Postal votes conspiracy

[magpie patrick]

Having now closely examined the postal voting package, I am minded of the saying "never ascribe to malice that which can be explained by incompetence". My postal voting pack arrived today...

 

Voting opened on Wednesday, and without Alan Fincher's insistence would have been entirely dependent on the postal system to deliver the voting pack, which was allegedly sent out Monday. Mine arrived today, in a royal mail "large" envelope by second class. Nowt wrong with second class, but the assumption was clearly that second class takes two days, whilst first class takes one.

 

The voting form, even when separated from the address label, is A4, but the prepaid return envelope is a C6, and is also second class

 

First point, postal votes delivered BEFORE voting can be stored until the day of the count, as soon as the system was known these packs could have been sent, so why wait until the eve of the vote

 

Next, it's all second class post, and then a C6 envelope, perhaps it's me, but as up to A5 attracts no more postal costs, one in which the form could be folded in half rather quarters might have been more satisfactory, it took me a while to work out that folding into quarters would make it fit.

 

And second class return "by noon on the Friday the 9th of March", well, assuming they won't accept votes by special delivery, that means post it a week earlier by the looks of it. Noon dates back to fist class mail (which they aren't using) courier and recorded delivery, a lot of my bids now have a Sunday as a deadline, a tacit admission "we won't open them until Monday.

 

This isn't a dig at CaRT and BW, it's really a fairly heft go at the ERS, who have made a bit of a mess of this one

[john6767]

I would say it is the ERS more than anything else, and exactly that same as all the other voting schemes that they have run that I have been involved with. Not sure I really agree that there is a big issue though, second class seems to make a lot of sense when you are sending 30,000 items of postage out and return (if used), and there is plenty of time.

 

On here we are VERY aware of what is going on. I would think a large percentage of the eligible voters will receive the envelope without having realised this was happening, and most if they intend to return it will probably do so over the next week, or else it will get forgotten about.

[andrewcooley]

 

... This isn't a dig at CaRT and BW, it's really a fairly heft go at the ERS, who have made a bit of a mess of this one.

 

 

Please do say all that to ERS - customerservices@electoralreform.co.uk. They need to know - and their philosophy is certainly not to put obstacles in the way of fair voting!

 

Our licence holder's pack hasn't arrived yet. She rang ERS today and they said to give it till Monday. Why it's coming by post I don't know, as the BW database holds her email address.

Edited February 10, 2012 by andrewcooley

[gaggle]

What is the conspiracy ? who is conspiring and to what end?

[magpie patrick]

What is the conspiracy ? who is conspiring and to what end?

 

It's not really a conspiracy, just not exactly well organised...

[tillergirl]

And the lady in PO informs me that 1st does not guarantee your letter will arrive the next day. 1st class can now take up to 5 days, 2nd class up to 10 days.