 19:23

I sent my postal vote in last week smug face

JassyRadlett · 08/06/2016 19:30

Maybe there were a whole lot of people who caught the ITV 'debate', or saw some news coverage that made them realise they cared after all and they did want to vote when they had previously been apathetic.

Or maybe they're just really motivated by deadlines. Grin

I'm not sure I really like comparing taking advantage of legal enfranchisement with handing in uni exams.

lljkk · 08/06/2016 19:31

I think modern students lose 10-20% of marks for late submission, but still possible up to a few days after advertised deadline.

TheDrsDocMartens · 08/06/2016 19:41

uni students have all just gone home for the summer having voted in that town in May they need to change addresses for this vote. Might up the numbers more than in April/may ?

Liiinooo · 08/06/2016 20:16

The deadline was midnight on the 7th, not 8.45pm on the 7th or 10.27am on the 1st. If people applied before the deadline it is not reasonable (and possibly illegal?) to disenfranchise them because the system failed.

Original poster
Hurryhurryhurry · 08/06/2016 20:36

It's been extended now. So no excuses this time.

OP posts:
CoolforKittyCats · 08/06/2016 21:14

uni students have all just gone home for the summer having voted in that town in May they need to change addresses for this vote. Might up the numbers more than in April/may ?

Not really made a difference. The figures are around the same for that council regarding percentage of applications to those that are already registered.

CoolforKittyCats · 08/06/2016 21:17

In the past 24hrs they had just over 2k applications in 24hrs.

Just over 1k were already registered.

It certainly seems to be an issue that people think they need to register again for this.

MrsTerryPratchett · 09/06/2016 04:20

I think I'm patronizing when people imply that only organized people deserve a vote. And that if people don't register at some unspecified time before the deadline, they are unworthy.

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 09/06/2016 05:25

This is why the HMRC website has issues on the 31st January as well. "Leaving things to the last minute" is a very common problem, huge numbers of people do it and yes, it's going to result in too much traffic on a site. But I do think it's a bit ridiculous to assume that the site in question (be it HMRC or this one) should run way over capacity most of the time just to accommodate the last minuter influx just prior to deadline.

sleeponeday · 09/06/2016 05:26

These people didn't leave it past the deadline. They applied within the deadline and were prevented from registering. That's a failure in democracy, and of course it should be resolved in their favour.

It's also a bloody good thing because if registered to vote, presumably this will increase suffrage at other elections, too? It expands the electorate, which has to be a bonus of this referendum whatever your views on the issue. More registered voters means a stronger democracy.

DoinItFine · 09/06/2016 06:18

But I do think it's a bit ridiculous to assume that the site in question (be it HMRC or this one) should run way over capacity most of the time just to accommodate the last minuter influx just prior to deadline.

If you are running a website, particularly if it is an official government website used by citizens to carry out legal functions such as registering to vote or paying their taxes, you need to make sure that your site will be able to handle its peak levels of traffic, whatever they might be.

That is your responsibility.

You might as well argue that it is crazy for people to think they should be able to get electricity at peak times and that designing the electricity supply system to it can manage sudden surges in demand is "running it way over capacity".

People are legally entitled to vote. It is truly frightening the lame excuses people will accept for disenfrachisement.