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March 28, 2024, 01:56:56 PM

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Local elections to go ahead despite COVID

Started by Fambo Number Mive, February 05, 2021, 10:51:02 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

Fambo Number Mive

Great way to increase the number of cases again.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-55938380

QuoteConfirming the elections would go ahead in May, Cabinet Office minister Chloe Smith said "democracy should not be cancelled because of Covid."

Utterly stupid, "democracy" wouldn't be cancelled, it would just be delayed.

They've gone full Trump on this by deciding against  postal ballot-only elections "as this could increase fraud risk and reduce choice for voters".

People will be asked to bring their own pen or pencil - what happens if you don't have a pen or pencil or forget (you might be going to vote after a long day at work).

I usually vote in all local elections but I don't know if I will this time, just because of the risk. On the other hand, if the Tories are banking on lots of non-Tory voters staying away because of this I might vote - just hope they do adhere to social distancing. Probably best to go before work when the polls open.

George Oscar Bluth II

A friend of mine who works at a council is absolutely adamant that they can't do an election at the moment given all the other things their staff are coordinating.

The key thing to bear in mind here is that the majority of Tory voters should have had at least their first jab by polling day.

jobotic

I'm on a committee with a load of Tory councillors and they don't seem keen either. How can they (or any others) campaign?

BlodwynPig

It's not Democracy any more you stupid stupid woman.

George Oscar Bluth II

Quote from: jobotic on February 05, 2021, 12:56:20 PM
I'm on a committee with a load of Tory councillors and they don't seem keen either. How can they (or any others) campaign?

There's a big incumbency advantage for any national leader who has, say, a daily press briefing on a deadly pandemic that they can hold and will be put on BBC1 whenever they like. Seems a little unfair.

olliebean

Looking into applying for a postal ballot now.

Gurke and Hare

Quote from: Fambo Number Mive on February 05, 2021, 10:51:02 AM
I usually vote in all local elections but I don't know if I will this time, just because of the risk. On the other hand, if the Tories are banking on lots of non-Tory voters staying away because of this I might vote - just hope they do adhere to social distancing. Probably best to go before work when the polls open.

Why not just get a postal vote?

Fambo Number Mive

I would, but I need to print out and post the form and I don't have a printer.

Fambo, there's never a point at which you'd be happy for restrictive measures to be lifted. In a year's time when we're all subject to a much lower standard of living and the NHS is trashed because there's nothing left to tax in order to fund it, you'll still be getting annoyed that people have finally been permitted to visit family members. Lockdown seems to be your raison d'être at the moment.

Fambo Number Mive

#10
Quote from: Wanking Monk of Kefalonia on February 06, 2021, 05:29:55 PM
Fambo, there's never a point at which you'd be happy for restrictive measures to be lifted. In a year's time when we're all subject to a much lower standard of living and the NHS is trashed because there's nothing left to tax in order to fund it, you'll still be getting annoyed that people have finally been permitted to visit family members. Lockdown seems to be your raison d'être at the moment.

Not sure where this came from, but I can assure you lockdown is not my "raison d'être" at the moment, that's fuckin offensive. I hate not seeing anyone all week apart in person, not being able to help care for people close to me who are really struggling mentally, not being able to go for a walk somewhere new, not being able to get on a bus or train and go somewhere, not being able to go to a charity shop, not being able to go to the pub and have a pint. If you knew me IRL you wouldn't talk bollocks about me enjoying lockdown.

I know you are a troll poster but your argument is not only offensive but nonsense. We were able to visit family members between June and October last year and many of us were able to on Christmas Day. The reason I am so concerned with local elections being held in May is that we still won't have vaccinated many vulnerable people and many places normally used for local elections will be used for vaccinations.

We can't just keep opening up and closing again, we don't want this spring and summer to be a repeat of last summer where Sunak got people back into restaurants and people went on holidays abroad helping to spread COVID across the globe and bring back other variants.

We need to avoid another surge in hospitalisations and deaths, and this can only be done by opening up when it is time in a gradual and careful way. Having lots of vulnerable people cram into polling stations (whose numbers will be reduced) won't help this. We need this lockdown to be the last lockdown, which is why we can't have a repeat of last summer.

I'm glad you are so concerned about the NHS being "trashed" but the economic damage is a political choice. Our government is unwilling to break with its capitalist ideology and prevent lower living standards by guaranteeing UBI for everyone. What about a windfall tax on companies like Amazon? What about properly taxing the super-rich or looking into a land tax? What about closing more tax loopholes? And perhaps our government could stop spending our money to avoid scrutiny: https://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,84853.0.html


Fambo Number Mive

#11
I mean having to postpone the local elections until July or even have them in 2022, oh no! How ever will we cope! During the Second World War we had our local elections on time, didn't let Hitler stop us voting for our local councillors.

There is a big difference between thinking lockdown is needed and enjoying it. It's crap being on my own and only having reading, a daily walk around the same places I've walked 200 times before (if the weather is nice) or the internet as something to do when I'm not working. But what is the alternative? We've had over a thousand people die a day of COVID most days this year. We don't want to be in that situation later in the year.

It is amusing that criticism of plans to hold the local elections as normal is what has upset you. When you consider the hardships most people have had to ensure during lockdown, a delay for local elections (and I know some were delayed from 2020) is hardly that bad.

Gurke and Hare

Quote from: Fambo Number Mive on February 06, 2021, 05:22:04 PM
I would, but I need to print out and post the form and I don't have a printer.

Ring the council and ask them to send you one.

bomb_dog

Quote from: jobotic on February 05, 2021, 12:56:20 PM
I'm on a committee with a load of Tory councillors and they don't seem keen either. How can they (or any others) campaign?

Don't forget Tories have made it illegal for councillors to deliver their own pamphlets, but it wouldn't be illegal to pay a distributor to do it for you. So if you're a bit more grass-roots rather than relying on some local Tory cunt businessman to pay up for the delivery costs, you've got hundreds of flyers bundled up in boxes in your hallway, going nowhere, while the NHS jab you out of a possible majority.

dissolute ocelot

I'm very wary of suspending elections, particularly when it isn't clear how long it will be for. It's possible to do elections via postal votes, with online hustings, election leaflets delivered by mail (don't the Royal Mail do this for every election?), and other innovative ways to canvas and hear from candidates. (Speaking as someone who has literally never been canvassed door-to-door in any election, and based on the tiny number of people who turned up to past hustings and other events, I don't see this as a big threat to democracy.) It will require a lot of organisation, in terms of automatically registering everyone for postal votes, and then counting and verifying the votes, which will require the government to sort it out now and stop vacillating.

pigamus

If they can elect a president they can elect Charnwood council, I would have thought.

Fambo Number Mive

Quote from: dissolute ocelot on February 08, 2021, 12:21:22 PM
I'm very wary of suspending elections, particularly when it isn't clear how long it will be for. It's possible to do elections via postal votes, with online hustings, election leaflets delivered by mail (don't the Royal Mail do this for every election?), and other innovative ways to canvas and hear from candidates. (Speaking as someone who has literally never been canvassed door-to-door in any election, and based on the tiny number of people who turned up to past hustings and other events, I don't see this as a big threat to democracy.) It will require a lot of organisation, in terms of automatically registering everyone for postal votes, and then counting and verifying the votes, which will require the government to sort it out now and stop vacillating.

The government has ruled out making voting postal only:

QuoteThe government does not support all-postal voting, as this increases the risk of fraud, and removes choice from voters. The government does not propose to introduce early voting – this is unnecessary given voters can already vote early by post, and the additional resources required to staff early polling stations would make the elections harder to deliver given COVID-19 staffing pressures.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/may-2021-polls-delivery-plan/may-2021-polls-delivery-plan

olliebean

What happens when you register for a postal vote? I did it online the other day, you have to say you want to change your details and then one of the details is that you want a postal vote, but then what happens? I thought I had to fill in and physically sign a form, but I've not heard any more, not even an email confirmation. Do I just wait and hope the form arrives in the post? How long should I wait before following it up?

MojoJojo

AIRC, you have a choice of printing one or asking for the form to be sent to you.

Johnny Yesno

Quote from: Wanking Monk of Kefalonia on February 06, 2021, 05:29:55 PM
Fambo, there's never a point at which you'd be happy for restrictive measures to be lifted. In a year's time when we're all subject to a much lower standard of living and the NHS is trashed because there's nothing left to tax in order to fund it, you'll still be getting annoyed that people have finally been permitted to visit family members. Lockdown seems to be your raison d'être at the moment.

Speaks someone who knows they'll be fully vaccinated by polling day. You're not as cunning as you think, old man.

bgmnts

Nothing left to tax lol. Hasnt Amazon seen something silly like a 50% profit increase but 0.4% tax increased or some shit? Only poor people get taxed.

olliebean

Quote from: MojoJojo on February 08, 2021, 02:24:39 PM
AIRC, you have a choice of printing one or asking for the form to be sent to you.

It didn't offer me either of those choices. I can download the form from my local council's website, but supposedly by "responding" to the Household Notification Letter I can get one sent to me with a reply paid envelope, and the only way provided to respond to it was by logging into the website to change the details. (No idea how people without internet access are supposed to change their voting details or method.)

Consignia

I got sent the postal voting form by the Conservative Party, including a freepost envelope so you can send it to them and they'll put in for you. Obviously targeted Tory potential council wins.

olliebean

Quote from: Consignia on February 09, 2021, 04:01:34 PM
I got sent the postal voting form by the Conservative Party, including a freepost envelope so you can send it to them and they'll put in for you. Obviously targeted Tory potential council wins.

Surely that can't be legal?

olliebean

Quote from: olliebean on February 08, 2021, 01:46:47 PM
What happens when you register for a postal vote? I did it online the other day, you have to say you want to change your details and then one of the details is that you want a postal vote, but then what happens? I thought I had to fill in and physically sign a form, but I've not heard any more, not even an email confirmation. Do I just wait and hope the form arrives in the post? How long should I wait before following it up?

So it's been over a month and they still haven't sent me a form or anything. I should get in touch with them and ask what's going on, right?

<edit> Great, the local council has got a whole page full of specific contact details (most of which are only by phone) for various services, but nothing for local electoral services, and no overall general contact info. No way to get in touch with them about it, then. What do I do now?

Fambo Number Mive

Yes I would check. My local council posted me a form which I filled in and sent back, now confirmed as having a postal vote for all future elections. One less person at the polling station.

Blinder Data

Quote from: olliebean on March 10, 2021, 03:54:40 PM
So it's been over a month and they still haven't sent me a form or anything. I should get in touch with them and ask what's going on, right?

You could contact them but they're probably snowed under with postal vote applications, not to mention other COVID-19 work.

You could also print this off and post it to them:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apply-for-a-postal-vote

I did the latter a while ago. They still haven't acknowledged it but I'm not particularly worried - we're still a couple of months away from the elections.

Jasha

Every time I've voted there's usually more people sitting at the table handing over the ballot papers than there are voting

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: Jasha on March 10, 2021, 05:36:11 PM
Every time I've voted there's usually more people sitting at the table handing over the ballot papers than there are voting

Yeah and if you go to look at the instructions that tell you which table to go to based on where you live for more than about 3 seconds one of them will usually ask you where you live and point you to it, they must be quite bored.

olliebean

Quote from: Blinder Data on March 10, 2021, 04:01:50 PM
You could contact them but they're probably snowed under with postal vote applications, not to mention other COVID-19 work.

You could also print this off and post it to them:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apply-for-a-postal-vote

I did the latter a while ago. They still haven't acknowledged it but I'm not particularly worried - we're still a couple of months away from the elections.

Printing not an option as we don't have access to a printer, but the council's page about applying for a postal ballot had an email address to contact them if your ballot doesn't arrive, so I used that and they replied very quickly saying they'd sent me the application forms last month, apologising that they hadn't arrived, and saying they'd send out two more. (The originals must have been lost in the post.)