AIBU to resent tory party representative standing outside polling station asking for polling number?

[ITVX]

I don't think it should be allowed. I first thought she might be part of the management team for the polling station as I didn't see her badge identifying her as a member of the Tory party. I realised that it would be unlikely that they would ask your polling number outside the building. I asked why she wanted to know. She replied that it was so we didn't get phoned later. I said that I thought that voting was meant to be confidential, after which she ignored me!

I remember the incumbent Tory coming round with a megaphone in 1997 begging us all to vote for him. The constituency went Labour for the first time in its history.

Legally you have to state your name and address to the polling station staff before they can issue your ballot papers.
I wish you weren't told to bring your polling card to vote - it serves no purpose and just delays the process. The number of times I have been asked whether I can read after someone has chucked their card at me, and I've then had to ask them to state their name and address, is more than it should be.

How is it not pointless? If they’re just counting how many people passed into the station?

Or do they actually match numbers and go and knock on doors? Wasn’t aware that was a thing!

A few years ago we lived in a three way marginal so the tellers were practically having a party out there! Sharing sweets and everything. It looked rather fun.

Reminds me years ago I was cycling home from work .it was raining and had my waterproofs on.On arrival at polling Station I was asked for my polling number.
I refused.
I was then hurled a torrent of abuse that I was voting for a certain party based on the colour of my water proofs.
His face was a picture when I retorted I was going to vote for your party but I'm not now .😋

It was actually the Tory candidate outside our polling station (should have recognised him) but I asked who he was there for - if he'd been Lib Dem I'd have had seriously unpolite words (it''s a local thing), as it was, he's knocking doors later and didn't want to call on people who had already voted. I was very happy to tell him, exchange pleasantries, then vote for someone else!

It's a very common practice. if you don't want to give them info "I'd rather not" is perfectly fine.

Our constituency is rural where the teller was outside the polling booth.

She's asking if it's your first election because you've asked about something that has always happened.....I cannot see why on earth you deem that "puerile sarcasm" - it was just a quippy turn of phrase. Calm down.

I've never heard the term before, and I've stood outside polling stations at elections, and operated a campaign hub when I was a party member. Is it a new thing? I've still got my badge from the last time and it just says polling agent.

A teller can ask but of course you don't need to give this information, I have always ignored them regardless of which party they are from. They are allowed to do this but they must stand outside.

I’ve done telling. It’s not so mysterious; the main political parties have a database of people they think will vote for them and people they think won’t.

This is based on their interactions with you in the run up to polling day; if you’ve said “F off and die!” we’ll put you down as unlikely to vote for us, and if you’ve said “I might/will vote for you”.

So they match those card numbers to their spreadsheets on polling day to see that you’ve voted already. Then, when they send people out knocking on doors to remind them to vote, they don’t waste their time knocking on doors if people who have already voted.

This process is considered an important part of how our democracy works yet every year it makes a few people really angry! I’ve had people telling me we should be wearing badges (I agree) but the rules say you can’t wear any party logos in case it influences how people vote.

Also tellers are allowed inside the building at the discretion of the person managing the polling station- though many won’t allow it, whatever the weather!

Legally you have to state your name and address to the polling station staff before they can issue your ballot papers.
I wish you weren't told to bring your polling card to vote - it serves no purpose and just delays the process. The number of times I have been asked whether I can read after someone has chucked their card at me, and I've then had to ask them to state their name and address, is more than it should be.

Oh that's interesting to know @Seeline I wouldn't be that rude though 😉

Mind you, I went with husband, DD and DS and DS was only asked for his address and not his name 🤷🏻‍♀️

So say my local Lib Dem is fabulous locally, they would presume I’d vote for them at a guess if I go to them with local
issues?

The teller was there this morning and I’ve still
been knocked by two parties this afternoon.

This process is considered an important part of how our democracy works yet every year it makes a few people really angry! I’ve had people telling me we should be wearing badges (I agree) but the rules say you can’t wear any party logos in case it influences how people vote.

I wondered about this, I've only seen Lib Dem tellers and I only know they are Lib Dem because they are wearing a yellow rosette.

I heard tell of an elderly woman who would wait for the Tories to come round and offer her a lift and then she would vote for a different party. It may be an urban myth but it amused me. There is no way they are allowed to come into the voting booth and stand over you to ensure you vote for whichever party has given you a lift.

It's ages since I saw these people. They collect your voter ID and it is passed back to the team workers for say the Tory candidate so they know, if you are one of their known voters, not to 'knock you out' to vote. They often ask who you voted for but you are under no obligation to tell them- it just makes life easier for them to get their vote out.

It used to be really common but perhaps that us because we once lived in a marginal constituency so every vote was needed. Now it is firmly Labour, no one seems to bother from any party.

I used to work for the Labour Party for elections and have done it myself. All the bigger parties do it.

In 1997 I saw Tory party members driving voters to the polling booths based on the data from tellers in our constituency. I was 18 and it was my first election. They were picking old people up in cars from 7pm onwards and taking them to vote .They wasted their time.

@Lifeomars my gran definitely used to do this - she was a life long Labour supporter but demurred when asked by door knockers so she could get a lift to the Polling station! 😉

I wasn't treating anyone like an idiot. I thought tellers were pretty common so I was just checking if the OP was a new voter. Nothing wrong with being a new voter. I took 2 novice voters to the polling station myself today.

What slightly bothered me was the misconception that just Tories badgered people outside polling stations. As many people have confirmed, it can be representatives of any and all parties.

I thought they took it in turns or there were a couple from different parties that stood out side.

If you had gone an hour later it could have been the Labour, Liberal, Reform or Green Party candidate

I have seen them outside various polling stations occasionally over the years

Nothing new or terrible about it.

no that isn't allowed. They ask for your polling card number.

@ITVX .nope , genuine question, I would assume, if you've never seen the tellers before, that you've not voted much.

I’d have told him to sod off! Though perhaps marginally more politely.
They are allowed to do this, but you do not have to tell them anything!

This thread is a pretty good argument for better education about how our voting system works ..,

Telling is irrelevant to this.

It's possible (or certainly used to be ) for political parties to get copies of the marked register so they don't need your polling card number for targeting at a later date.

It's purely for "knocking up" purposes later in the day. It basically means you won't get a knock on the door / phone call asking you to vote when you've already done it. You're most likely to find tellers in marginal seats for that reason.

Since most tellers will share numbers between those tellers from other political parties present unless the relationship is particularly acrimonious then it's fairly irrelevant which party teller you give it to.

However with GDPR it may all have changed it's sometime since I've done telling.

I live in a marginal seat that's almost certainly going to the Lib Dems this time. They were the only ones who had tellers, I think the others have given up!