Voting mishap-has this happened to anyone?

[siousxiesue]

I met my neighbour who had just come back from our polling station after being told her vote had already been used!

She was eventually allowed to vote (on a pink slip, not white) but I went back to query it and was disturbed to say the least at the lack of concern from the officials. Either it was human error on their part, or fraud, but either way, they were unconcerned that 2 votes had been cast in one person's name.

Thoughts?

[solar]

It's always concerned me that there is a lack of security in the voting process. You just have to give a name and address and you will be given a voting paper, as long as that person is on the register and hasn't already voted. I think you should have to produce some form of identity or at least a polling card in order to vote.

[Roxcyzarzar]

Thats awful... did you contact the police to report it and maybe get advice from them ??? Surely that's fraud, ?

It's so wrong and unfair...

This should be investigated...

[New Girl]

I saw on Reddit that someone went to go vote only to discover that he is registered for a proxy vote. The name of his proxy was a name he had never seen before. I hope these are isolated incidents.

[julijux]

Just voted.. After posting the ballot paper an "official" announced if we had used a pen our votes may not be counted !!.. This caused a bit of a commotion to say the least . Anyone know if this is true ?

[civilservant]

no - you were fine to use pretty much anything that makes a mark!

see http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/23/eu-ballot-papers-pencils-conspiracy-fears-social-media-voters

"The Electoral Commission has reminded voters that ballot papers marked in pencil or pen are equally valid, in response to concerns expressed on social media that votes not written in ink could be rubbed out and altered."

i wonder what it is about this referendum that has brought out the loonies and the nutters in force!

[Elphinstone's Army]

the mechanics of voting are rudimentary and primitive : in our block we have mail and voting slips coming for tenants who have long gone. Certainly there should be something with an address and name on and pictorial identity, it is all so sloppy, I despair.

But after all the rhetoric which has been forthcoming these last few weeks, surely we have all put our mark where our mouth is? how can there have been a low turnout? perhaps as I did, people will vote post work??? Eight minutes left to change our world

[KidKruger]

I used a pen.

They insisted I use a pencil so I was about to walk then someone produced a pen.

[KrackersMaracas]

#penisbest -best hashtag of the referendum?

[hammerman]

Good you've brought this to our attention Sioux and julijux!

Voted tonight and was equally surprised about the 'officials' on site or lack of!

[uncleglen]

I remember during a general election quite a few people turned up to vote only to find their name had been used earlier.

There is extra security in some areas where vote rigging has happened before

http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/667147/Brexit-EU-referendum-vote-rigging-electoral-fraud-local-elections-UKIP-London-Mayor

[Sue]

What I can't understand is why there isn't some kind of digital (is that the right word?) system.

The present system seems to me to be open to fraud at several points.

If people didn't have access to the internet at home they could vote at local places in the same way theythey do now, only online.

Oh and I thought turnout was higher than expected?

Really wanted to stay up but got a gig tomorrow ;(

First result in!

[ianr]

siousxiesue Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> She was eventually allowed to vote (on a pink slip, not white) but I went back to query it and

> was disturbed to say the least at the lack of concern from the officials. Either it was human

> error on their part, or fraud, but either way, they were unconcerned that 2 votes had been cast

> in one person's name.

>

> Thoughts?

They were acting in accordance with law and guidance as set out at http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/electoral-administrator/eu-referendum. She was given a "tendered" ballot paper, that would have been kept separate from those put in the ballot box. If the outcome led to a recount, or there was evidence of pervasive fraud, it would in principle be possible to search through all the ballot papers for any correponding false one(s), and act accordingly.

I suspect a worry for your neighbour could be that there's someone with sufficient knowledge of her and her activity to take the risk of impersonation. If that seems unlikely, that makes a clerical error a more likely cause.

If anyone's concerned about the scale of possible fraud or other error, an information request of the electoral registration officer, about the number of tendered votes provided for that reason, seems to me the way to go.

[titch juicy]

Sue Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> What I can't understand is why there isn't some

> kind of digital (is that the right word?) system.

>

> The present system seems to me to be open to fraud

> at several points.

>

> If people didn't have access to the internet at

> home they could vote at local places in the same

> way theythey do now, only online.

>

> Oh and I thought turnout was higher than

> expected?

>

> Really wanted to stay up but got a gig tomorrow

> ;(

>

> First result in!

If hacking into the pentagon is possible then i'm afraid an online voting system would be even more open to potential fraud than the system we have now.

[Alan Medic]

Voting mishap-has this happened to anyone?

About 17 million people I think.