vote / voting (OT)

[Simon J. Branford]

No: HPFGUIDX 5336

Penny wrote: "Do the Brits have any feelings about this election?"

Just glad it is nearly over. I have been hearing about it for months and I
am just bored to death with all this information about an event that I have
no involvement in. Yes the choice does affect the UK but we can do nothing
about it and just have t put up with whichever person is picked.

Heather wrote: "This year my little bother was eiligible to vote for the
first time and he said he wasn't going to it was pointless, so Mum and i
dragged him all the way to the polling station and stood with our backs to
him while he did so.
However I might add given the calibre of the candidates here I sometimes
wish we followed the system at my uni where we had a box known as RON
meaning reopen nominations because none of the candidates is worth a vote.
Sometimes RON won!"

The problem I have with the local government elections in the UK is that I
do not really have an easy choice of which area to vote in. I can vote in an
area where I only live for a few months a year (North Dorset) and to do so
have to go to the effort of having a postal or proxy vote. Or I can vote in
Oxford but then have the problem, that in changing accommodation between
years, I end up moving out of the area I voted in 1 month after the election
(something like central to south Oxford - if I remember the regions
correctly).

One of the recent elections I voted in (the last EU one) I was one of fewer
than 800 people who turned up to vote in my region out of a possible 5000.
An example of the British enthusiasm for voting in what seem like pointless
elections.

RON is cool. I think he will be getting my vote in my college elections
(which happen over the next few days). This is of course if I can be
bothered to vote. I can see RON winning at least one of the four positions
up for election this time.

Also there are cases of cats being elected to positions in some of the
student election - a recent move in one Oxford college only got defeated
because the cat failed to attend hustings. I also heard a report of a
student election in a UK university where a pint of beer managed 7th place
in the election out of nine candidates.


Simon