UK Parliamentary General Election 8th June 2017

[Richard Hakluyt]

Its like that in general elections too.

I think that was fine back in the 1950s but may be a problem in a far less cohesive country. I'm in favour of tightening up electoral procedures.

[Tamas]

Its like that in general elections too.

I think that was fine back in the 1950s but may be a problem in a far less cohesive country. I'm in favour of tightening up electoral procedures.

They didn't even want to see our IDs, and we were two people with accents.  Maybe being caught trying to impersonating somebody in a polling station carries a severe punishment or something?

Because if some neutral observers would see this thing going down in Russia or Turkey it would make the news, just saying.

[Richard Hakluyt]

They cross you off the list of electors though, so if the real elector turns up then they at least know there is a problem.

Anyway, I'm off to vote 

[Tamas]

They cross you off the list of electors though, so if the real elector turns up then they at least know there is a problem.

Anyway, I'm off to vote 

Yeah but it is ripe for stuff like at the end of the day crossing off most of the non-shows and throw in some votes in their place.

[Richard Hakluyt]

In the old days (of mass parties) party members would be present at the polling stations (especially in close races) to make sure that there was no funny business. I'm in a one-party state here so nobody bothers, but I'm assuming they still do so at marginal constituencies.

No need to worry about the pencils though, in my place they were secured to the voting booth with some string.

[Tamas]

In the old days (of mass parties) party members would be present at the polling stations (especially in close races) to make sure that there was no funny business. I'm in a one-party state here so nobody bothers, but I'm assuming they still do so at marginal constituencies.

No need to worry about the pencils though, in my place they were secured to the voting booth with some string.

Yeah here as well. It is just funny to use a market that is easy to erase.

I mean sure nobody will bother, but such important matters should not be left to "well, why would anyone bother cheating?"

At any rate, I appreciate the chance to vote as a non-citizen resident, and am proud to have cast my first vote in my chosen new home. 

[The Larch]

We don't sign here either, in fact the concept of having to sign a paper to demonstrate that I've voted sound quite strange to me. Here you show your ID, they look you up in their lists, cross you off (with a pen!  ) and it's done. There are also party representatives around to make sure there's no funny business going on.

[Liep]

We don't sign here either, in fact the concept of having to sign a paper to demonstrate that I've voted sound quite strange to me. Here you show your ID, they look you up in their lists, cross you off (with a pen!  ) and it's done.

Same here.

There are also party representatives around to make sure there's no funny business going on.

And it's a good job, one day off work sitting down and eating all the free cake you want.

[Tamas]

Well, you would need less scrutiny if everybody just signed the paper.

[The Larch]

Well, you would need less scrutiny if everybody just signed the paper.

Don't be a Wagonlitz.

[Tamas]

Huh? I am sorry but it is extremely easy to throw some extra votes in your favour into the pile if all you have to do is wait for the end of the voting day, and cross off as many non-shows as you have extra ballots you want to throw in.

[The Larch]

Huh?

Sorry, a bit inside joke-ish.  It's an extremely parochial Danish poster over at P'dox, who is always shocked to hear that other places do things differently than in Denmark.

I am sorry but it is extremely easy to throw some extra votes in your favour into the pile if all you have to do is wait for the end of the voting day, and cross off as many non-shows as you have extra ballots you want to throw in.

It can't be that easy as you think (I don't say for sure because I've never been tasked with manning an electoral booth over here, but my father has had to a couple of times and he told me about it). Each booth has a team of 3 randomly selected people (who will quite possibly be familiar with the actual voters, as they're pulled from the local area) manning it, with tasks divided amongst them (one checks IDs, another signs off the list, another helps with the actual putting of the envelope in the urn) and the counting of the votes is done with the party appointees hawking around to make sure that there's no funny business going on. Any of these appointees can ask for a recount and a difference of only one in the number of votes against the voters signed off on the list can mean recounting over and over, or even annulling the entire booth. It could theoretically happen? I guess so. Is it reasonable to suppose that there's voter fraud going on? I really don't think so.

[garbon]

I feel like Tamas you are sliding into the Republican trap of the notion that there must be voter fraud going on. Remember, in US, we only make a person sign, they don't have to show ID.

[mongers]

I feel like Tamas you are sliding into the Republican trap of the notion that there must be voter fraud going on. Remember, in US, we only make a person sign, they don't have to show ID.

Yes, something along those lines.

Also I think if the ballot box stuffing/corruption as Tamas describes is a real probability, then I think the country's civic culture has already failed and corrupt politicians winning vast landslide elections is just the confirmation of that.

[Tamas]

It is only about trust in the system. It makes life more convenient, but I guess if you come from Eastern Europe you develop different reflexes. I am not sure they are the incorrect reflexes out of the two, but different for sure.