Electoral Registration

[Katharine]

We got the form for this today. I was surprised to see that as there was no change I HAD to go online, or phone (freephone) to register. The envelope provided should only be used if there was a change.

I wonder how many people will read this carefully and follow the instructions? As far as I recall, I have always just signed and stuck it back in the envelope in previous years. I fear that this new way will result in people becoming disenfranchised. (Will the powers that be ignore their own instructions and accept posted no change forms?)

[Mid A 15]

We got the form for this today. I was surprised to see that as there was no change I HAD to go online, or phone (freephone) to register. The envelope provided should only be used if there was a change.

I wonder how many people will read this carefully and follow the instructions? As far as I recall, I have always just signed and stuck it back in the envelope in previous years. I fear that this new way will result in people becoming disenfranchised. (Will the powers that be ignore their own instructions and accept posted no change forms?)

I absolutely agree with you.

[midget]

We got the form for this today. I was surprised to see that as there was no change I HAD to go online, or phone (freephone) to register. The envelope provided should only be used if there was a change.

I wonder how many people will read this carefully and follow the instructions? As far as I recall, I have always just signed and stuck it back in the envelope in previous years. I fear that this new way will result in people becoming disenfranchised. (Will the powers that be ignore their own instructions and accept posted no change forms?)

Oops! I did just that

[sejintenej]

We got the form for this today. I was surprised to see that as there was no change I HAD to go online, or phone (freephone) to register. The envelope provided should only be used if there was a change.

I seriously wonder whether I should even bother. If you have an unlisted telephone number (for example) or otherwise wish to remain out of the public eye then being on the electoral roll is a No No No No. For a tiny sum (or even nothing) you can find a person if you know their general area.

As for voting, we had postal votes; they arrived Saturday afternoon (ie after the 10.30 am Saturday deadline), no letter collections Sunday or Monday (bank holiday) and the vote was the Tuesday. By their slowness (or perhaps because they thought I might vote the "wrong" way) the Returning Officer's department deprived me of my human rights.

I don't care one way or another now - the whole system is so .......... why else are 10% of the population trying to escape? We can even get proper baked beans and marmite here!

[Katharine]

Oops! I did just that

You don't live in Gwynedd, Midget. The instructions I had might not apply in Devon.

The form I had to deal with was, as almost always here, bilingual. We get various kinds of bilingual such as 2 copies one in each language, two sides of the page one in each language, two columns one for each language and top half bottom half for each language. This form was the worst kind of bilingual - sentence by sentence translation, Welsh in green and English in purple. I find it far more difficult to cope with and had to read it several times to ensure I was right in my understanding of it.

[englishangel]

We have two seventeen-year-olds so this did not apply to me, but I thought that it said you could register by phone or internet, nit that you had to.

Incidentally I got ours back because I forgot to sign it.