Saturday, April 14, 2007
Do You Need a Postal Vote?
Just a reminder that if you need a postal vote for the May 3rd elections, you have until midday on Wednesday 18 April to get your form into your local council. Most councils have a postal vote application form which you can download as a PDF on their website, or you can download THIS one from the Electoral Commission. Obviously I only recommend this to people who are intending to vote Conservative!
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21 comments:
Are you sure it's midday? It's 5pm on Wednesday at my local council.
Will they supply carrier bags too in case I want to deliver the community vote to the returning officer ?
Which is the car park in Birmingham this time ?
Postal votes are a blight to independant candidates. I lost a lot of votes when I stood as an independent because postal voters who would have switched their vote to me had already voted by the time I canvassed them.
Auntie Flo'
I thought that there was no "need" required in postal voting; you don't need to give a valid reason - it's a case of "wanting". Isn't it?
"Need" might put some people off voting in elections which are unlikely to get 50% turnout.
It's Saturday night on the 14th of April and I'm wondering...
where's Verity?
There was an ad on this site around three weeks ago for Brits living overseas and qualified to vote. The advertiser could arrange your postal vote - or proxy! - for you, c/o Dr Mohammad Abdullah al-Nasri (not his real name) c/o the municipal carpark in Birmingham mentioned by Anonymous 7:42.
Just kidding.
It was an ad from something called, if memory serves, Conservatives Overseas. There being a phone number and email address, I was motivated to try to get in touch with them, because I want my cousin to be my proxy but don't know how to arrange it.
I called the number several times -and it was always an answering machine. Rather than give her outfit the expense of returning an overseas call, I sent an email. Since then, nada.
So who are these people and why are they putting up ads for a service that doesn't exist? I would be interested to know whether they're legitimate as far as the Tory Party is concerned, because it seems to me now that this was a phishing exercise.
If someone I trust - i.e., Iain - can put me in touch with an organisation that helps qualified overseas voters, of which I am one, get their votes registered, I would be grateful.
Flo,
Have you perhaps considered canvassing before postal ballots are delivered?
I know it's a bit revolutionary and all that...
verity said... check with Praguetory he was blogging about it a few months ago ,it is genuine, I remember going to the web site ,but like anything always check first.
verity said...
Try
http://www.conservativesabroad.org/
On PT 14 March 2007
A vote is a vote.
Machiavelli's Understudy said...
Flo,
Have you perhaps considered canvassing before postal ballots are delivered?
You've presumably never stood as an Independent then - with no embedded vote, no canvassing team, no swanky head office to support you and no Michael Howard to write to the local electorate canvassing votes on your behalf local?
Despite not having any of that - and an aggressive dirty tricks campaign against me - I didn't totally disgrace myself, came second in a Tory stronghold, knocking nulab into third place.
Auntie Flo'
Wirralboy sends this: http://www.conservativesabroad.org/
Hello? Do I look as though I just drank a large cup of stupid? This is the site I am complaining about.
So we all send our forms to Tunbridge Wells?
Iain's got comment moderation on, which means, no one knows where we are, but:http://www.conservativesabroad.org/
This is the site that is the problem with no response.
I have a wonderfull way to improve voter turn out.
Its simple cost effective and gets some of those lazy buggers among us a little bit of exercise. But it for sure is not postal ballots, which is a first world solution which causes third world consequences.
So how about a third world solution to a first world problem.
Rather then giving political parties MORE tax payers cash. Why not give a £10 note back to each of the people the government stole the money from in the first place, in exchange for voting, at the polling station.
As ALL good Conservatives should know. Possitive incentives rather then fines and very suspect postal voting practices, are the BEST way to achieve just about anything at all.
See, a POLL TAX in REVERSE, only a non politician could or would ever think of it, never mind put it into practice.
Flo,
You've presumably never run a competent campaign, then?
Don't think that we all have those resources to draw on ;)
Hard work and a sympathetic or reasonable electorate (and at the same time, a disaffected set of incumbent supporters who'll stay at home) will help to win- excuses won't.
Might sound harsh, but that's the reality for some of us. Voters need to be groomed, canvasses need to be taken from scratch and it all has to be done flying blind- this still happens in places. They aren't handed to us on a silver plate.
I've seen a one-man-band turn around a ward from a Labour stronghold to a Conservative win, without the support of their association, let alone a head office.
Why didn't you obtain the PV list from your LA's electoral services department and contact postal voters using that?
Why didn't you start early? You have a full four years in most instances, although 12-18 months before an election might be more realistic- more than enough time to prepare, canvass and deliver leaflets.
Were you single issue or not? Was their anything particularly unique about your campaign or you? If so, what local press interest did you try to generate?
In any case, don't expect to win first time round (although you really should aim to). You'll have set the foundations for your next campaign and established a profile for yourself amongst the vote that you say is not embedded. Not only that, but you'll potentially have a campaign team and a list of helpers if you keep in touch with and motivate those canvassed who would have given you their support.
Best of luck next time ;)
I might vote conservative on the regional list as a thanks for the reminder.
verity said... Do you think Iam a flippin mind reader ,I will never try to help you again.
Wirralboy - It didn't work.
They do not return emails. There is never anyone there to answer the phone. If I call again, I'll leave a message instead of trying to save them money with a return phone call.
Machiavelli's Understudy said...
Flo,
You've presumably never run a competent campaign, then?
Machi, you avoided answering my question. Have you ever stood for election as an Independent? I very much doubt it. So which party have you fought an election for - the nulab screw ups? Or perhaps you were one of those who
helped the Conservatives to electoral defeat in 2005?
And you're tryng to preach to me. That's rich :)
Auntie Flo'
Conservative - in which case you've lost three elections in a row, big boy
or
Lib Dem -
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