Next Thursday – 12th December – is when the United Kingdom will have its next General Election, and once again I will play a small but important role in making it happen.
For some years now I have taken part in the counting of votes in Leicester, and I have just received all the details and my official badge for doing so again next week.
It means turning up as the count centre (a sports hall in central Leicester) at about 9.30 pm and staying there until the results are announced, which could be as late as 4.00 am on Friday.
Leicester has three constituencies (West, South and East) which are all safe Labour seats. It will, however, be interesting to see how well the other parties do.
Stalin once said that the people who cast the votes decide nothing, but the people who count the votes decide everything! I will try not to let power go to my head!
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Question of
Have you ever been a vote counter?
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Yes
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No
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Question of
Is it something you would consider doing?
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Yes
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No
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Question of
Do you always make a point of using your vote?
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Yes
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No
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the reality is democracy only works when people vote.
I think the telltale reality is that for the most part in older democracies less than 60% of those eligibles actually vote.
Have a great time contributing to the nation building.
We vote for candidates for parties. It is true that all the parties have leaders, but many voters prefer to look at the policies of the parties rather than the personalities of their leaders when they cast their vote.
However, that is not always the case, and it is unfortunate that in this election many people are looking no further than the leadership of Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbin, neither of whom are particularly attractive as leaders of the two largest parties. It is a question of which you dislike more!
I will not be voting for either Labour or the Conservatives. I am a member of the Green Party, and that is where my vote will be going.
I hope the results are positive in your country.
I wonder what you mean by positive? Many people – myself included – would welcome a hung Parliament in which no party can ignore the views of other parties as it conducts the business of government. If that is a negative approach, then so be it!
I mean, when we vote in the US, most of who I know always hope for a positive leader to win the election.
We vote for candidates for parties. It is true that all the parties have leaders, but many voters prefer to look at the policies of the parties rather than the personalities of their leaders when they cast their vote.
However, that is not always the case, and it is unfortunate that in this election many people are looking no further than the leadership of Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbin, neither of whom are particularly attractive as leaders of the two largest parties. It is a question of which you dislike more!
I will not be voting for either Labour or the Conservatives. I am a member of the Green Party, and that is where my vote will be going.
Not talking about personalities.
I have had an invitation to be a voter counter but refused it. Did you make a choice already about your vote?
I will vote next Thursday, but the counting has nothing to do with that. For one thing, I do not live in any of the constituencies for which I might be counting. For another, we are not allowed to express any political views during the count – not even reacting to the results.
It was many years ago. It is not something I would do now.
I once worked as a vote counter, it is not my kind of thing but it an easy thing to do.
I have seen some people make a right pig’s ear of it!