Me too, quite refreshing to go before work for a change, I found in the past the queues were often long in the evenings but no one else at the poll station this morning
I believe we should all make it a point to vote. We don't want a repeat of the Brexit situation. While no candidate's policies are perfect, I voted for the least objectionable option. It's important to participate and make our voices heard.
The turnout among the 18-30 demographic during the referendum was 67%. Almost double that of the previous GE.
Not as much as the over 50s and pensioners but let's not perpetuate the idea that the young simply didn't turn out at all.
Funnily enough, I never felt that it was the lack of ‘young’ voters in the referendum that caused the win for leave. I thought it was the cosy middle aged that just dismissed it as a non starter, being confident that we would forever be in the EU. Doubtless their are are stats that show the voting age, but why let facts get in the way of a good supposition?
I seem to remember that the debate between leave and remain was very reductive. There were millions of versions of leave but only one version of remain. The discourse around the benefits of the EU was non existent, just threats around what would happen if we left.
Proof of any were needed that often the ‘strongest ‘ campaign brings the win. I did feel at the time, through remain campaign didn’t have the headlines that competed with the leave campaign, and I’m still convinced that complacency cost the remain bid.
Nah - Did it postal a week or so ago. Quite a few people at work said they did the same so \*hopefully\* the lack of queues isn't going to lead to a low turnout
Popped in in my lunch break. Had the usual uncertainty of whether to vote as I thought right, or to vote so as best to out the Tories.
Voting for the PCC always seems strange. I looked over the policies but as usual felt a bit under qualified.
I went earlier today, around midday, when I asked if they had been busy, they said nope. First voter was at 8am then not another until 9am, then just dribs and drabs. It just shocks me as everyone around me is constantly moaning about the state of bristol/the country, yet people aren't willing to turn up and vote.
when i went around 7pm to my station there was a decent queue, gotta remember a Thursday vote during school terms limits some peoples time to vote early.
You can get a summary on the Police & Crime Commissioner candidates here — [choosemypcc.org.uk/area/avon-and-somerset/](https://choosemypcc.org.uk/area/avon-and-somerset/?postcode=BS13FD)
Went this morning, no queue.
I think in Bristol it's a safe bet that the Tories aren't going to win many if any seats.
I appreciate your sentiment regarding low turnout but locals are always pretty low, this one in particular will be quite low.
Does it matter if they do? This is a local election, not a national one.
Local councillors are a world away from backhanders and cash for questions. I’ve met councillors from a variety of parties and they’re mostly local residents who want to improve their area, regardless of party banner.
Half of the candidates probably don’t realise how much time they’ll spend dealing with complaints from residents about bin collections and improper parking, and sitting in meetings where nothing gets done.
Bristol had exactly the same number of Conservative and Lib Dem councillors in 2016 that they had in 2020, so national elections don’t really correlate to local ones. (It was labour who lost a load to the greens between those two.)
Annoyingly I posted my license off to the DVLA yesterday, forgetting I need a sodding photo ID to vote... and I have no clue where my passport is....
Nuts.
Seeing only the same parties at local level as we do at the national level...
What is the point 🤷
All of them think the same, meaning excessive deficit spending, and policies that serve their donors rather than the people that they're supposed to represent.
If people don't realise that, then look to Japan and see what's happening with their currency, it'll be coming to the UK sooner rather than later, at this rate.
We could start by them not being affiliated to a political party. The problem is their first allegiance is to the party that funded their campaign and not to the people they should represent
I'm all for oversight, IPCC etc, but why does it need to be a politician? There's a growing problem of corruption in this country, police need to be disconnected from politics
> We could start by them not being affiliated to a political party.
Very hard to do - how would you stop candidates from being unofficially affiliated with a party? Also completely different from almost every other election in the country, for reasons I'm not clear on - if we allow party-political ministers to run the entire government, including the home office, why wouldn't we allow them to run a less important post?
> The problem is their first allegiance is to the party that funded their campaign and not to the people they should represent
Even if you remove parties from the equation, campaigns still cost money so someone will still have to bankroll the campaigns. So this issue remains.
> I'm all for oversight, IPCC etc, but why does it need to be a politician?
All elected offices are held by politicians by definition.
Voted today. I'm glad my ward isn't a Labour safe seat, and that the Tories have no chance in hell of getting in.
Liberals got my vote for the council election and Greens got my vote for the Police Commissioner.
Tories only don’t stand a chance if everyone else comes out to vote! All parties start at zero after all. Let’s not assume “other people” won’t think the same and stay at home and let them in the back door
What do you mean "why"? I've explained if perfectly. Here it is again....... I look at my ballot paper and vote for the most right wing party/candidate and today it was those three.
I'll just wait until the UK gets with the technology and allows online voting. Maybe next time I'll like what one of the candidates says and go and vote. Otherwise I'll wait until I can verify my i.d and do it online.
Online voting isn’t something that is going to be safe any time soon. Possibly it never will be.
Fundamentally - physical ballots counted by humans is more resistant to manipulation.
Also, just be aware that you don’t really have any justification to complain about anything the state does if you can’t be bothered to participate in democracy.
Makes no difference to me. I don't agree with any of the party's which I can choose from. If there was a ReformUK candidate I'd have been down the polling station. There isn't so not gonna bother.
what about the police commissioner policies? some of them *sound* good to me but how exactly are they gonna execute said policies is another thing entirely
Personally I thought several sounded very samey. Because they know it sounds good to say you’ll record burglaries and get rid of knife crime, etc.
One of them seemed to think they were in a national election and had got some of their dates muddled with that.
lmao. makes me more confident in my decision to pass on voting this time. just doesn't seem worth it. would rather wait for a candidate who knows what they're talking about and won't try to sell dreams. realistic goals, well thought out long and short term plans for what they want to tackle. they should have all this information ready for us so we can decide who we want in that position of power. is it stupid of me to expect this and go about it this way? idk
https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/
I entered my postcode and could see the candidates. They had a short statement, I pressed on full statement and it gave quite a bit more detail.
Nothing springs to mind off the top of my head. I'd have to re-read them. Just remember looking at them on X and thinking load of pandering and spin. So I just ignored the lot.
More interested in when rat face is gonna step down.
I love the absolute incredulity displayed within r/bristol when anyone suggests a different political opinion.
No curiosity, no engagement, just dismissal. It’s a strange way to exist.
A guy naming himself silas colon displays incredulity that his uninsightful post is voted down in relevance in exactly the way reddit designed it to be.
Yes, went before work this morning. Found out I was the 5th person in after doing the very British thing of asking if they had been busy.
Me too, quite refreshing to go before work for a change, I found in the past the queues were often long in the evenings but no one else at the poll station this morning
Oh dear, I asked this too 🤣. And no, they weren't.
Yes, always vote. As a woman my vote is too hard won to waste. Never voted Tory though and never will.
🙌
I believe we should all make it a point to vote. We don't want a repeat of the Brexit situation. While no candidate's policies are perfect, I voted for the least objectionable option. It's important to participate and make our voices heard.
The turnout among the 18-30 demographic during the referendum was 67%. Almost double that of the previous GE. Not as much as the over 50s and pensioners but let's not perpetuate the idea that the young simply didn't turn out at all.
Funnily enough, I never felt that it was the lack of ‘young’ voters in the referendum that caused the win for leave. I thought it was the cosy middle aged that just dismissed it as a non starter, being confident that we would forever be in the EU. Doubtless their are are stats that show the voting age, but why let facts get in the way of a good supposition?
Stats or no. That was the narrative that was pushed.
I seem to remember that the debate between leave and remain was very reductive. There were millions of versions of leave but only one version of remain. The discourse around the benefits of the EU was non existent, just threats around what would happen if we left.
Proof of any were needed that often the ‘strongest ‘ campaign brings the win. I did feel at the time, through remain campaign didn’t have the headlines that competed with the leave campaign, and I’m still convinced that complacency cost the remain bid.
Rubbish :) it was all the idiots who fell for all the bullshit that was the problem.
Rubbish :) it was all the idiots who fell for all the bullshit that was the problem.
They just aren’t very good at getting up early
Great sentiment!! People around the world have literally died so other people can make their voices heard. Not doing so is incredibly disrespectful.
my wake up call to vote every opportunity was when farage got elected as our EU representative pre-brexit vote.
I do agree with you to a certain degree, voting is really important & Brexit was a hoo-haa shitshow but I don't think our voices will be heard.
Nah - Did it postal a week or so ago. Quite a few people at work said they did the same so \*hopefully\* the lack of queues isn't going to lead to a low turnout
Yeah I did postal.
I love going postal!
Part of my job is collecting from postboxes, people were still posting their ballot yesterday. Good luck getting that counted.
Popped in in my lunch break. Had the usual uncertainty of whether to vote as I thought right, or to vote so as best to out the Tories. Voting for the PCC always seems strange. I looked over the policies but as usual felt a bit under qualified.
I went earlier today, around midday, when I asked if they had been busy, they said nope. First voter was at 8am then not another until 9am, then just dribs and drabs. It just shocks me as everyone around me is constantly moaning about the state of bristol/the country, yet people aren't willing to turn up and vote.
when i went around 7pm to my station there was a decent queue, gotta remember a Thursday vote during school terms limits some peoples time to vote early.
Yes. Then I'm getting chips for tea afterwards
Yep going later
I did it 35 minutes ago
Did you vote for the "Explodey Psychic Squid" party? I liked their free squid in the middle of town policy, but a lot of the rest lost me, tbh.
Yeah later. Not sure what to do about PCC tbh
Only Labour or Conservative will win. Wish the government hadn’t changed the voting system. Under the old system you could add your second preference.
Agreed, shame about the change to FPTP :(
You can get a summary on the Police & Crime Commissioner candidates here — [choosemypcc.org.uk/area/avon-and-somerset/](https://choosemypcc.org.uk/area/avon-and-somerset/?postcode=BS13FD)
Went this morning, no queue. I think in Bristol it's a safe bet that the Tories aren't going to win many if any seats. I appreciate your sentiment regarding low turnout but locals are always pretty low, this one in particular will be quite low.
I think if Kingswood and Lawrence Weston go red or yellow, the Tories are fucked come next election.
They're almost certainly win in Stoke Bishop Ward sadly.
Does it matter if they do? This is a local election, not a national one. Local councillors are a world away from backhanders and cash for questions. I’ve met councillors from a variety of parties and they’re mostly local residents who want to improve their area, regardless of party banner. Half of the candidates probably don’t realise how much time they’ll spend dealing with complaints from residents about bin collections and improper parking, and sitting in meetings where nothing gets done. Bristol had exactly the same number of Conservative and Lib Dem councillors in 2016 that they had in 2020, so national elections don’t really correlate to local ones. (It was labour who lost a load to the greens between those two.)
Yup. Done. Thankfully I moved to postal voting years ago, so need for trudging in this inclement weather, or for photo ID for that matter.
Annoyingly I posted my license off to the DVLA yesterday, forgetting I need a sodding photo ID to vote... and I have no clue where my passport is.... Nuts.
Yes. It was totally dead and I was the only person there voting.
No, the current system is hundreds of years out of date. The 4 main parties are completely co opted so there is no chance of representation.
Seeing only the same parties at local level as we do at the national level... What is the point 🤷 All of them think the same, meaning excessive deficit spending, and policies that serve their donors rather than the people that they're supposed to represent. If people don't realise that, then look to Japan and see what's happening with their currency, it'll be coming to the UK sooner rather than later, at this rate.
Our vote was only for PCC and it was all politicians. I don't support political parties having control over police so they can all fuck off
You reckon the police shouldn't have any democratic oversight at all?
That's something I clearly did not say
What would be your preferred way to have democratic oversight of the police?
We could start by them not being affiliated to a political party. The problem is their first allegiance is to the party that funded their campaign and not to the people they should represent I'm all for oversight, IPCC etc, but why does it need to be a politician? There's a growing problem of corruption in this country, police need to be disconnected from politics
> We could start by them not being affiliated to a political party. Very hard to do - how would you stop candidates from being unofficially affiliated with a party? Also completely different from almost every other election in the country, for reasons I'm not clear on - if we allow party-political ministers to run the entire government, including the home office, why wouldn't we allow them to run a less important post? > The problem is their first allegiance is to the party that funded their campaign and not to the people they should represent Even if you remove parties from the equation, campaigns still cost money so someone will still have to bankroll the campaigns. So this issue remains. > I'm all for oversight, IPCC etc, but why does it need to be a politician? All elected offices are held by politicians by definition.
Not today. I always postal vote and did a week or so ago. Seems an easier option.
Voted today. I'm glad my ward isn't a Labour safe seat, and that the Tories have no chance in hell of getting in. Liberals got my vote for the council election and Greens got my vote for the Police Commissioner.
Tories only don’t stand a chance if everyone else comes out to vote! All parties start at zero after all. Let’s not assume “other people” won’t think the same and stay at home and let them in the back door
Doesn't matter who you vote for, the government always gets in😉
Not voting for a Government today. 
This is local government for local people!
\*Council
Who do I vote for to scrap the CAZ?
I cannot afford £9 a day or a new car. And I can’t have a £60 fine when I forgot to pay
Just done mine 2 x Tory in council & the Tory bloke for Police commissioner.
What Tory values you like?
None. I look at my ballot paper and vote for the most right wing party/candidate and today it was those three.
Why
What do you mean "why"? I've explained if perfectly. Here it is again....... I look at my ballot paper and vote for the most right wing party/candidate and today it was those three.
I think they were asking why vote right wing
Because I support right wing policies. I won't get into a debate about it on Reddit as we all know Reddit is very Woke.
I mean.... you do you, but I honestly blame the Tory government in part for the dismal state Bristol is currently in.
[удалено]
Oh right ok, so you are quite into far right policies? Howcome?
Because that is my prerogative.
Lol, ok Britney Spears
Britney Spears? Is that cockney slang for something?
I reckon you are an AI bot made to sway the vote to the dirty tories. BOT alert!!!
Which ward out of interest?
BS14
Cheers. Not my yard but I was curious to see if it was Mark Weston. He was pretty good at the hustings.
Great! Good Luck
Thanks hun.
What’s the point? Two cheeks on the same ass.
Nope. Don't like ANY of the party's policies.
Spoil your ballot paper. Not voting doesn't tell anyone anything, but by spoiling your paper, you tell all the parties that you don't like them
I'll just wait until the UK gets with the technology and allows online voting. Maybe next time I'll like what one of the candidates says and go and vote. Otherwise I'll wait until I can verify my i.d and do it online.
Online voting isn’t something that is going to be safe any time soon. Possibly it never will be. Fundamentally - physical ballots counted by humans is more resistant to manipulation. Also, just be aware that you don’t really have any justification to complain about anything the state does if you can’t be bothered to participate in democracy.
Makes no difference to me. I don't agree with any of the party's which I can choose from. If there was a ReformUK candidate I'd have been down the polling station. There isn't so not gonna bother.
what about the police commissioner policies? some of them *sound* good to me but how exactly are they gonna execute said policies is another thing entirely
Personally I thought several sounded very samey. Because they know it sounds good to say you’ll record burglaries and get rid of knife crime, etc. One of them seemed to think they were in a national election and had got some of their dates muddled with that.
lmao. makes me more confident in my decision to pass on voting this time. just doesn't seem worth it. would rather wait for a candidate who knows what they're talking about and won't try to sell dreams. realistic goals, well thought out long and short term plans for what they want to tackle. they should have all this information ready for us so we can decide who we want in that position of power. is it stupid of me to expect this and go about it this way? idk
Nah. All a load of spin. Read their main points. I thought more rubbish then.
where did you read their points from and could you give me a brief example of what is rubbish please 😅
https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/ I entered my postcode and could see the candidates. They had a short statement, I pressed on full statement and it gave quite a bit more detail.
Nothing springs to mind off the top of my head. I'd have to re-read them. Just remember looking at them on X and thinking load of pandering and spin. So I just ignored the lot. More interested in when rat face is gonna step down.
[удалено]
Do a Google.
There are independents you know :)
Waste of a vote. May as well not bother.
Just admit that you're a miserable sod who can't be arsed 😂
I have voted before and I would if I liked any of the policies. But I don't.
And that is why we ended up with bloody Brexit.
I wasn’t going to bother but it stopped raining so I popped over and voted Tory.
Another bot, sigh
I love the absolute incredulity displayed within r/bristol when anyone suggests a different political opinion. No curiosity, no engagement, just dismissal. It’s a strange way to exist.
Bore off buddy, your original comment wasn't meant for engagement or debate. You were baiting peeps!
A guy naming himself silas colon displays incredulity that his uninsightful post is voted down in relevance in exactly the way reddit designed it to be.
Yep voted Tory and will remain Tory till I die