Labour in line to get the largest majority since 1832......

Tellers aren't allowed to canvas or ask who people have voted for

In case you misunderstood me. growstuff, I was talking about people canvassing before election day. No canvasser has ever asked me how I was going to vote.

Not in the least worried. We have just endured the worst government of my lifetime. Dishonest, no integrity, no humanity, and incompetent ... think Liz Truss. Labour can be no worse for sure. Bring it on ....

Sorry, just seen your post Joseann - that's exactly what tellers do.

Tellers aren't allowed to canvas or ask who people have voted for. What they do is keep a record of people who have voted. These can be compared by local activists with lists of people who have said they will vote one way or the other. They can then contact those people and ask if they would like a lift to the polling station. If there aren't enough local activists to follow up, there's no point in having tellers.

We've been in our current home for 30 years now. Since then I have voted 1997, 200?, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2019 and today. I have never yet seen a teller of any colour.

I fact, I've voted in every GE since at least 1971 in various places and I have never seen a teller..

Not that I'd be much use to them if they were there. No-one has ever canvassed me for my vote and I never take my polling card, so wouldn't know the number..

Yes, my understanding was that the blue rosette lady outside was putting in a few hours, followed maybe by a red rosette person, then a yellow? At 6 pm or so they would share the list, out of courtesy, if anyone could be bothered to chase up non shows. We are in a very close run Conservative/Lib Dem constituency. The Labour candidate, 21 years old, is a non starter, just a child!
We didn't hand her our voting cards, that was done inside.

Back in the day when there were no postal votes it was worth having tellers out in order to chase votes. I also (having a car) got sent out to collect people.

We don’t have tellers outside our polling station. We used to, but maybe they got tired of being told that voters didn’t have to say.

It's definitely time for Proportional Representation, then labour and conservative wouldn't get a look in, you can't hold a cigaretter paper between them, neither have any decent British values of the silent majority!

That's right Casdon. Telling is all about getting out the vote. The parties want to know which of their supporters have already voted so that they don't bother them later in the day by calling or phoning to remind them or offers lifts to the polling station.

When I have been telling for the LibDems alongside a Conservative teller we have co-operated by repeating numbers that one did not get, especially when we were busy, but I would be very surprised if any party handed over their list to another party.

My understanding is that tellers are there to check that their party’s voters have voted, so they can chase up those who said they would vote for them but haven’t yet been ticked off their list. I don’t think that was what the lady outside Joseann’s polling station was doing though?

I was at a hustings earlier in the week. The only candidate who had put any real effort into preparing answers to questions she might be asked was the Labour candidate. Kemi Badenoch was dreadful, but she was dreadful at the last two hustings too and people still voted for her.

varian

In most of the polling stations across our constituency there are usually tellers outside, collecting polling card numbers on behalf of two parties - Conservatives and LibDems.

Today many of the polling stations only have LibDem tellers - no Cons. Apparently they have very few supporters willing to volunteer.

They seem to have given up, in spite of returning a Conservative MP with a majority of over 19,000 at the 2019 general election.

Today the only teller outside my polling station was from Labour.

winterwhite

Returning to the OP, yes, I'm worried about the implications of a Labour win of the size predicted in today's papers because I don't know how KS will hold such a large party together. I fear it will split into factions, as the Tories did after 2019. Meanwhile the reduced Tory party will inevitably move to the right.
I therefore hope for a decent increase in the number of Lib Dem MPs to help anchor the Labour Party.

Lib Dems have a terrible record of holding the balance of power though. I understand the implications of any party having a huge majority, but knowing that Lib Dems have power they don't need to justify wouldn't reassure me at all.

Those saying that when Labour win it will be a vote against the Tories sound very sour. Many people (me included) would like to see a more inspiring choice of leaders, but people vote for their own MP, not for the PM. We can only vote for who is there, and the reality is that (like him or not) Starmer is leading the party which is offering people more of what they want than is Sunak.

In most of the polling stations across our constituency there are usually tellers outside, collecting polling card numbers on behalf of two parties - Conservatives and LibDems.

Today many of the polling stations only have LibDem tellers - no Cons. Apparently they have very few supporters willing to volunteer.

They seem to have given up, in spite of returning a Conservative MP with a majority of over 19,000 at the 2019 general election.

Returning to the OP, yes, I'm worried about the implications of a Labour win of the size predicted in today's papers because I don't know how KS will hold such a large party together. I fear it will split into factions, as the Tories did after 2019. Meanwhile the reduced Tory party will inevitably move to the right.
I therefore hope for a decent increase in the number of Lib Dem MPs to help anchor the Labour Party.

Hope for the best, expect the worst, as my old Grandad used to say.

We do need a change, but Labour aren’t particularly inspiring.

I think they’re totally uninspiring, but I think that about the Conservatives too. In fact, I’m uninspired by any of the parties or politicians who are standing.
I don’t think there’ll be any immediate changes because there’s no money available, and so taxes will rise at the next budget, but they’d rise under any other government too. I would love for improvements to the NHS but I’m not actually expecting any time soon. Covid and the cost of living payments to families and the energy payments we all had, and we pensioners had more in energy payments than most other people, anyway it all has to be paid for whoever is in government, and that’s why I’m not expecting any big changes yet.

Callistemon213

I don't think Labour will win because voters think they are wonderful, it will be because the Tories will lose spectacularly because of their track record.

I’ve seen it reported several times that Labour will not win because of love for Labour, but because voters want to punish the Conservatives. I realise that this may not be true on GN, as we have a large contingent of Labour Party members/supporters on here, but that is not necessarily the same throughout the country. The voters don’t want another Conservative government at this time and will therefore give Labour a majority. The mood in the country is anyone but Conservatives at this time.

I don't see why its a terrifying prospect. How could things be any worse really? I haven't got any money anyway.

Lets see.

I’m hoping for a humongous improvement in the NHS in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 when Labour get in. For 25 years they’ve run it from Cardiff and blamed the dire situation on the Tories withholding funds and not their own poor management.

🤗 for the sunny uplands!

Callistemon213

I don't think Labour will win because voters think they are wonderful, it will be because the Tories will lose spectacularly because of their track record.

I agree, and Reform will hoover up a lot of Tory votes. We do need a change, but Labour aren’t particularly inspiring.

Hopefully, they will be an improvement on what we’ve had for 14 years, which seems a fairly easy thing.🫰

When even the rabidly Tory Sun newspaper are telling people to vote for Labour, there is obviously change in the air.

www.thesun.co.uk/news/28935096/its-time-for-a-change/

I'm not bothered about my financial situation changing when the government does. I'm more concerned with a fairer distribution of wealth, a more cohesive society and freedom of movement to be reintroduced. How Labour will achieve that is still uncertain.

Chocolatelovinggran

Macadia, I agree absolutely. My vote will be about my children and grandchildren, and how I want the country to be in the future.
If people see a vote to be all about ensuring that they keep their money, and are happy for others to pay for supporting public services, that is for them to decide. I feel differently.

Well said Chocolatelovinggran!

Callistemon213

I don't think Labour will win because voters think they are wonderful, it will be because the Tories will lose spectacularly because of their track record.

True. The number of voters who are talking about voting tactically, not just those who do not have a Labour candidate says it all.

Then the excuses/blame game will start. It happens with every new government.