Is anyone else here working at a Polling Station on Thursday?

[Stinkyfeet]

If so, what are you doing and more importantly, what food are you taking?!

I suspect folk are used to the very low turn-out for local elections, where the voter feels like an extra in the pub scene in American Werewolf!

I'm just back from the count. Turns out I worried for nothing. I was the fastest counter there Also the day at the station wasn't too bad and the presiding officer was fine if a little clumsy. He spilt his tea all over his papers and then ripped up the returns so I had to cellotape them back together.

Worst thing was the signs - putting paper signs up with cellotape in the rain by myself was grim!

Wow saffy - when did you last sleep?!

I reckon POs are a special breed - mine wouldn't let me use drawing pins on a tree - had to use blutack and string lol.

Still, he did keep up a running supply of coffee and anecdotes.

Oh I went to sleep last night! We weren't counting until this morning as we are too rural - Northumberland. Plus one area would have to wait for the tide to go in at Holy Island to get the ballot box out

at your part of the world - I have a photo on my dressing table of the DC at Lindisfarne Castle.

finished at 4am, this morning .

The parliamntary count it self was staright forward but it was the verfication first as in some wards there were 3 elections .

Those were being counted thsi morning - not bby me thankfully .

Glad everyone had a good day/night - lucky none of us had to turn anyone away.

May be back doing it in October !

Had to turn away a couple of people who had just wandered in, thinking you could vote anywhere. Also someone who wasn't registered to vote and someone who had registered for a postal vote but said they hadn't.

Also had a couple of people who voted, put the paper in the ballot box and then asked where the slip was for Brown, Cameron and Clegg. When we tried to explain to them, they said they had voted for the wrong party if that was the case!

One woman drifted in at 6 minutes to 1000 pm, and her address was at another polling station, some way away. When told, she asked whether she had time to get there. Hard not to snigger at times like that.

I'm still knackered!!!

Food- bananas, naked bars (not baked), choc covered rice cakes, posh yoghourt and crispbread. Vats of coffee, v wired coming home.

I'm sure those from 7 years ago appreciate your response wauden

Poll Clerk here, and rather zombieish by the time I got home. We had approx 80% turnout on a 500-ish register, more people than I would have imagined who expected to find JC and TM on the ballot paper, and one person who came to the wrong Polling Station (indeed, to the wrong village!). Provisions included left-over chili from the freezer, tomato, cheese and rolls, digestive biscuits and Snickers. And oodles of tea and coffee.