European Elections

Nix · 2 Jun 2009 at 11:06

So, I've just discovered that the European Elections are to be held in two days: 4 June 2009.

Now, I would like to vote in this as I cannot stand to see home-grown idiots try and vote us out of the E.U. when the simple fact is their prejudices are based on either ignorance, bias, or xenophobia.

Anyway, I feel my vote is important and I want to vote. However, on reading up on a few websites this morning (I've seen absolutely minimal advertising about the elections until now, which is why it caught my attention) that you need to register your intention to vote - this is down to not voting from two or more countries, essentially voting more than once from different nations.

Now, normally this wouldn't be too much of a hassle, but I've just found out that the deadline was 19 May 2009 to register your intention and your local authority should've sent out some forms automatically to each address. I have received no such form.

Worried that someone in my family in their haste has simply dismissed the form and threw it, I checked with a friend and he recieved no such form either, which suggests that the council may not have sent these out.

I'm obviously not registered to vote on Thursday, but I want to. I'm half tempted to go down the civic centre and try my luck and demand to exercise my citizenship, but I'm also worried that this will fall on deaf ears.

Has anyone else seemingly fallen through the cracks?

Links:

http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/default.aspx
http://www.europarl.org.uk/section/european-elections/can-i-vote
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8040409.stm

Sho · 2 Jun 2009 at 11:08

Nope. Recieved letter and sorted. Voting on Thurs? Still making my mind up to vote or not. Atm, I dont give a flying monkey.

Fenris · 2 Jun 2009 at 11:09

I received my form early in May.

I set it on fire.

misterPK · 2 Jun 2009 at 11:09

I recieved a polling card a couple of weeks ago. I only glanced at it but it said nothing about having to register to vote. Or are you on about not being on the electoral roll?

PK!

Nix · 2 Jun 2009 at 11:12

misterPK said:
I recieved a polling card a couple of weeks ago. I only glanced at it but it said nothing about having to register to vote. Or are you on about not being on the electoral roll?

PK!

I'm on the electoral roll as I've voted twice before. Admitedly, if I went back now I would change who I voted for by that's by the bye. We all live and learn.

You need to seperately register for the MEP elections so that you do not vote again from within another member-state of the EU. Or at least, that's the explanation I read on their website.

I'll have a root around and see if any polling cards have been stashed anywhere, but I usually check through the mail everyday and I've seen nothing even resembling anything other then bills or circulars.

Cosimo · 2 Jun 2009 at 11:14

We’ve been registered to vote for as long as I can remember and received our polling cards weeks ago.

Sankari · 2 Jun 2009 at 11:14

I had a Labour leaflet through the door yesterday. It looked so much like a BNP leaflet (right down to the nationalistic jingoism) that I had to check twice to confirm the party. Perhaps they're trying to claw back a few fringe voters?

I showed it to my wife and we had a good laugh before binning it.

Glaucus · 2 Jun 2009 at 11:16

How could you miss this, it's been on the radio for months stating you may need to register and visit
http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/

The polling card you get could easily be thrown out with the junk mail. As well as the 101 leaflets from all the parties.

Are you not on the electrol roll if not why not? most people shouldn't even needed to register.

Nix · 2 Jun 2009 at 11:23

AcidHell2 said:
How could you miss this, it's been on the radio for months stating you may need to register and visit
http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/

I only listen to the radio when I'm running and nothing's been mentioned.

I don't know, it's something that would catch my attention immediately otherwise. I don't watch much television and nothing's come through the door. I'll have to check with the parents later, but if I'm right and nothing has come I'm going to call the local council number and explain the situation.

Chances are we've had something and someone threw it out! :/

The polling card you get could easily be thrown out with the junk mail. As well as the 101 leaflets from all the parties.

We've had leaflets come through. I've made a point of throwing out the UKIP and BNP ones; don't want that bile in my house.

Are you not on the electrol roll if not why not? most people shouldn't even needed to register.

As above.

Sankari · 2 Jun 2009 at 11:28

I must say, the Euro elections have been woefully advertised. You'd hardly know anything was on if not for the TV coverage. Even the party bumf through the door isn't always very clear; the Labour leaflet talked a lot about Britain, but hardly mentioned Europe. It could just as easily have been for a local by-election! :confused:

Bill101 · 2 Jun 2009 at 11:44

Evangelion said:
I must say, the Euro elections have been woefully advertised. You'd hardly know anything was on if not for the TV coverage. Even the party bumf through the door isn't always very clear; the Labour leaflet talked a lot about Britain, but hardly mentioned Europe. It could just as easily have been for a local by-election!

the Euro vote is not being held throughout the country, quite a few places are just having local elections.

Strife212 · 2 Jun 2009 at 11:46

Now, I would like to vote in this as I cannot stand to see home-grown idiots try and vote us out of the E.U. when the simple fact is their prejudices are based on either ignorance, bias, or xenophobia.

Or the simple fact it's an insane black hole for money?

Dark88 · 2 Jun 2009 at 11:47

If you try and turn up at the polling station you'll walk into an invisible wall

Von Smallhausen · 2 Jun 2009 at 11:49

Strife212 said:
Or the simple fact it's an insane black hole for money?

This.

Art · 2 Jun 2009 at 11:49

I got mine a few days ago, although I don't remember registering for it separately and I'm pretty sure I would have been too young to vote for it last time.

I agree they haven't been advertised well, in my neck of the woods anyway. I've had (fairly useless) leaflets from a couple of parties, but that's it. Most of the Euro-election leaflets I've had have totally skirted the issue of Europe and have just talked about local issues, which is pretty dumb considering. Unfortunately they all seem a bit useless, which makes choosing who to vote for a bit difficult.

Good luck with trying to get your vote sorted Nix, but at this short notice I don't know how much luck you'll have.

Nix · 2 Jun 2009 at 11:49

Strife212 said:
Or the simple fact it's an insane black hole for money?

What, and ID cards aren't? Funnily enough, when the state are abusing your liberties we can turn to the EU for help at the moment. The EU rarely abuses sovereignty, but it does when it really matters.

We need the EU whether you like it or not. The UK simply cannot go it alone in today's world economy.

That aside, I like the idea of a confederal Europe - it helps keep the peace. Most of the arguments against the EU stem from nationalistic origins and I've said it before, so I'll say it again: nationalism is a stupid, dying ideology. Good riddance to it.

Sankari · 2 Jun 2009 at 11:57

Bill101 said:
the Euro vote is not being held throughout the country, quite a few places are just having local elections.

How bizarre. I'll never understand how it works.

My view is that the average voter is so poorly informed about the Euro vote in general and the Euro Parliament in particular, that most will simply run with their usual ticket. There's just not enough explanation about how the Parliament relates to the UK and vice versa. Some parties will be frustrated by this; others will exploit it.

Von Smallhausen · 2 Jun 2009 at 12:01

Nix said:
What, and ID cards aren't? Funnily enough, when the state are abusing your liberties we can turn to the EU for help at the moment. The EU rarely abuses sovereignty, but it does when it really matters.

We need the EU whether you like it or not. The UK simply cannot go it alone in today's world economy.

That aside, I like the idea of a confederal Europe - it helps keep the peace. Most of the arguments against the EU stem from nationalistic origins and I've said it before, so I'll say it again: nationalism is a stupid, dying ideology. Good riddance to it.

A federal Europe is unworkable and not needed.

As for keeping the peace, the internal squabbling is rife now, let alone leaving a USE in charge of law and order, defence and foreign policy without catfights.

The EU stinks to high heaven when it comes to corruption, greed and the UK being told what it can and cannot do by an unaccountable elite.

Art · 2 Jun 2009 at 12:15

Von Smallhausen said:
The EU stinks to high heaven when it comes to corruption, greed and the UK being told what it can and cannot do by an unaccountable elite.

To be fair, that could very easily be said of UK Politicians too.

The EU can be useful at times but there needs to be a limit. The UK could do much better with the help of the EU but personally I'm not keen on the idea of a unified Europe or the Euro.

a1ex2001 · 2 Jun 2009 at 12:20

Nix said:
We need the EU whether you like it or not. The UK simply cannot go it alone in today's world economy.

Which is why we should leave the EU which the British public never voted to join, we voted to join the EEC there is a subtle difference you see. We could then have the same free trade agreement as Switzerland and Norway thus getting the benefits of free economic trade without the political carp that comes with it at the minute. The French and Germans have repeatedly offered this too us.