UK general election 2024, who to vote for?

[Keleth]

Once you add in voter-apathy,

Brexit was won/lost by people who didn´t bother to vote.

[skadi]

I guess it's still too early for anyone to have received their postal ballot?

Nope. Arrived last week on Thursday.

[john_b]

Still waiting for mine...

As I recall, it comes with an international reply-paid envelope, but as this is probably the slowest route it's wise to pay to be sure it will get there on time (Einschreiben).

[john_b]

I'm definitely in the system (I diligently renew my right to vote annually) and the bristol.gov.uk website states that postal ballots will be sent out by first class post on June 17th (next Wednesday).

(should have said next Tuesday)

Pretty efficient, the ballot arrived this morning, a day after they sent it out. Plenty time to return it.

[Feierabend]

Ours arrived today.

[dstanners]

Well, Dorset has messed up its postal voting.... I guessed something was wrong when they sent me an email today, asking for more information in order to register. This struck me as slightly odd given that I have already had a letter confirming my voting status. I called to check, and the email was sent in error. The email they intended to send me, was that I should CANCEL my postal vote, and arrange a proxy. This has to be done within 24 hours but can all be done online....except they are having IT problems at the moment, so they can't guarantee they will process it in time.
Oh, and the reason they advise me to get a proxy, is because the company they are using to send postal votes overseas, won't be able to process the voting slips until 28 June. That leaves less than a week for them to actually send the slips, for it to arrive in Germany, for me to return the signed slip back and for it to have been delivered to Dorset CC.
Sorry, this should probably have been in the rant section.

[Feierabend]

Sorry to hear that, ds, do you have someone to do the proxy? I have found that postal mail has become much slower over recent years, normal letters taking at least a week.
Thumbs up for Wokingham though, they were really efficient and we've just put ours in the postbox.

[kiplette]

We've had and heard nothing yet, despite having been able to vote in local and national elections previously and no change of address or anything complicating the situation.

Aargh.

[Fraufruit]

It seems pretty frustrating when people who are allowed to vote just can't. I feel for all of you.

[Keleth]

Well, Dorset has messed up its postal voting.... I guessed something was wrong when they sent me an email today, asking for more information in order to register. This struck me as slightly odd given that I have already had a letter confirming my voting status. I called to check, and the email was sent in error. The email they intended to send me, was that I should CANCEL my postal vote, and arrange a proxy. This has to be done within 24 hours but can all be done online....except they are having IT problems at the moment, so they can't guarantee they will process it in time.
Oh, and the reason they advise me to get a proxy, is because the company they are using to send postal votes overseas, won't be able to process the voting slips until 28 June. That leaves less than a week for them to actually send the slips, for it to arrive in Germany, for me to return the signed slip back and for it to have been delivered to Dorset CC.
Sorry, this should probably have been in the rant section.

Sorry but lol.
The most important vote anyone can have and they screw it up royally.
Everyones vote counts they say except when the officials screw up.

[dstanners]

When I was on the phone to the council, the chap I spoke with just said, "sadly, the problem with the printers does mean things may not get done in time for this election, but it will be fine for future ones."

The email the council had intended to send out finally arrived at 9pm on 18 June, and given that the deadline was 4pm on 19 June, I can imagine many other people will simply not have had time to respond. It was fortunate that I'd called up earlier on the off chance.

As an update, I did decide to cancel my postal vote, and submitted a proxy form before the 4pm deadline. I even have confirmation that the application was received on time....of course, whether the council are able to process it in accordance with their own deadlines is anyone's guess.

Of course, now my sister is teasing me that my vote will be for Richard Grosvenor-Plunket-Ernle-Erle-Drax (even writing that name makes it clear she would never do it).

[kiplette]

He's real

Just googled. My goodness.

[Feierabend]

Gosh, talk about one up on Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson!

[dstanners]

My gamble paid off as my proxy voting papers turned up at my sister's house yesterday, so just in time (of course, in all likelihood that will just reduce Richard Grosvenor Plunkett Ernle Erle Drax's majority to 19,999 but it's the principle that counts).
I've heard Dorset is far from alone in failing to get the postal voting slips sent out in time.

Linking this to another topic, I was wondering whether Southgate was a Labour voter. There was no obvious logic to Sunak calling the election when he did, except perhaps for predicting that a decent run for England in the Euros might have carried him to victory on a wave of goodwill. Perhaps every time that Southgate substitutes Saka for being too attacking, or refuses to play a left footed player on the left side of the pitch, he knows he's moving England one step closer to a Labour victory. After the results are in, let's hope we'll see a completely different England.

[Auntie Helen]

I didn’t get my postal vote although I was assured last Wednesday that it had been posted. Wish I’d gone for a proxy vote.

[john_b]

That’s really frustrating, not being able to vote because of institutional incompetence…

I’m probably going to watch the C4 election night special with Rory Stewart & Alistair Campbell. Other guests include (ahem) Boris Johnson megafan Nadine Dorries

Don’t know how long I will last but hoping for several Portillo moments - got my marker pen at the ready...

(PS just noticed that the list isn't entirely accurate, for instance Andrea Leadsom is not standing as an MP. But plenty of other heads ready to roll)

[pappnase]

Generate your own bingo card here

https://bingo.qop.pm/

[kiplette]

....and your vote counted, dstanners, as I see that Richard Grosvenor Plunkett Ernle Erle Drax has lost his seat by over a thousand votes, which is pretty definite.

Rishi Sunak still won in my constituency by over 13,000 votes so I feel as though my failed postal vote would probably not have been absolutely decisive in altering the outcome.

Also of note is Jacob Rees-Mogg, who lost by over 5000 in a constituency where almost 70% turned out to vote. He was stood next to a Monster Raving Loony Party candidate in a baked bean gimp suit. Frankly it doesn't get better than that

Well, change was absolutely needed, and although Rishi was absolutely not the worst of the Conservative PM's we have seen in the last few years, they did have to go.

Let's hope Kier Starmer makes a real difference.
Kid#1 is happy to have a new boss

[Fraufruit]

Rishi Sunak still won in my constituency by over 13,000 votes so I feel as though my failed postal vote would probably not have been absolutely decisive in altering the outcome.

Maybe there were 13,000 other failed postal votes for Sunak.

[kiplette]

Mine would have been against, but yes, indeed