Mailwatch(ed) Forum

Here's a good one to start us off

Police in England on alert for polling day rage over voter ID rules

Fears that number of people turned away at May’s local elections over identity could be underestimated


Police forces have been alerted to the risk of a spike in disputes and confrontations at the forthcoming local elections, amid concern that new voter ID rules will provoke rows in polling booths across England.

Polling station staff are being trained to de-escalate heated situations expected to arise next month, when many more people than usual are likely to be turned away as a result of new identity checks...

https://amp.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... r-id-rules

I'll be back in Torytown by then, and the house is next door to the polling station. This could be interesting.

A colleague of mine who normally mans the polling station reckons that there's a shortage of people wanting to man the stations, and an overabundance of people wanting to help with the count afterwards.

Nobody wants to be on the receiving end of the ID confusion.

Unpredictable election here in Herefordshire, because of a party called It's Our County and lots of Independents. Doubtless they're a mixed bag, but lots of them have been prepared to work with non-Tory parties to keep them out. Labour will likely get no seats at all, as they have deferred to Greens in their best ward (my ward). Lib Dems have a candidate too, but aren't campaigning.

I'd expect another non-Tory coalition, which is pretty good seeing the two Westminster seats are very safe indeed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Here ... l_election

Five Tory councillors suspended for alleged racism standing in local elections
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... SApp_Other

Watchman wrote: ↑Sun Apr 30, 2023 5:48 pm Five Tory councillors suspended for alleged racism standing in local elections
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... SApp_Other

“Let’s ban mosques” - Apparently you can say that in jest.

What a lovely cocknugget, in jest of course*

*or perhaps not.

I’m just imagining Friday’s Mail in respect of photo ID;
War hero, Colin Gusset (87) was outraged when he was asked to provide photo ID in order to vote. Colin told the polling officer that people his age didn’t have such things, but he was still denied his democratic right. Colin told our reporter, “it’s an absolute disgrace, I defeated Nazi Germany so I wouldn’t have to show my papers to anyone, now some jumped up, woke civil servant is stopping me exercising my right to vote, this is clearly a communist plot”

Not just Colin (87). Lots of people in strong Tory areas like Lincolnshire apparently without ID.

Tubby Isaacs wrote: ↑Wed May 03, 2023 4:20 pm Not just Colin (87). Lots of people in strong Tory areas like Lincolnshire apparently without ID.

How about Oonagh (93)?

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/ ... e-29873757

Oonagh lives in my constituency, I see.

What a disgraceful policy. Likely limited effect this time, because the sort of people who don't have it only vote in general elections. As they well know.

'Leominster'
You lot and your unpronouncable place names.

She’s a Labour supporter and goes to the Mirror so the Mail won’t be interested in her because she knows who is actually to blame.

I feel we won’t get that much of an issue and the Tories will go, look see no issues and then it will cause massive issues at the GE because people generally go out to vote in them.

You can also expect plenty of manufactured outrage if Labour or the Lib Dems engage in any kind of activity to get voters sorted with ID before that happens, too.

The Tories are really running through various Republican state legislatures' greatest hits on a two-three year delay at this stage, and if the ID thing doesn't come up trumps (pun somewhat intended) you can expect similar denialism to start to creep in

JRM has asked for "flexibility" from officials, saying there's nothing wrong with presenting an expired passport and that voter impersonation is incredibly rare.

In other words, let my people vote. While admitting the grounds for this law change are bollocks. The long streak of Tory twattery.

FFS. If expired passports aren’t allowed, they aren’t allowed. Polling clerks can’t decide that they are on the hoof.

'Asking for flexibility' but will put a passive-aggressive note on your desk if you work flexibly...

Utterly out of kilter with the real world, and as thick as mince besides.

Just read the back of my poll card where the acceptable forms of photo ID are listed and it states that if your ID document has expired you'll still be able to vote if the photo is still a likeness of you.

Didn't realise that some local elections in England were on today, ours isn't for another fortnight!

In terms of photo ID over here, the official line from the Electoral Office of Northern Ireland is...

The identification document does not need to be current, as long as the photograph is of a good enough likeness to allow polling station staff to confirm the identity of the holder.

https://www.eoni.org.uk/Elections/Elect ... lectio#q89

...which is something that I'm guessing that JRM is hinting at. But if the English legislation doesn't specifically allow for this, then it doesn't and polling staff should not be put in a position to arbitrarily having to judge wherever a person is allowed to vote or not on at best a grey area of electoral law, thanks to an ill thought-out piece of legislation brought in for party political advantage above anything else. That makes elections ripe for legal challenges, especially in close contests.

Edit: @Rosvanian seems to have cleared that up?

MM mentioned about the possibility of Labour, Lib Dems & others maybe having recently organised to get people valid ID cards - that what all the major political parties over here have been doing for years & is simply seen as helping people engage in democracy regardless of political leanings.

Well Sunak's failed to prevent me voting proving, once again, the utter incompetence of this useless government.