BBC news really have reached a new level of dumbing down today.

[TheWaiting]

Switched on News 24. Reporter outside polling station has just explain that you put a cross next to the name of your preferred candidate and if they get the most votes they become an M.P and represent you in Parliament. 🤨 We then go back to Christian Fraser in the studio who proceeds with a segment titled, ‘How to vote’ 🙄🙄🙄
I honestly thought they were running a Newsround episode.

We've had a mock election at my school today. They had a hustings on Tuesday with sixth form "candidates" for all the major parties. All the pupils were encouraged to go and vote (and hopefully they will then encourage their parents to vote too, some of the pupils are now better informed than their parents as well)

I do think it's important for people to be told/taught how to vote, as the thought is intimidating to a lot of people of they've never done it before. Before the Brexit referendum I had to tell my sil how to vote, because she didn't know what to expect. We did a little role-play :) and I told her which candidate to vote for which she dutifully did, and so did the rest of her side of the family because she told them I'd said it was important, lol.

It's a shame the BBC felt they had to do it, but with nothing else to talk about today it was probably a good thing to do if it encourages first time voters to get out and vote.

Mock elections are the way to go, I think. A great way to engage young people because they're fun even if only as a novelty.

You’re right, they do have a logo. I’m not sure how I didn’t take that in, especially as I’ve just come back from voting.

we had two wards in one community centre so you have to check which one your street is on and go to one side of a dividing line of chairs or the other. 3 booths on each half. Didn't have to wait but they were filling and emptying quite rapidly as we were queuing for our ballot papers.

We did a mock election a few weeks ago with Brownies too, for UK parliament week. We kept that one non-political as girlguiding doesn't want us to be seen as trying to influence parents. Us leaders came up with policies for "improving" Brownies and they voted for our "Brownies prime minister". We ended up with a hung parliament and formed a coalition (suited is perfectly, keeps the status quo of teamwork). It was a lot of fun and the Brownies got an experience of voting with ballot papers and voting booths, they loved it!

And your Brownies will now understand what a coalition government is, which is great. I've known people in their 20s who weren't familiar with the term.