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.

I tell my son that both men and women have died which has enabled him and his peers to vote

That may be your reasoning but there are many reasons why people don't vote.

A spoiled ballot would have distinguished your protest from simple apathy.

My protest? I voted.

Margaret Hodge was talking this morning, about the important feature that there are those who do not vote due to anger.

I am glad the political parties are taking it swriously, rather than lazily dismissing it as apathy.

I do not accept the phrase 'just don't bother'.

Factually yes far more people did not turn out pre-ID than the number who are additionally deterred by the ID rules.

But that doesn't make the ID change right. It was wrong, it was cynical, it was wasteful in terms of money and time for both the individual and the state, it was unnecessary and it is a barrier to voting.

As I said, it was a silly mistake on his part. He thought his driving license was in his wallet, but it was actually two hours away, at his girlfriend’s house, with his passport.

BBC reporting approx. 60%, Labour's share of the total vote 35%. The UK will never get rid of FPTP as long as it favours the "uniparty" parties.

Because it was two hours away at his girlfriend’s house, where he’s been staying.

It was his mistake, and he bitterly regretted it.

Turnout in my area was just shy of 77%. Unfortunately most of them voted Tory.

Safe seats can change.

Look at Basildon, literally 20 votes in it.
(Tbf, they probably would have got more if they didn’t wait until a few days before to chuck a Durham MP there, but the point still stands.)

I also don’t think I agree you can’t complain if you don’t vote.
If you fee there’s no one who represents you, who are you supposed to vote for?

The party you think are least likely to get in?
Someone you don’t actually agree with?

I don’t think either of those are morally better really.

Just musing btw, but I don’t think it’s so clear cut

Honestly; I don't think the parties care if you don't vote or you choose to draw a big penis on your paper. They care about winning. People overthink this way too much and put far too much weight on their "not voting" actually meaning something.

Surely it's better people don't vote than make an uneducated choice?

Isnt this where all the hoopla over Brexit came from? People saying they voted without understanding what they were voting for.

Sometimes a vote is more dangerous than not voting.

I didn't vote as none of the political parties really struck me as someone I wanted to rally behind. There are good aspects and bad aspects to all parties but none which convinced me.

I agree that more spending is needed to fund various services and we should raise taxes to do so but the spending needs to be realistic as the country just doesn't have the economic stability to simply fund everything we need to. There needs to be a clear fiscal plan which maps out increasing spending while being sustainable (which isn't Labours wishy washy way of saying they will fund it by reducing the tax gap- it's not a realistic statement to say that will fund everything).

We shouldn't have a government that overly panders to the wealthy but we also cannot do the polar opposite and put a foot down on them- the fact is, if they were all to leave and take their money out of the country, the economy would suffer.

I'm not saying I have a solution to all of the above (no way would I ever be in politics) but I didn't want to simply vote for 'the least worst option' as I kind of put them all on par. No point voting for an independent candidate or one of the smaller parties, as they just won't get in. Realistically, I was in a position where I didn't have much buy-in on whoever won.

Don't get me wrong, I am cautiously hopeful about the Labour government, but I will reserve judgement until I hear their first budget.

I was surprised the turnout was so low considering the media had bigged up how unhappy the people were with the government and how tough the cost of living crisis is.
So almost half the electorate didn't bother voting.
They have no right to whinge so if they don't like how the country is run.

Well, yes it is. Nobody has to vote.

Just because someone fought for my right to do something, doesn't mean i have to do it every single time i could.
I'm happy knowing the option is there if I need it.
I am in a labour very safe seat but would not have been that bothered if they had lost it (unlikely but possible)
I don't feel any of the parties speak for me so why cast a vote just for the sake of it?

I didn't vote - absolutely no one worth voting for. I remember the mess the Tories took over from Labour and hold no hope for any of them. I do understand this gives me no right to moan but I'm dying anyway so fuck it.

It would not have changed the outcome if everyone had voted. It still would have been roughly the same .

I suppose I'm just glad the 48% didn't turn out to vote reform or things would be very different today

@timetorefresh that is one thing we have to be grateful for

Final turnout looks to be 60% so not quite as bad but still low.

I dont understand this. surely to vote he would have to be near home as that’s where his polling station is? So he could have picked up his ID easily. Or do you mean he had decided to stay at his girlfriends two hours away last night and couldn’t be arsed to come home to vote? Because that’s nothing to do with voter ID. Thats apathy.

I always vote however this year someone decided to call an election right at the beginning of the Scottish School holidays, we were away on holiday and our postal votes didn’t arrive in time. So 3 adults in our house didn’t get to vote.

Same I teared my vote card up the other day !
But glad Tory lost.

I think it's reasonably clear what the PP meant -

Her DS came home to vote but had left his ID two hours away which didn't give him time to go back there and back to get it.

I also saw people turned away for not having ID or the right ID so I'm sure this will have affected voter figures.