CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!

Election today - don't forget to vote!

(141 posts)
  • Started 13 years ago by crowriver
  • Latest reply from Dave
  • poll: Did you/are you going to vote today?
    Already voted by post : (4 votes)
    13 %
    Voted in person : (19 votes)
    59 %
    Will vote later on today : (6 votes)
    19 %
    Won't be voting : (2 votes)
    6 %
    There's an election on? Really? Oh. : (1 votes)
    3 %

    32 votes


12…5

  1. crowriver
    Member

    Polling stations opened at 7am this morning for the local council elections. They close at 8pm 10pm in most places I think.

    Don't forget to vote!

    Remember to use the preference system and order candidates with your favourite first, otherwise your vote might not count. No-one's forcing you to vote for a party or person you hate, but as these are multi-councillor constituencies (usually 3 or 4 seats) it makes sense to at least go as far as 1, 2, 3, 4.

    I voted this morning early before heading to work. I was lucky enough to bump into Leith Walk Green party candidate Maggie Chapman and wished her luck.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  2. chdot
    Admin

    "They close at 8pm in most places I think"

    It's 10 in Edinburgh - I assumed that was universal.

    "No-one's forcing you to vote for a party or person you hate"

    "it makes sense to at least go as far as 1, 2, 3, 4."

    There are suggestions that giving the person you least want to get in the highest number (and allocating numbers to the other candidates) is marginally useful in ensuring your wishes are carried out when it comes allocation votes via PR.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  3. slowcoach
    Member

    Yes 10pm across the country, but best not to wait unless you have to.
    I gave number 1 to preferred candidate and 2-5 to the less favoured, with only the least wanted (Tory)getting blank. So if the final transfer of votes is to either anyone else or the Tory, then anyone else gets my vote (or share of it).
    There were 3 Labour candidates (for 3 different wards) when I was there to vote and we wished each other luck.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  4. Baldcyclist
    Member

    I won't be voting today (because of reasons already argued on Twitter), but will next time.

    One thing I do find confusing about Politics in general is how most people seem to treat 'their' Political party like 'their' footbal *team, in that they will support the chosen one no matter what, and no matter what type of election. Always struck me as odd...

    *Not everyone has a football team, but you get the general idea.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  5. recombodna
    Member

    Voting is part of my Birthday ritual. I got the conservatve lady to look after my bike while I voted......... I didn't vote tory but it was nice of her to offer!

    Posted 13 years ago #

  6. PS
    Member

    @baldcyclist I'm with you on that. It beggared belief at the last general election that the only Scottish Westminster parliamentary seat to change hands was Glasgow East, which just switched back to where it was before the previous by-election.

    There isn't a single party out there whose policies (or actions) I wholeheartedly agree with, so none of them get my loyalty.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  7. slowcoach
    Member

    I don't have a football team. I don't support my chosen Party's leaders or policies no matter what, but overall I think they are better than the alternative(s). The same basic principles apply at different types of election - for the benefit of many or the benefit of a few. I originally joined because I disagreed with one particular policy and wanted to be in it to help change it.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  8. maninaskirt
    Member

    Already voted - got there just before 8am and cycled there - and had on my skirt which got a few down-and-up looks and some smiles...

    Only voted as far as 3 though - no interest in any of the others.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  9. Stepdoh
    Member

    I think in a pr sense that unless you put some sort of UKIP/BNP numpter* in as number 1, going beyond 2 or three doesn't make much of a difference. As it's only if your candidate is knocked out your number two votes come into action. Bit more relevant in a multiseat, but still slightly skewed to the main parties.

    *offence entirely intentional to anyone who would vote for UKIP/BNP numpter.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  10. crowriver
    Member

    Apparently the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. preferences come into effect in two scenarios:

    1. - Your 1st preference candidate already has enough 1st preference votes to pass the required threshold, and is elected. Then any 2nd preference votes are allocated. If your 2nd preference has already been elected by 1st preference votes, your 3rd preference comes into effect, and so on.

    2. - Your 1st preference candidate is eliminated, either in the first, or subsequent rounds of counting. Then your 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc. preferences may come into play, again depending upon who has/has not already been elected.

    So in a four seat ward (like mine) it makes sense to list at least 5 preferences. If you list fewer, it's possible your vote may not count if the candidates are already elected/eliminated by the time they reach your last preference.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  11. Stepdoh
    Member

    Ah, I standeth correctedeth, forgot about the threshold bit. That also makes more sense than my version :*)

    Posted 13 years ago #

  12. Dave
    Member

    Yes - important to understand this. Your vote counts right down to the last, the beauty of single transferable vote.

    To expand on chdot's useful explanation - they look at all the first votes, and anyone who has more than the required number of votes gets elected. If nobody does, the candidate with the smallest number of votes gets eliminated.

    They then look at the proportions of second votes for *all* first votes for that candidate, and assign the excess in that proportion, repeating until all the seats are full.

    It means, for instance, that you can put a '1' for green without worrying that it means "big party you don't like" sneaking around the back. If the green doesn't get in, all their votes are reassigned (yours to "big party you do like"). If they do get in, all the "extra" votes are reassigned (again, yours goes to "big party you do like").

    It's so brilliant, it's hard to understand why politicians would ever support it.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  13. CompactDstrxion
    Member

    I voted at 7am sharp, first through the door, they asked me if I thought the signage was adequate at my new polling station (Cafe Camino on Little King St).

    Hi guys, by the way. I have a poorly pedelec in The Bike Works at the moment for a spoke and true.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  14. wee folding bike
    Member

    Brompton went voting with me as usual on the way to work (S2L-X today).

    Posted 13 years ago #

  15. Arellcat
    Moderator

    ...at the moment for a spoke and true.

    Ah, if only the elected were as noble. I'll vote this evening, but will do it by the old standard of walking.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  16. Kirst
    Member

    I postal voted last week. And since Thursday I've been spending my days opening postal votes ready for the count to start tonight. I wish people would realise it's not acceptable to smear your postal votes with bodily fluids - we don't like opening those.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  17. Dave
    Member

    I'm going to assume that means people vote in blood, just because it's the only vaguely cool (yet still deeply wrong) way to interpret that.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  18. DaveC
    Member

    Postal vote last week. We go postal votes last year as we were away polling day. Its just handy now. I voted for the local guy who is a fellow cyclist and who I audax with. He got me back into cycling infact! Some of you met him on the Nippie Sweetie, Gavin Yates.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  19. Baldcyclist
    Member

    Actually did vote tonight, decided to go down to polling station and heckle the candidates and vote based on that. There were only 2 candidates there, Labour, and SNP, I asked both of them:
    I'm a flaoting voter and new to the area, so don't know all of the local issues. I am however a cycle commuter and have been hit by a car already this year, what are you going to do to keep my alive in the next year cycling to work?

    Labour candidate: "Buy a car, ha ha ha ha".
    SNP candidate: well he went into great detail about all of the cycle routes in the area, and the new cycle paths that were being built in Kirkcaldy, and the difficulties involved in joining them all up.

    Wasn't really a difficult decision based on the answers given! Would have been nice to hear from the Lib Dems too though.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  20. DaveC
    Member

    Jeepers who was the Labour candidate? Sounds like a toss pot.

    Actually I have to say that they they may not have been the candidates. Josie went down to our local polling station for 4 hours today to stand outside with a Rosett on and show some presence. I suppose she might not have been clued up up on all subjects?

    Posted 13 years ago #

  21. Claggy Cog
    Member

    @baldcyclist - well the eejit made it fairly easy for you to know who to choose. No contest!! Clearly does not know the power of the cyclist vote...

    Posted 13 years ago #

  22. Uberuce
    Member

    Moo, Compact. I must admit, I do wonder what one of those wonderful toys is like to ride.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  23. gembo
    Member

    Voted on my jog round pentlands tonite. Usually ask has it been busy? Invigilator usually says yes but tonight he said no, it has Been quiet. Three candidates in my ward, I think it will be one Tory, one snp and one labour. I vote for my preferred caNdidate then the others who are not the competition to my preferred candidate. So labour, green liberal in that order. I did not vote for the penguin who was also standing, tho I think he was after your first vote anyway

    Posted 13 years ago #

  24. crowriver
    Member

    @baldcyclist, they may have been local activists rather than the candidates. I did the whole standing outside the polling station, wearing a rosette thing for the Green party at last year's council by-election in Edinburgh Central ward. Quite a few folk asked questions and I tried to answer them as best I could. Parties do this if they have the volunteers because the candidates can't be everywhere at once: they are usually touring around the different areas.

    Clearly your SNP person was doing a good job there. The Labour one, well if that's an activist I don't think the candidate will thank him/her for being such a prat. Just shows you how ingrained the prejudice is against cyclists that they felt they could joke about that. Disgusting.

    Oh and well done for quizzing them, candidates or not. If more of us 'militant cyclist' types did that the other parties might start getting the message (not just the Greens and the odd person from other parties).

    Posted 13 years ago #

  25. Instography
    Member

    Well, I emailed all my local councillors (about my "campaign") and got replies from two - Lib Dem and SNP. The Lib Dem guy is a fixture in the village and genuinely gives a toss. The SNP is also an MSP and responded as the MSP. He's not standing.

    Labour, nothing. Tories, nothing (although they could feck off anyway). Labour need to wake up. Their industrial / union heartlands and core vote are gone. Their social housing / working class vote is apathetic and staying at home. They're completely lost, wandering, wondering where their votes are going to come from. As a died in the wool Labour (actually ex-Trot) voter, I found it weirdly easy voting LibDem 1 and SNP 2 in the absence of a Green candidate.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  26. Darkerside
    Member

    I was caught in the unfortunate position of the conservative chap being the only one who mentioned cycling on his manifesto (only 3 of the 8 actually appeared to have a manifesto...), plus said lots of good stuff about recycling, road layout, supporting local businesses. Interesting to see how it pans out.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  27. Dave
    Member

    I promised myself I'd vote exclusively on cycling and I did, although this was relatively easy as Newington has a bunch of strong cycling candidates.

    I thought at the end of the day, nothing that happens in the council's remit actually effects me as much as cycle policy, I don't think there's a lot between them on anything else I particularly care about (or spend as much time doing).

    Posted 13 years ago #

  28. chdot
    Admin

    Interesting selection of 'hints' (and specifics) about how people voted - and what considerations they had in mind - not only, but including, cycling.

    Some general party loyalty (however reluctant - bit like 'I'll hold my nose and vote for Ken'!) and quite of 'look at the actual candidate/person'.

    Sounds quite normal and healthy.

    I voted for the two people I want to see as councillors then voted Pirate at number 3 - well you don't often get the chance - and filled in all the rest of the numbers with growing distaste.

    It was with great satisfaction that I put 7 against the name of the person I really hope doesn't get elected.

    Only a few hours and we'll know who got in.

    I think POP28 (and to some extent CCE) has made some people realise that they can engage with local politics/politicians and maybe get a few things changed.

    I'm sure councillors will get a lot more emails about walking and cycling (and other) issues.

    I really wouldn't like to be a councillor now that 'anyone' can just do a few clicks and send a message!

    It's worth sending an individual email of 'congratulations' to those who now represent you.

    Mention a few of things that interest you (that CEC/other council is responsible for).

    Worth a bit more effort for people who haven't been councillors before - likely to more enthusiastic/keen to 'make a difference'.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  29. Instography
    Member

    That 'congratulations' email is a good idea.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  30. Claggy Cog
    Member

    Early suggestions would appear to indicate a rout for the Tories and Libdems in England. Counting will not even start in Scotland until about nine this morning, so we will have to wait until this evening at the earliest....

    Posted 13 years ago #

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