Turnout only around 52%

[Houseplanter]

As far as I can tell? Goodness that's low. Almost half the population who is eligible haven't made their choice.

Absolutely!

The list of acceptable ID is a bit odd and I can see why some people haven't understood it.

I don't really understand why over 60 bus passes are accepted but not photo ID issued by the NHS. Even civil service passes aren't accepted and they are literally issues by the government!

I dropped my postal vote in to the polling station yesterday (forgot I had a postal vote) and, honestly, the instructions and procedure for that were as clear as mud. So I'm not surprised if the changes haven't been communicated well around ID.

🥴

This.

"The other son was turned away because he had forgotten his ID 🙄."

Why not just nip back home for it?

IMHO it would be better to engage (go to the polling station) and either submit an incomplete ballot paper or spoil your paper. By doing that you are engaging in an essential
part of democracy. I hope you’re not someone who moans about the state of our schools, NHS, taxes …………..

I have never voted. I will still complain as I wish though about roads/education/healthcare.

Just because someone on the internet says I lose my right to complain doesn't mean I have to listen to them. I honestly couldn't tell you who my local MP is/was never mind what party they are.

What's the point of voting when we have the FPTP system in a safe seat?

Nah you have no right to complain.

If people are so lazy to get a free ID and do the bare minimum as a citizen. Then they should shut up and do not complain.

We had a by-election a couple of months ago which I think exemplified what has happened in the general election.

Our odious sitting MP (Cons 18k majority) was recalled, suspended and ejected from his party. The spineless local party selected his lady friend to stand as his sock puppet.

The rural blue electorate stayed home in their droves. The Labour Party motivated their electorate to turn out to vote. As a result they returned a candidate with a 6k majority.

There will be individual stories about why people didnt vote but I think the problem for the Conservatives is that their traditional voters didn't vote.

We need to get rid of the first past the post system. Almost everyone I know voted Labour or didn't vote but all of those who voted Labour did so very very reluctantly. It's not democracy if you feel your vote doesn't really matter. If Starmer reads this as a ringing endorsement of his soft Tory politics then more people will just not bother next time. History has taught us that when too many people feel angry and disenfranchised bad things happen.

Lack of faith, trust and not wanting to be a part of any of them and what they WONT do despite their promises.

It’s why I opted out of working in the NHS after decades, I will not be a part of it any longer.

Same for the political parties. I await the “sunlight of hope” that will not arrive.

Have just sent this to all my relatives so said they didn’t vote because I can’t believe how tight this was

Good assessment from a listener who emailed local BBC radio:
Think of getting a taxi, you want to go straight to your desired destination. Catch a bus instead and it will go broadly in the right direction, though perhaps not exactly where you need to get to, it will keep stopping, and people you may or may not welcome will join and leave the bus on the way. Choosing not to vote is like staying at the bus stop instead of getting on and taking that less direct journey, just because you couldn’t get the taxi you wanted.

Looking like Labour has 35% of the vote on a 60% turnout, and a massive majority. We really do need proportional representation.

And if you ever listen to radio with adverts there is one constantly reminding people to take ID. I listen to radio X during the day at work and it was on virtually every advert break

It was a daft time for Scotland as so many families are away. The ability to register by post collapsed

this willl have affected Scottish numbers. We might even have managed to get rid of the SNP in more seats.

Refusal to understand why some people don't have ID is blinkered thinking.

This was a snap election. Some people are working two jobs to make ends meet. Getting ID costs time or money. People who have no fixed address struggle to get ID, especially if they move around a lot.

The Conservatives chose to put a barrier in the way of voting, despite the fact there was no need for it.

Many people don't listen to the radio - just because you heard it doesn't mean other people did

No, women died, so you had a right to vote. Big difference.

That makes no sense, I did not vote as no one had a destination I wanted to go to. I would have been picking at random so I chose not to travel (under this analogy). And no I won’t complain - I never really do unless it’s about pot holes.

You could have for free ID for the purpose. There has been adverts online, on all social media, threads in MN, adverts in TV and radio, etc advising about it.

That's why postal and proxy voting exists though.
We did our postal votes almost a fortnight ago.