AIBU to not vote in the election

[IThinkIJustShatMyself]

Last week I got an email from my manager asking me to visit a different office to meet with some clients. Office is 3 hours away by train and meeting is 10.30-3.30. Leaving some ‘wiggle room’ for traffic/delays/meeting running over, the office have booked my trains to leave home at 6.30 and arriving at my home station by 7.30pm. This isn’t usually a problem, but I’ve just realised that it’s the day of the election. I’ll have to go from the train station to my parents to collect my children, so I’m looking at not getting home until 8.30 at the earliest. I’ve just checked and my polling station is open from 7-9 and I’m too late to apply for a postal vote. I’ve always voted in previous elections but I just don’t see how I’ll manage to vote this time! WIBU to not vote? Or is there a way to nominate a proxy to vote for me? Or can I vote somewhere other than my local polling office?

Postal vote?

Although if you haven’t registered you’ve missed the deadline...

Annnnnd, you said that in your OP. Maybe just ignore me. I’m having one of those days.

Might proxy vote work?

@Howtosupportmyfrienda

@cheesecake53 I don’t know how it works? How do I register for a proxy vote?

Can you not go vote and then pick up your kids?

I think you're within your rights to ask to leave early to ensure you can vote.

Pop in before you pick up your DC? Doesn't take long.

I would check that the polling station closes at 9 . I have been a presiding officer for many years , and for GE they open 7 am -10pm

Polling hours for general elections are definitely 7am until 10pm - I've just double-checked.

xpost

In theory I could vote and then collect kids, but it’s 20 minutes home to vote, then half an hour to parents, then half an hour back, so another 1.5 hours on the day! I’m just not sure I’ll be up for that after such a long work day?

I thought 10 was standard. But you can get an emergency proxy vote. It has to be for work or medical reasons, for something you weren’t aware of before the normal deadline has passed, which it has. www.electoralcommission.org.uk/sites/default/files/2019-09/Emergency-employment-proxy-vote-application-form.pdf

You could find the time to vote if it mattered to you. The polls close at 10.

I would do everything you can to vote (emergency proxy or just get there) or to alter your train tickets so you can do it.

I can't imagine your polling station will close before the polls close at 10pm. If it's important to you, you could make that.

Definitely unreasonable to blame a busy day for not being able to vote.
If you really want to vote, you'd make time do it - but if you're not bothered, about it, you might not.
Therefore it's not the busy day that stops you getting there but rather your apathy after a long day.
NOTHING will keep me away from that polling station on Thursday, I can tell you. I will prioritise it over everything else I have planned. The future direction of this country is at stake and as a parent of teens with no vote, that matters to me.

1.5 hours extra 'just' to vote towards our future for your children.

DW uses a wheelchair, and at the moment I'm around to help push (and she has a little electric scooter too, anyway).

Our polling station is about a quarter of a mile away, and she's said (many many times) she would get there on her arse "one cheek at a time" if she had to, to get that cross in the box.

Yabu

Go after you've got the kids. It'll be open until 10

You can still get a proxy vote. There will be a number to ring on your polling card. You’ll have to get a form signed by someone at work and get it back by Thursday.

Take the kids with you, pop in and do it kn the way from your parents to home. It's only one time and will only take 5 minutes.

What RhymingRabbit said. This is too important an election not to vote.

yabvu to ask MN's permission to vote or not

After you pick up the kids looks like your best window, are the kids not suitable to wait 2 minutes for you in the polling station?