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In the UK elections, hundreds of people were unable to vote after having the doors shut on them whilst they were in the queue. They were there by the closing time of 10pm but because the polling stations were unorganised and under-staffed, many were turned away. This has never happened in a UK election before and now the election commission are blaming the voters for not having their polling cards with them (it says on the card itself that you don't need to take it with you); and a much higher turnout (it's about 8% higher).

In other countries (such as Australia) when it's time for the polls to close, a polling official stands at the back of queue and turns away any late comers. Any people in the queue when the polls close are still allowed to vote because they were there on time and it's the fault of the polling station that they haven't been able to vote. Why doesn't this happen in the UK? Why were the polling stations not equipped to cope with the demand of the number of voters.

Also, one polling station ran out of ballot papers. How is this even possible? Every polling station knows the maximum number of people that could possibly turn up so surely they should have that many papers even though the turnout is never really above 70%.

But the biggest cock up with the whole thing happened at St. Johns Ranmoor polling station in Sheffield. This polling station is very near Sheffield university and so many students living on campus were sent to this polling station. When they got there to vote, they were separated into two lines: 'students' and 'residents' (i.e people who lived permanently in the area). 'Residents' were fast-tracked and allowed to vote first because "their vote is more important" and as a result, many students were still outside when the doors were closed. As a result, many students were unable to vote. This is discrimination of the highest level. If there had been a line for black people and white people where the white people were allowed to vote first; there would be total outrage. So why is it acceptable to segregate students in this way?

With all this mess, the current results surely cannot be declared as fair.....
....but I bet you anything, nothing will happen.

Invention, my dear friends, is 93% perspiration, 6% electricity, 4% evaporation, and 2% butterscotch ripple.
~
The truth is out there...anybody got the URL?
~
Don't forget to be awesome.

It isn't fair. I'll say that in short for now as I have to go to bed.
So, I'll be back tomorrow with a longer post.

To be honest the polls where open from 7am until 10pm so there was 15 hours in which people had time to vote.
There where also numerous polling stations around as well. For example there where 5 polling stations within
a mile of where I am. However the way things where run wasn't that good they should have had someone who
told the people to stop queing at the right time.

It will be interesting to see the Conservatives link up with the Liberal Democrats seeing that they don't like eachother.

Yes, but a lot of people have to go out and work and the lines were pretty long, were they not?
Not that people work for 15 hours but perhaps they couldn't go right before or after work.
Add that with the lines and you have people there after hours.

Everyone has the right to vote and I don't think it right to not let people vote who wanted to vote. I mean those people wanted a say in things as well.

Now, question... is there only one day of voting or are their multiple days to go and vote?

People don't have to go to polling stations, they can send there vote in the post and it doesn't cost a thing.
I doubt that the people at the polling stations would would have wanted to stay open that long, they
wouldn't get paid overtime I expect. My dad was on one of the polling stations in my area, there where
no problems such as the ones up country but he didn't get back home until 01:00 in the morning. I agree
that many people had to work and everyone has the right to vote. I think that possibly the system in which
people vote should be changed.

Ray, there was only one day to vote.

The problems occurred when the polling stations were unprepared for the number of voters that turned up. Many voters are busy during the day and so the evening is the only time they can vote. And you can only vote in the polling station named on your polling card. And it's not like a thousand people turned up at 9.55 trying to get in. People had bee queuing for 3 hours and then got turned away. A three hour queue should have been dealt with and more officials should have been brought in. It's a farce that in a country with one of the most respected democracies in the world, hundreds of people were turned away because of bad planning and organisation by officials.

And what's worse is that in Sheffield, students were asked to queue separately so that local residents could get in quicker. As a result, mant students were stuck outside for hours and were then turned away when the polls closed at 10pm without being able to vote. As a student I'm outraged. Everyone is entitled to their vote and no voter is more important than another. The students have been treated as second-class citizens. If you stopped black people voting, or women voting there would be uproar; so how can this be seen as acceptable.

Oh and don't believe what the officials are saying about the students not having their polling cards. Most of them did and there were just as many local residents without them as students without them.

Invention, my dear friends, is 93% perspiration, 6% electricity, 4% evaporation, and 2% butterscotch ripple.
~
The truth is out there...anybody got the URL?
~
Don't forget to be awesome.

To be honest I thought that the situation would have been dealt with better. I think that most people weren't expecting
as many people to vote, nobody had been particurally interested until the live debate on Channel 2.
Suddenly lots of people where hyped up to play their part in the election. The system in which people vote could be improved by employing more officials to take votes and security should turn away people after a certain time.
People who can't get there bacause they are working should send their vote through the post when they receive their slip in the post.