Is an election official in a polling station supposed/allowed to say this to an undecided voter?

Its what the woman in my local polling station said to the old dear in front of me when she questioned which party to vote for.

Anyhoo, for what its worth my vote has been cast and hopefully it’ll be one that keeps swivel-eyed racists from getting anywhere near a position of power.

Is an election official in a polling station supposed/allowed to say this to an undecided voter?

No!

Interesting POV – the implication being that nobody could object to the Green Party’s policies – whereas on the basis of what was posted on here recently, and what else I know of their politics there’s plenty to object to.

I should be strongly inclined to report that straight away, asking to speak to the person in charge of your polling station, or if it turns out that that person IS the person in charge, to the police. It sounds totally wrong that an election official should be influencing voters.

Off to vote here shortly, too. Need a cup of coffee first, though.

Very wrong in official terms, however ultimately no different to discussion in the pub.

I should be strongly inclined to report that straight away, asking to speak to the person in charge of your polling station, or if it turns out that that person IS the person in charge, to the police. It sounds totally wrong that an election official should be influencing voters.

You should move to Zimbabwe, I’m sure they’d listen to you over there…..

I think if someone is asking who they should vote for in the polling station then there’s probably no harm done in practice from a nudge, although it’s not right.

The correct answer is of course; “it doesn’t matter love, whoever you vote for some bloke doing a postal voting fraud has more votes than you anyway.

🙂

Very different to a discussion in the pub. Election officials are supposed to be completely impartial, and if an old lady can’t make up her mind who to vote for she is likely to think that the election official is supposed to say that.

Report it. What if ten thousand people can’t make up their minds and are all told the same thing?

Then no BNP in Europe – VICTORY! And Hope will sell shedload of green brake levers too. Everybody wins 😀

You should move to Zimbabwe, I’m sure they’d listen to you over there…..

Actually maybe you should if you think an election official saying something like that is acceptable.

Well I’ve done my second civic duty of the day and have grassed the official to the electoral officer for Nottingham.

He seemed a bit annoyed by what she said, he probably would have suggested Labour or something.

Nice one sootyandjim!

You should move to Zimbabwe, I’m sure they’d listen to you over there…..

Actually maybe you should if you think an election official saying something like that is acceptable.

Politicians are all a load of money grabbing arseholes who make rules for themselves and don’t deserve to represent the people.

Or words to that effect were written all over my ballot paper earlier today. Excercised my right to vote without having to pick any of the thieving corrupt tossers

aracer, what’s up with the greens then? There was an article in the paper yesterday suggesting that a vote for anyone else is wasted since all the paries are singing a similar a tune and yet none of them have got (what the author considered) the most important issues i.e. green ones high enough on their agendas. I could see the point, voting green might send a messgae if anough people did it, irrespective of whether they got in or not….

The greens have some frankly very bizarre policies on (but not limited to) alternative medicine for instance, suggesting that they shouldn’t be tested like normal drugs, but should still be available through the NHS.

Although, the good policies outweigh the frankly weird ones, and let’s be honest here, no more odd than some of the other parties…

This thread is just waiting for Junkyard.

“Don’t know who to vote for? Ah, it’s alright love, it makes no odds; they’re all thieves and liars and reprehensible cretins. It doesn’t make a blind bit of difference; for all the good it’ll do you may as well do an abstract painting explaining the laws of thermodynamics to a brontosaurus and use that ballot box there to post it to him via Einstein’s fourth dimension, ok?”

FWIW I’ve just been and voted Green in Euros. And for the local elections there were only the major parties, so I chewed the ballot paper up like a dog, spat it on to the floor in front of the presiding officer, did a wee on it, then kicked the mush in his face.

is the Monster Raving Looney Party standing, or is screaming lord Such no longer with us?

The Greens have some policies I disagree with, but then, who can say that there’s a party that represents 100% of their views?

As an alternative to the main parties, they have plenty going for them.

Anyone know what time the polling stations close? Won’t finish work til 10 tonight.

10pm in chiswick

most close at 10 I’m afraid.

Most? All close at 10 surely?

Bugger – right I’m going to nip home now and do it.

The correct answer is of course; “it doesn’t matter love,…..

The correct answer for a condescending Guardian reader maybe.

But a polling station official who reads the Times might have said, “it doesn’t matter madam,…..

.

I’m with martyntr on this. And I don’t believe you grassed her up sooty.

aracer – obviously a corrupt election official Zimbabwe style ? 😀

The Nottingham election officer gave me a call back earlier on, wanted to know what exactly was said. Seems I spoke to one of his flunkies earlier, no doubt he is a little busy today.

That’s pretty terrible. I had to laugh, the guy in my station said “Good for you, not enough youngsters vote” I’m 30 years old FFS!

I applied to be an election official and you sign up to be politically impartial. Good call Sooty as the station officer was in the wrong.
As an aside did anyone else notice the lack of party activists outside the polling station today. The local wallahs here seem to be hacked off at the allowances scandal.