Do you vote? Does it matter?

Do you vote? Yes
Does it matter? Yes

Of course, it is compulsory to turn up at the polling station (or do a postal vote) here in Australia, but you can put in a blank paper. Many do this, or write something on the paper. Usually there are a few votes for Micky Mouse or Donald Duck, a few for the celebrity of the moment, and a few very naughty words. When i was scrutineering we would have a bet about how many Micky Mouse votes there would be.

Before the last Queensland State election the Labour Party upset their entire voting demographic by selling some assets, including rail freight. The MP of an area with a lot of rail employees, traditionally a Labour area, lost her seat to the Tories, called LNP here. There were 9% informal votes for that seat - usually there are between 2% and 3%. Almost the entire State, except for 7 out of 89 seats went LNP. Traditional Labour voters don't like privatisation, and they showed this hugely at the election. Of course, the incoming LNP has sold a lot more assets....when you punish your own party you can end up punishing yourself.

But in the end, people make their choice, and if you don't vote, you have little justification in whinging about what governments do or don't do.

Another vote for Yes, I vote, and Yes it's important. Or is that 2 votes? Anyway, I agree with those who remember what the suffrage campaigners of both sexes, but particularly women, went through to get us the vote. Also remembering the pictures of queues of people in South Africa, standing in the sun all day to cast their first free votes.

Spoiling a paper is voting. It's showing that you do not approve of any of the candidates. It's better than not voting.
I have just received a leaflet from the Labour Party which says that the candidate used to be the assistant chief constable, so that's a relief. I would have been in a quandary if he'd been the Tory candidate.

Do you come from Hull, Kipling? Is it Prescott you are talking about?
When my sister and I complained about my mother's treatment in a home she was in, the CQC after two years told us we were complaining about the way they had handled the complaint rather than the complaint itself.
So we wrote to Prescott, who was my sister's MP and Johnson who was MP for the area the home was in, and never got a reply from either of them.

I was born in Hull, down Spring Bank.

Is spoiling a paper voting?

My husband and I always vote and we will vote on the police and crime commissioner vote.

Our vote will be a spoiled vote in favour of Christopher Alder a Young man beaten to death whilst in police custody, it as been proved in court that he was killed unlawfully but not one of the police involved as been punished.

Why will I vote this way: because one of the candidates was the Deputy prime minister at the time another was a local councilor and another was on the police force and have in no way helped Christopher's family they are still looking for justice.

In all honesty I feel they should be on trial never mind taking part in an election for the police and crime commissioner.

Not advocating voters are rude. It's enough to write none of the above, thanks, which I have done a couple of times lately.
Returning officers do not have to announce the number of spoilt votes, but they usually do, and the number has to be available on the notification.

I advocate this for people who want to vote, but not for any on the paper. It means you have thought about it and are not apathetic. I have always voted, since I was 21.
Apparently in one election in Glasgow over 7% of the papers were spoilt.

However now a vote for the National Health Action Party would sort out most people's objections on here.
Interesting to see that their inaugural meeting is on the same day as the govt.'s vote for police commissioners.
I'm a conspiracy theorist. Which do you think came first?

I was a scrutineer of spoiled papers at the last General Election - some of them with highly offensive and even obscene comments. Why do they bother? The number of spoiled papers is reported when the result is announced. The number of votes not cast is not reported but the percentage poll is always available and if you were a political fanatic, with a modicum of arithmetical skill - or a calculator - you could work out the number of votes not cast from that.

Absent, I have been to a count for councillors. My husband once stood as a labour candidate in Winchester, and doubled the vote to over 100.
They did give the number of spoiled votes separately. If you watch the results on TV you will notice they always have had to announce the number of spoiled votes.
They do not give the number of votes not cast.
It would be an interesting idea, though, if the number of spoiled votes were greater than the number of those cast. It would take forever to check them.

The only information I have received about the PCC candidates is from the Tories so I looked it up on the internet. I shall be voting for an ex policeman as I don't think politicians should have any say in the running of the police force

Although spoiled votes are not counted separately – just bunged in with the number of people who didn't vote at all – I think they have to be shown to all the candidates to confirm that they genuinely were spoiled. So writing a trenchant comment on the ballot paper might serve some purpose.

Just received some literature about the police and crime commissioner vote. Maybe they think we cannot remember anything for longer than a week.

I have always voted, but I have spoiled my vote twice by writing "None of these" across the paper.
If everybody who did not want to vote did that it would make them think. At the moment they just think it is apathy, but at any count they have to give the number of spoilt papers. It would be interesting to hear that the number of spoilt papers was higher than the number of votes!

One year my parents voted for Tony Blair. They had always voted Tory.
My friends also voted for Blair. They had always been liberal.
I did not vote for him. I am a socialist. I voted Green.

I think 16/17 is too young to vote. I know people can get married at that age, but again I think they are too young for that. They are still children, though they won't thank me for saying that!

The majority of teenagers of that age haven't a clue about politics and will chose who to vote for without clear knowledge or information about the situation. And before I get shouted at, I agree there are teenagers of that who are very politically savvy, but they are probably in the minority. If you put Big Bird or One Direction on the voting papers, they would probably vote for them!!

I haven't but I live in London, the Met Police and the City of London Police forces aren't involved so you won't get anything if you live in those areas...

I agree we should vote; have any of you had anything about the next opportunity to use our votes - for the Police and Crime Commsioners? I know the date, but have had little else except there are 34 days to go. The Home Office website is fine buy our local Police website is no use at all!.

I am with janthea and goldengirl plus all others who agree we should vote. No one should criticise what is wrong if they haven't contributed to trying to change things by voting.
As you say women in the past fought very hard for us all to have this opportunity!

Yes, one should vote if one wants to have a voice; women fought for us to have the right!

I remember ages ago seeing some graffiti that said "Don't vote, it only encourages them" . It did make me smile, but I always do vote, even in local Council Elections.

I feel that if you don't bother to vote, then you have no right to voice an opinion with regard to whichever party is in power.

My grandmother was a suffragist and I will always vote - even if I spoil the paper and scrawl 'none of these twits' across it. Or in the case of the chief constable post 'any of these, they all look the same'. Or maybe the other way around!

I always vote. If I didn't and the wrong guy got in by 1, I would have myself to blame. Choosing the right or wrong guy [or woman] is increasingly difficult for me in national elections. I have less and less respect for most candidates and I cannot identify closely with any party. Local elections are easier because my local councillor has always be helpful when I've needed him and the council works reasonably well.

My issue is that there are too many layers of government and we are paying for all of them. We have local, London Mayor, London Assembly, Westminster and EU - and UN on the top of them all. I would keep local and Westminster and chop the rest with an axe, ending them or cutting them down substantially. If government worked brilliantly, I might see the point of so many layers with all their hangers-on; but it doesn't.

I always vote though it's not always an easy choice - bad, bad or bad!
It was hard won by women and I feel it's an opportunity to contribute. Also, as janthea said you shouldn't moan if you've not made the effort. I know my DD doesn't vote but I'm not sure about DS - I think he does now I come to think of it.

As for voting at 16/17. My first thought was no, they're too young. But then if they can get married at that age they should have a say. They may think it through more carefully than someone a lot older!

Good luck with that, vampirequeen! (I mean it)

I always vote. People can't complain about who gets elected if they don't make the effort to vote.

I'm going to vote in the hope I can keep the class traitor and the failed lib dem councillor from getting the job. My other choice is an ex police officer who I hope at least will have some idea what it's like to police this area.

As soon as voting was made compulsory I would stop voting. Voting is a right that should be exercised voluntarily by voters - and the voluntary decision starts with the decision to decide whether or not to visit the polling station. In nearly 50 years of voting as far as I can rememeber I have voted in every general election and all but two local elections when I was either ill or unable to get to the polling station.

I will not, however, be voting for the new police commissioners. The police should be apolitical and having an elected police commissioner by definition politicises the police.

I think it should be compulsory ,with a 'none of the above ' box. I have always voted but there is no one now to vote for.
The Tory party have delivered their local newspaper in which George O has endorsed the Police Comm. he wants, which is enough to put me off!!