Forum Topic

Polling Station - Is this allowed?

My voting station is All Saints Church and when I went to vote there today, I saw a labour volunteer sitting in the hallway taking polling card numbers from people leaving the polling room. Although she is not in the actual polling room, she is still in the same premises (4 steps away from the room) and she's wearing a badge which says 'Vote for Rupa Huq'.I am asking, is this allowed? Is it legal to wear a badge inside the polling station?Does this not constitute to "campaigning", which is clearly not allowed on the polling day? I raised this with the Ealing security person there and his argument was she is not asking anyone to vote for Rupa Huq. But, I pointed at her badge which clearly says so! He asked me to talk to person in charge at the polling station but I didn't as I saw how busy he was.Apologies for any naivety as this is only my second time to vote (in the UK) and last time I didn't see any such volunteer..

Sandeep Mestry ● 3247d14 Comments

The traditional point of giving the cards to the tellers as you leave is so later in the day the parties can "knock up" their supporters and get our their vote. But to do that effectively - and not annoy people by knocking up people who have already voted, they take the numbers and check if that number has voted. Usually people give their card to the party they have voted for - but it makes no difference. in my experience the tellers share them anyhow. And there is no compulsion to give a card or say anything at all. I always happily hand mine over to whoever is there - yesterday it was a young man with a blue rosette - in that I don't particularly want anyone banging on the door laterBut there is only any point if the relevant party has done a very thorough canvas of any given ward and then have tellers all the time. Otherwise it's pointless. And it's horribly hard work.So, as Chris said, it's often not seen as that useful or productive nowadays. The exit poll is quite different and is conducted by professional pollsters (oh ok then, part-time students hired for the day) on behalf of BBC, ITN and Sky together. they would never wear any sort of rosette or badge and are at only a relatively few polling stations across the country.

Sara Nathan ● 3245d

In Ealing Central and Acton the Labour Party are not using tellers this time as they feel it is not an effective use of resources having someone around the polling station for hours on end. They would rather use their resources - of which there are plenty by the way, going door knocking to encourage people to vote. This is not the policy everywhere, clearly, as I have a friend who is telling in Brent today.

Chris Hurley ● 3246d

From BBC, what can't you do at a polling station?http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-40188494Can I wear a giant rosette?No. The only people permitted to wear a rosette are the candidates and their polling agents. The rosette must be plain and not refer to the candidate or bear a slogan.In today's case, the rosette wasn't plain, it was referring to the candidate and with a slogan.

Sandeep Mestry ● 3247d

Yes, it's exit polls.  All parties can legally do it and all parties can legally ask you how you voted.  I think in the past they've got such a hard time asking this (not just from me!) they now just want your card and then cross check you against their records or make an educated guess depending on your address.I never give my card.  It's none of their business who I am, where I live or who I vote for.  Plus I don't want my information ending up on yet another database.  Who knows what they do with it. Maybe I'll ask if there's one outside my polling station and report back :-)

Tania Bapuji ● 3247d

On at least one occasion I've been asked how I voted, i assume this  was how they compile the exit polls.

Kim Rugg ● 3247d

Hopefully most people will simply go to their polling station and have the sense to vote without being distracted or persuaded by people wearing rosettes or badges or any other adornments.  Much ado ado about nothing!

Natalie Mcdermott ● 3247d

Ok, harangue may be bit strong. But this lady was certainly being quite insistent on recording the voter registration numbers, and giving the impression that it was part of the voting process. I'm guessing now that they use this information to cross check with their own database of known supporters in the ward, so that later today they can contact those who have not yet voted and encourage them to go out and vote before polling closes.

Peter Millman ● 3247d

Crikey - when the Conservative at our polling station asked us first for our polling numbers and then, in absence of this, our names and addresses, it never occurred to me that I was being "harangued".  Maybe I should have called the police! Or does that just work for Labour party people?

Adam Kimmel ● 3247d

Thank you Peter, that's what I was wondering too. Maybe Labour is conducting their own internal survey, I am not sure. I am not against her taking the polling card number (I didn't give mine anyway), just questioning the badge inside a polling station.

Sandeep Mestry ● 3247d

Hello Natalie, I was only asking, not making a fuss.Sorry if it appears that way.

Sandeep Mestry ● 3247d

A party official wearing a Vote Labour badge within (or even near) the polling station venue could conceivably be committing an offence under the 2007 Polling Stations (Regulation) Act. But since the lady in question wasn't actively engaging with voters on the way in, it is unlikely in this case. But I have no idea what she was hoping to achieve by haranguing people for their voting card numbers on the way out. While I was in the queue to go in she was explicitly told by one of the polling officers to make clear that there was no obligation to give her the number. But she ignored this instruction. https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmbills/027/07027.i-i.html#Interpretation

Peter Millman ● 3247d

I'm sure I've been to vote in the past when there has been a full complement of rosette-wearing volunteers outside the polling station, one for each party putting up a candidate. It seems to happen less these days, presumably because of a lack of party volunteers. Sometimes there are no such party members, only the polling station staff - it changes from election to election.

Lorna Dodd ● 3247d

I remember this being done almost every time I've voted.  At our polling station, this time, was a Conservative, complete with blue rosette, whereas in the past it's been Labour.  They merely ask your polling number to make sure that, at least, you voted - they don't ask for who or why and there's no political content.

Adam Kimmel ● 3247d

Don't see why it would be illegal to wear a badge after all we live in a free country.  I am sure voters  will not be swayed by a woman wearing a badge showing which way she votes - that's her prerogative.  I don't see why you are making such a fuss.

Natalie Mcdermott ● 3247d