European elections - Is it REALLY a secret ballot?

[Goldstone Rapper]

I noticed my voting paper was numbered, and this after one of the voting clerks called out the number for one of the assistants to retrieve the right voting paper for me...

 

[Pevenseagull]

yep, 'tis true, you get a numbered ballot and that number is recroded against your name and address

 

[Giraffe]

The size of the ballot paper amazed me!! I nearly requested some assistance just to fold it!!

 

[tinycowboy]

I've noticed that before. Seems to be traceable....

 

[Hillian1]

Must have been 15 choices on mine, some I'd never heard of.

 

[Giraffe]

Must have been 15 choices on mine, some I'd never heard of.

I thought the same, who are the Liberal Democrats?

 

[Seagull on the wing]

As mentioned by someone else,putting the cross on in PENCIL...so who is standing by with a pencil rubber to change it...

 

[supaseagull]

You put a cross on a form which goes into a padlock sealed box.

Those counting the ballot papers have no access to the list of names and this is only used so that local authorities can ensure that people do not vote more than once.


Plus...

Only certain people can unlock the box.
Those counting votes can see who has put an X in another box and so would spoil the paper and remove the vote.

 

[Footsoldier]

As mentioned by someone else,putting the cross on in PENCIL...so who is standing by with a pencil rubber to change it...

That's what I asked so I marked the 'X' in pencil really hard then went over it in black pen so if any dodgy **** tries and erase the 'X' and move it then they'll have a shock when the 'X' is still there.

 

[portlock seagull]

I had never heard of most of the 'parties' on my ballot paper but at least half were angry racist nationalist parties going by their names!

 

[Eeyore]

Votes can be traced by matching the numbered ballot paper to its similarly numbered counterfoil; the numbered counterfoil also bears the voter's registration number from the electoral register which is hand-written by the Polling Clerk when the ballot paper is issued. Basically, anyone with access to these documents could trace the origin of a vote if they wished.

Some may make a reverse argument, identifying it as a way to identify fraud through voting patterns. There have been 'cash for votes' scandals before. I think there was an investigation in Brighton once.

 

[Eeyore]

There was a party on the top which could have fooled UKIP voters. It's description was very similar:

An Independence From Europe (Title of party)
Uk Independence now

 

[wellquickwoody]

That's what I asked so I marked the 'X' in pencil really hard then went over it in black pen so if any dodgy **** tries and erase the 'X' and move it then they'll have a shock when the 'X' is still there.

Unfortunately that may be considered a 'spoiled paper' and therefore not counted and discarded.

Try to stop distrusting everyone and everything, sometimes strange rules and practice's exist for a very good reason, just ask the presiding officer for guidance.

 

[Footsoldier]

There was a party on the top which could have fooled UKIP voters. It's description was very similar:

An Independence From Europe (Title of party)
Uk Independence now

Noticed that but if it was there to fool some it didn't me

 

[Wardy]

Being a Presiding Officer I was asked this question a lot today.

The papers are numbered for 2 reasons. Firstly so that it is known how many and which papers were issued to which station. If the total number of votes + the number of papers left is more than was issued, it is easy to work out which ones are the wrong ones. Secondly should the election be challenged then again you can trace the votes. The list with your voter number on is sealed in an envelope as soon as the poll closes and can only be opened again with a court order.

This is the way that all elections in this country work and while it is technically possible to trace who voted for who, it would take a court order to do so.

As for the pencils, they are used because they are easier to tell when they are running out. There is nothing stopping you using a pen if you want and the staff at the station will give you a pen should you wish to use one.

 

[Footsoldier]

Unfortunately that may be considered a 'spoiled paper' and therefore not counted and discarded.

Try to stop distrusting everyone and everything, sometimes strange rules and practice's exist for a very good reason, just ask the presiding officer for guidance.

You can't noticed the pen unless you erase the pencil marking.

 

[happypig]

Unfortunately that may be considered a 'spoiled paper' and therefore not counted and discarded..

It wouldn't be. All papers that aren't clear and unambiguous are put to one side and then gone through with the candidates (or their representatives) and they will agree whether the voter's intention can be determined or whether it is actually a spoilt paper.
I know this having stood twice (unsuccessfully) for election to Eastbourne and East Sussex councils in the 1990's. One voter had written "not this c@@t" over the other two candidates and "he's the one for me" over mine. The presiding officer said she thought his intention was clear and that it was a vote for me; we all agreed.
Other papers that had things like "f@@k the lot of them" across the paper were agreed as spoilt.

 

[Eeyore]

Noticed that but if it was there to fool some it didn't me

My concern, in the interests of fair democracy, (I'm not a UKIP voter), is that some people, particularly older folk, may have been less aware.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Similarly, I accidentally voted for the Judean People's Front instead of the People's Front of Judea.

 

[Wardy]

My concern, in the interests of fair democracy, (I'm not a UKIP voter), is that some people, particularly older folk, may have been less aware.

The parties are in alphabetical order. A voter told me today that the party that was at the top, was being lead by someone who was thrown out of UKIP and set-up to confuse people. No idea if that was the case or not but that is what I was told.