sirbenjamin
IFP
True fame is reading your name written in graffiti, but without the words 'is a wanker' after it.
Posts: 4,979 
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Post by sirbenjamin on Feb 8, 2022 11:43:00 GMT
I always find 'want of a proper mark' amusing. As if the ballot paper is sentient and has a deep desire to be marked properly.
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ColinJ
Labour
Living in the Past
Posts: 2,126
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Post by ColinJ on Feb 8, 2022 16:01:52 GMT
Drum roll...... Does anyone have the official breakdown of the figures for rejected papers? Want of official mark: 0 Voting for more candidates than entitled to: 167 Writing or mark by which voter could be identified: 132 Being unmarked or wholly void for uncertainty: 785 Total: 1,084 I was certainly wide of the mark with my prediction upthread. Apparently the full result is available here, but I certainly couldn't find it by browsing the council site: www.southend.gov.uk/downloads/file/7284/declaration-of-result-southend-west-2022Amongst other important data we have it confirmed officially that the number of electors was 66,354, the number of ballot papers issued was 15,942, making a turnout of 24.03% including those spoilt papers. |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2022 22:12:33 GMT
Drum roll...... Does anyone have the official breakdown of the figures for rejected papers? Want of official mark: 0 Voting for more candidates than entitled to: 167 Writing or mark by which voter could be identified: 132 Being unmarked or wholly void for uncertainty: 785 Total: 1,084 I was certainly wide of the mark with my prediction upthread. Apparently the full result is available here, but I certainly couldn't find it by browsing the council site: www.southend.gov.uk/downloads/file/7284/declaration-of-result-southend-west-2022Amongst other important data we have it confirmed officially that the number of electors was 66,354, the number of ballot papers issued was 15,942, making a turnout of 24.03% including those spoilt papers. Hmmm. That potentially puts a different light on things, depending how many ballots officials interpreted as ‘uncertain’. How many of those were intentional spoils? We’re the counting officials particularly tough on what they allowed? Dunno… |
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Post by timrollpickering on Feb 9, 2022 1:06:45 GMT
When doorknocking I and others found people who on the one hand always vote but on the other could never bring themselves to vote Conservative even in these circumstances (and understood why their regular party was absent but did not feel that translated into an obligation to mark the Conservative box). It's conceivable many of these went to polling stations and spoilt their ballot papers one way or another.
I suspect the only experienced person who could answer your question about how the counter handled things is the Conservative agent - in my experience fringe parties and independents rarely have the kind of knowledge and skill for this.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2022 21:39:13 GMT
I'm genuinely unsure what I would have done in this situation. I don't think there was a single candidate I could have brought myself to vote for, but I loathe the idea of spoiling my ballot or not voting. Would have been very tough to work out what to do
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Post by froome on Feb 9, 2022 22:57:10 GMT
I'm genuinely unsure what I would have done in this situation. I don't think there was a single candidate I could have brought myself to vote for, but I loathe the idea of spoiling my ballot or not voting. Would have been very tough to work out what to do As there would have been absolutely no chance of your vote affecting the result, I wouldn't worry too much whatever you might have decided to do. In that situation, I suspect i would have spoilt my ballot by writing in I'm voting Green Party. |
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Post by Pete Whitehead on Feb 10, 2022 6:27:06 GMT
This is why it is so strange that a fringe left wing party (eg Breakthrough) chose not to contest this election. There would clearly have been a large number of votes of this type who would have been able to give them a vote, probably enabling them to save their deposit and come second, giving them a significant undeserved publicity boost. Whereas for someone like me there were a number of fringe right-wing candidates I could have happily voted for (I would probably have voted UKIP in this by-election) but equally I would have been content to vote Conservative in the circumstances.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2022 12:46:35 GMT
This is why it is so strange that a fringe left wing party (eg Breakthrough) chose not to contest this election. There would clearly have been a large number of votes of this type who would have been able to give them a vote, probably enabling them to save their deposit and come second, giving them a significant undeserved publicity boost. Whereas for someone like me there were a number of fringe right-wing candidates I could have happily voted for (I would probably have voted UKIP in this by-election) but equally I would have been content to vote Conservative in the circumstances. I don’t think I’ve even heard of Breakthrough 😬 |
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Post by Pete Whitehead on Feb 10, 2022 12:51:36 GMT
This is why it is so strange that a fringe left wing party (eg Breakthrough) chose not to contest this election. There would clearly have been a large number of votes of this type who would have been able to give them a vote, probably enabling them to save their deposit and come second, giving them a significant undeserved publicity boost. Whereas for someone like me there were a number of fringe right-wing candidates I could have happily voted for (I would probably have voted UKIP in this by-election) but equally I would have been content to vote Conservative in the circumstances. I don’t think I’ve even heard of Breakthrough 😬 Quite so - and if they had stood here and come second, you would have done |
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ilerda
Conservative
Posts: 1,096
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Post by ilerda on Feb 10, 2022 13:39:50 GMT
The problem with that plan is that 99.9% of the voters wouldn't have heard of them either.
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sirbenjamin
IFP
True fame is reading your name written in graffiti, but without the words 'is a wanker' after it.
Posts: 4,979
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Post by sirbenjamin on Feb 10, 2022 16:36:25 GMT
This is why it is so strange that a fringe left wing party (eg Breakthrough) chose not to contest this election. There would clearly have been a large number of votes of this type who would have been able to give them a vote, probably enabling them to save their deposit and come second, giving them a significant undeserved publicity boost. Whereas for someone like me there were a number of fringe right-wing candidates I could have happily voted for (I would probably have voted UKIP in this by-election) but equally I would have been content to vote Conservative in the circumstances.
I wondered at the time who I'd vote for in Batley & Spen in 2016, in the unlikely event that I lived in the seat, so can see that those on the other side would have a similar dilemma in Southend West.
And indeed this is an issue faced at every GE by those who inhabit Speakerville, thanks to this strange quirk of the system.
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Post by Pete Whitehead on Feb 10, 2022 16:51:51 GMT
This is why it is so strange that a fringe left wing party (eg Breakthrough) chose not to contest this election. There would clearly have been a large number of votes of this type who would have been able to give them a vote, probably enabling them to save their deposit and come second, giving them a significant undeserved publicity boost. Whereas for someone like me there were a number of fringe right-wing candidates I could have happily voted for (I would probably have voted UKIP in this by-election) but equally I would have been content to vote Conservative in the circumstances. I wondered at the time who I'd vote for in Batley & Spen in 2016, in the unlikely event that I lived in the seat, so can see that those on the other side would have a similar dilemma in Southend West.
But not a similar dilemma - one would have been spoiled for choice there |
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Post by greenchristian on Feb 10, 2022 21:39:39 GMT
The problem with that plan is that 99.9% of the voters wouldn't have heard of them either. You're assuming they wouldn't have run an actual election campaign.
If I'd been in that constituency, it would have been a straight choice between spoiling my ballot and voting for the Psychedelic Party (the one whose policies are least far from my own).
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Post by Pete Whitehead on Feb 11, 2022 8:11:41 GMT
The problem with that plan is that 99.9% of the voters wouldn't have heard of them either. You're assuming they wouldn't have run an actual election campaign. If I'd been in that constituency, it would have been a straight choice between spoiling my ballot and voting for the Psychedelic Party (the one whose policies are least far from my own).
Senior Green supports ennoblement of Tommy Robinson |
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Post by andrew111 on Feb 16, 2022 14:33:22 GMT
This is why it is so strange that a fringe left wing party (eg Breakthrough) chose not to contest this election. There would clearly have been a large number of votes of this type who would have been able to give them a vote, probably enabling them to save their deposit and come second, giving them a significant undeserved publicity boost. Whereas for someone like me there were a number of fringe right-wing candidates I could have happily voted for (I would probably have voted UKIP in this by-election) but equally I would have been content to vote Conservative in the circumstances. I don’t think I’ve even heard of Breakthrough 😬 They stood in Chesham and Amersham with quite a plausible local candidate who got some very professional videos made. With such a candidate, they might well have saved their deposit if they found the money to print a Freepost leaflet. I would say their platform was more or less Corbynite Labour. Which was objectively quite popular. Of course in C&A they had no chance. |
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