Does anyone else quadruple-check their ballot paper?

[BadgerMushroom20]

Just been to the polling station to vote, and as always, I find myself checking the ballot paper 4 or 5 times after I've marked it to check that I've put the cross in the right place for who I want to vote for!

Does anyone else do this on a ridiculously simple form or is it just me?!

I had someone's proxy today. I actually dreamed of getting it wrong last night!

In the country I live in now, instead of putting a X in a box, you have to write the candidate number, which lends itself to more possible issues - did I write the wrong number? If the number has a 1 or a 7 in, does my 1 look like a 7 or vice versa? There's so many numbers (can be choosing from 50 odd candidates) so takes a while to check, then double check, and if you want to triple and quadruple check it'll be even longer. Always takes me a while in the polling booth!
So at least be thankful you only have to check you put the X in the right box! (still worrying my brother didn't check for me though, maybe I should have got my mum to fill it out for him! - postal proxy)

No but I take a photo of my ballot paper so if I get worried about crossing the wrong box later I can pull out my phone and check!

And me! I always get ridiculously concerned that I'm going to inadvertently break some arcane rule that I don't know about by looking the wrong way, smiling at someone or something like that.

I think I would spontaneously combust at the polling station if it was like this in the UK!

I'm pretty sure we're not allowed to do this?

Oh yes, I do this. I am always convinced I'll do it wrong and walk home with nagging doubts 😫

Although I guess with a postal vote I could have done! Perhaps I should do postal next time, but despite the anxiety/OCD I seem to suffer from at polling stations, there's something quite exciting to me about actually going to vote!

No. I look carefully first though.

Haha, I read every candidates name and the party, rather than just look for the one I’m voting for. I can’t imagine I’ll suddenly go “ah yes, Joe Bloggs, he is standing for the BNP but he was a great lad at school, I’ll give him my vote”.

somewhat embarrassingly today I banged the box like an American presidential candidate after I’d dropped my vote, made worse by the fact it took me 3 attempts to get it in thr slot.

Ah oops I didn't know that. Might give that a miss next time then!

I thought of starting a thread about this. Yes! I'm one of the weirdos of whom you speak 😂

Well there was an arrow on mine so I just put the tick in the box it pointed to.😀

Ah but then you'd worry you forgot to post it. You'd post it, get home, then think wait, did i actually post it or did I, for some insane reason, stick it in a bin?

Definitely. I had to check mine several times before I put the X on. I don’t think I’ve been like that in previous elections, but this is a big one.

This is true. At least when you’ve done it in person you know it’s safe. I used to do the election count so I never worry once my vote is in the box as I know they’re secure. Postal voting though… I’d never know if it hasn’t arrived.

You’re not supposed to take photos in polling stations in case you accidentally or otherwise reveal someone else’s vote. You might be ticked off if they caught you but as long as it’s just your own ballot paper there shouldn’t be a serious problem.

🤣 me.

Put big cross right there in the check box, unmistakable.

Still had to triple check just in case my hand "had slipped" and I'd inadvertently voted Tory 🤣

This makes me think of that Vicar of Dibley episode - "I didn't know which one to choose so I just put a big cross next to the name of the Tory candidate to make sure he doesn't get in!"

Yes, and then still spend the day slowing convincing myself that I dreamed I voted, and so didn't actually go.

I texted my family on the way out for documentary proof to refer back to.

Dammit I've just got back from voting and now I feel the need to triple check it. Do you think they'll let me get mine back out the box to have a look?

Ask them 😂

I sent off my postal vote several days ago and am now panicking that I marked the wrong box!

I am having a lie down watching the tennis. I never have a lie down. Therefore I am guaranteed to fall asleep, wake up at 21.58 and miss voting completely 😣😣😣

My sincerest apologies to anyone who is now second guessing whether they marked their form correctly as a result of this thread, it wasn't my intention!