UK ELECTION PARTY POST

[such_heights]

Twitter just does not give me the character count for my needs, guys.

BBC Live Feed

(I recommend Hotspot Shield if you can't view it in your country.)

The exit polls currently predict a hung parliament where the Conservatives have the most seats. A minority government? A Tory/small parties coalition? A Labour/Lib Dem deal? It's anyone's guess right now!

Also, talk of voters being turned away in student-heavy areas, and in Sheffield Hallam, reports are coming in from friends of mine that students have been separated out from residents, with residents being given priority while students are turned away. More on that as I get it!

Have at it, kids.

Comments

[oxoniensis]

I'm hoping Labour will agree to electoral reform and make a deal with the Lib Dems - I can't see any other likely option that doesn't make me feel really worried.

[such_heights]

Yes, most definitely. I'd be pretty happy with that result, but I'm not feeling confident it's going to work out that way - I'm worried Clegg might go for the Tories.

[lokifan]

Me too! Together they outweigh the Tory seats, so... *crosses fingers*

Btw hello such_heights, I'm here from woldy's place. :)

BBC News Coverage = best ever

[such_heights]

Domino effect! Oh, I love it. :D

[virginia_bell]

Oh no, this Tory swing is most discouraging. :(

[such_heights]

a;lsdkja *clings in terror*

[virginia_bell]

*clings back* I thought, if anything, the poll would be overestimating Tory gains. God forbid that it actually underestimates it. DDDDDDD:

[such_heights]

That was less of a swing just now? Oh god oh god!

[virginia_bell]

Ahhh I know I know I know! I just have to keep on breathing and remind myself that only three seats have been called. (Gah, why am I so invested in this election? I don't even live here permanently. :p But I care, so!)

[such_heights]

Considering how invested we got in yours, seems only fair! *g*

[virginia_bell]

Hehe, exactly! Oh, I remember being quite invested in the 2005 general election, back when I was doing European history in school. I was supposed to be revising for my exam on election night, but I think I justified that by saying that UK politics kind of qualified as relevant. xD

[glinda]

*isn't really here*

Oooh, yes curious to know what on Earth is going on in Sheffield as it sounds all sinister and intriguing from the reports I'm seeing up here...

[such_heights]

There's a facebook group gathering reports here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=121206334573223

[gorgeousnerd]

I can't watch election results; it kicks up my anxiety hardcore. (I went out to a movie Election Night 2008, and found out toward the end about Obama's win.) But good luck!

[such_heights]

Watching this now, I can understand that! But thank you for the luck!

[heathershaped]

*wibbles for you guys*

[such_heights]

*flails* omg this is tense.

[woldy]

All these stories of people being turned away from the polls are astonishing - I know it happens in US elections (thanks, Republicans, for your concerted efforts at electoral fraud) but I'd never heard of it being a problem in the UK. There could be re-runs if the results are close in any of those places where people are being turned away, & then we might not know the seat breakdown of Parliament for well over a week.

[such_heights]

Yeah, this is rapidly turning into a big deal! I'm not sure I can bear this being dragged out much longer.

[woldy]

I think it's a big deal whenever people are denied the right to vote. The real biggie, of course, is that there are over 85000 people in prison and of which the approx 74,000 sentenced prisoners aren't allowed to vote - about the number of people in a standard constituency. Almost all those people are poor, & they're disproportionately BME. The disenfranchisement of all sentenced prisoners is actually in contravention of the European Convention of Human Rights, but the government hasn't bothered to do anything about it. There's an info thing about it by the Prison Reform Trust.

[such_heights]

Wow, I didn't realise that latter part, thanks very much for the link!

[woldy]

Yeah there was a legal challenge a few years ago - here's a link to a 2005 Beeb article about it. I presume the government hasn't acted on the issue for fear of tabloid hysteria, which is of course the underlying reason that we have so many people in prison anyway.

[secondsilk]

We have two lines at polling stations like that. One for away voters and one for local voters.

They were talking about having closed booths while people were still waiting? We don't do that. If you show up at your booth before 6pm, you get to vote, regardless of how long after that you have to wait.

You so need preferential voting.

[such_heights]

It sounds like they shut the doors at 10, and if you were still queueing outside you were turned away. It's a big mess!

[saint_claws]

Countries without compulsory voting confuse me. Are you saying that voters were told that there was no room to vote?

How many polling stations do you have? We have to have them in walking distance from everybody seeing as you get thrown in goal for not doing it!

Please please please be a Labour/Lib Dem deal!!

[such_heights]

Yeah, people were queueing for hours and they couldn't be processed before the 10pm cutoff. I'm not quite sure what happened, but there's been confusion recently with constituency boundaries changing and I don't think polling stations were prepared for the turnout.

Here's hoping to the Labour/Lib Dem government! I'm not feeling too confident, though. :/

[saint_claws]

That's awful!

No, it's looking like the Conservatives might get in. Sigh.

[copracat]

We have to have them in walking distance from everybody seeing as you get thrown in goal for not doing it!

Wow, that's harsh. In Australia you cop a tiny fine. If you don't pay it you cop a slightly larger fine. Inner city parking fines are more onerous!

[saint_claws]

I am talking about Australia. You get pretty major fines and goal time if you are a repeat offender. I have known people who were dragged through the court system because of it, but they did a bit more than miss a local by-election.

[copracat]

Objectors to mandatory voting?

[saint_claws]

Yeah. A bunch of very irritating people.

[woldy]

Lib Dems hold Torbay (Tory target 57) & have taken votes from the Tories! Go Nick & Vince :-D

[such_heights]

\o/!

[(Anonymous)]

(bluekiwibubble from lj)

That's terrible about Sheffield! Grr. My brother was just telling me that loads and loads of postal votes in York went missing so lots of students have ended up without a vote as well. It all sounds like such a mess :/

[(Anonymous)]

Hmm, BBC just said the Sheffield thing was because lots of students 'didn't have polling cards with them'. Since when was that a requirements? huh.

[woldy]

'Yes we Khan!' is winning my vote for 'Most Adorable Slogan of the Night'.

[nuclearsugars]

from the beeb: "our analyst Prof John Curtice says evidence is growing to suggest that the BNP are putting in their best ever performance in a British general election."

DO NOT WANT BNP. EVER. D:

[virginia_bell]

Gah, Tories.

And that's all I have to say, as it is 4:38 and I need to be off to bed!

[tomsmum]

OMG just got up - what confusion, what has happened to all the Lib Dems? Have people been confused by the urge to vote tactically?

Whatever - is a bad result for the Lib Dems :(

[lokifan]

I KNOW. :(((

They have ONE EXTRA SEAT. ONE. I think the huge number of floaters may've panicked and gone for the Big Two.

[woldy]

The BBC confirmed what you said earlier - all the polls in Sheffield had lousy organisation & loads of people were turned away. They also said the crap organisation is why several of the Sheffield constituencies are so late reporting the results. Sounds like some of the local election officials deserve to be fired.

[verasteine]

I was watching it this morning, going, 'aah, evil guy is winning!' But this being turned away and students getting second class treatment is scary. We're going to the polls next month; I'd better be getting my vote card soon :).

[copracat]

What a mess. I've been glued to the BBC results page all day.

[eumelkeks]

I'm still afraid that the Lib Dems will sell out and agree to a pact with the Tories. CAN'T THEY ACCEPT LABOUR'S OFFER ALREADY?