Anyone else got canvassed yet?

[thirdfiddle]

Just explained to a nice lib dem woman why I wouldn't be voting for them, and that I used to vote for them before they said they didn't want GC votes. She looked glum, wouldn't discuss the issue and just wanted to tell me it was them or the tories in our constituency.
Anyway, chalk one up for if they say it's not getting raised on the doorsteps they're lying.
Anyone else had any visiting politicians yet?

I told a Labour canvasser last year. It was a smug sod who used to be on the council, very woke. I felt really quite a lot better. 10/10 would recommend.

Can I also say as well as telling people on the doorstep, please make a note on your ballot paper when you vote. As long as you don't identify yourself and your vote choice is still clearly visible, there's no reason why you can't write "won't be voting Green again til they know what a woman is" or whatever on your ballot paper.

Any ballots with extra marks of any kind are shown to political party operatives when the votes are counted. So they will definitely see them all - a really easy and effective way to make your point.

Yes, and I'm glad I was because I might have voted for him ... until I met him. Horrid man.

Yes first time here. It was an interesting chat, they did a good job tbh

Is this true? Forgive my suspicion, but I’m not convinced this is right? Do you have a link?

For the first time ever, I really want them to knock my bloody door, and I bet they won't!

Our Conservative MP phoned me last week to ask if I would vote for him.
I clearly explained why not

None of them ever come up here doorknocking thankfully, there was a lib dem on our road one time before the last election, but he was just doing a photo pose walking along the street pretending he was canvassing having his photo taken for his glossy leaflets, he didn't knock on one door!

Not seen a single canvasser for any party. Not received a single flyer, not seen a single poster.

Admittedly, I'm in Ireland where things may be different.

If you wrote anything on the ballot paper other than your voting preference tick, your ballot paper would be discarded. So, don't do this unless you are happy to spoil your vote. The reason the paper may be shown to observers is just to show the reason the ballot paper is being discarded.

I have lived in this area for 30+ years, never had any canvassers

Even the jehovah witnesses stopped coming after I invited them in for a cup of tea and a biscuit 🥺

This is the first one I've seen since we moved here, it's been a very tory constituency, but LDs have made big gains on the local council so I think they may consider it a target.

Wow! I didn’t know they can do this.

why did they have your number?
apologies if it’s an obvious info I’m not from UK originally so still have cultural gaps.

Labour called last week, the candidate himself. Poor chap, I think he wished I'd been out. There was a lot of well-intentioned flannel about sex-based rights.

And just as he thought he'd be able to escape, I went in with something else...

Not the case in the UK. You can write or draw as much as you like on the paper; it will only be discarded if it doesn't express a clear voting intention, or if it compromises your anonymity.

Yes, twice already.

First time was our SNP MP, who I voted for last time. I told him i wouldn't be voting SNP again because I valued women's rights. He said he did too (though of course trans people are "vulnerable"...), but I pointed out that he never replied to my email about Section 35 and the GRR bill. I mentioned the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre tribunal as an example of the disadvantage to women in the current situation, and he said he wasn't aware of it.

Then I had a canvasser for Labour, and I said that women's rights were a line in the sand for me. He said he completely agreed re single-sex spaces etc., and maybe we should have a sit-in at Holyrood loos . He took my email address (still waiting to hear from the candidate). The canvasser seemed to think that Labour would come round to backing women, but of course I can't base my vote on the basis of something that they might and probably won't do.

I can't remember when I last had a canvasser. Maybe never.

I had a Lib Dem at the door this week. Not the actual candidate, but our local councillor who is standing in a different seat (I suspect they've already decided he won't win there, whereas they might believe they have a chance here).

He didn't run away whimpering when I raised the issue and neither did he call me a bigot. He was very careful with what he did say, saying that he and his wife had been taking about this a lot recently, but he was more open when he realised my position. He admitted that they'd probably made a mistake supporting the GRR bill at Holyrood. We had a bit of a chat about the Holyrood/Edinburgh/Central belt bubble and I got the impression that the grass root party members aren't as immersed in the KoolAid as the more visible party members (rural, farming area so not surprising really).

As he was leaving he also made a crack about Stonewall being to blame! I'd like to leave spoken to the actual candidate but at least I know now that my local councillor is sensible.

He called on my mobile, I was pretty surprised to be honest.
I must have filled something in at some point

Only Labour so far. A very nice woman, wearing a Labour Women's Declaration badge. We had a great chat. The candidate wasn't there (apparently Labour have three or more teams out every day in my constituency), so she took my number and said I'll get a call back.

My constituency is a tight SNP/Labour contest. I've written to my existing (OK, former, I suppose) SNP MP many times, mostly about women's rights. He takes weeks to reply, and then it's a boilerplate of a couple of sentences which doesn't engage with anything I've said. I would love him to come calling.

I have never been canvassed in my whole life. We are in a total blue ribbon seat so they possibly can't be bothered. The Labour party candidate lives a few doors down from me and he doesn't seem to bother either (he has no public profile at all really, despite standing at the last 3 elections that I can recall.)

It will be interesting to see if it happens I guess. Although on women's rights our (male) Tory MP has been vocal in support and is certainly GC. Wouldn't have a clue what the Labour guy thinks (or what he says he thinks which might not be the same thing) as he never talks about anything.

I think it’s a spoiled ballot and you shouldn’t do it.

It's only spoiled if you identify yourself or don't show a clear voting intention.

(Note that drawing a cock and balls in one of the candidate's boxes can be taken as a 'clear voting intention' - although I seem to remeber in that case there were arguments about whether it was a clear vote for or against. So make sure any message is either around the edge or runs across all candidates.)

I have only been canvassed by a Green, in recent years. He looked very sad and asked me to reconsider, when I explained why I couldn't vote for him.

Mind you, I'm currently 10 days into a job, halfway between Lowestoft and Belgium, so we could have had hordes of them knocking, for all I know.

You are all wonderful. I have had 2.. but was too chicken/couldn't think fast enough to ask... please some tips? How can I ask about sex-based rights without sounding mad/overly aggressive?

The Labour chap came to our door when I was out and despite all the time and effort I've put into explaining sex based rights to DH he didn't quiz said chap on what he thought a woman was but instead said he was going to vote for Labour to try and get the SNP out (or at least, their vote share reduced). That's the last time I'm leaving DH alone in the house ever, he obviously can't be trusted.