Voters, tellers and party workers.
Assorted interviews from the day of the vote itself.
As described by the depositor:
The voter: On the day of the count we accompanied one voter Alison Litherland, from her home to the polling booth at St Matthew’s Church - a walk that lasted 7 and a half minutes.
Alison said: “I am not a member of any political party. I have watched some of the national debates and I have been to some of the Hustings and I have also had lots of leaflets through the door, most of which I have not really read. I do know the policies of all the main parties and I generally vote for the party whose policies I agree with. I have thought about tactical voting, but that way madness lies.
“There are more posters and leaflets than I have seen before, the parties have been very active. There is a lot of concern around here about social justice and a lot of scepticism about the Conservative government’s claim to have to reduce the national debt.
“I have never told the Party Tellers who stand outside the polling booth in the Church hall how I am going to vote, I give them my number and that is it. They do it to knock up people who they have canvassed and who have said they will vote for them.”
The Tellers St Matthew’s: One Teller at St Matthew’s Church Hall told us: “We are taking people’s polling card numbers; we record them so we don’t “knock them up” later in the day so we know if those people have voted.”
Another Teller said: “It is all confidential,” while a third Teller commented: “We are given a full official briefing and told what the regulations are even to how big our rosettes are. We are not allowed to go into the polling station or campaign and give leaflets out or talk to people or each other about a politics.”
The Party Workers: We visited the Labour campaign hub in Alex Wood Hall in Norfolk Street, twice on the day of the vote. In the morning party workers spoke to us as they were getting polling returns and tallying these against their potential voters. Labour activist Ken, narrated the scene in front of him.
Ken told us: “We have previously been round finding out who will vote Labour and we have used that information to create a list. We call it our “knock up” list and as people pass the polling station, we collect the polling card number from their card and collate this in order that we don’t then go and knock up the voters who have voted. If anyone is left on the list we then go and remind them that it is polling day, normally at mid-day or after traditional work hours around 5pm in the evening.
“We can drive them to the poll if they are disabled or have a disability but most of it is about reminding them it is Election Day. We are representing Petersfield ward today, where the office is based, but there will be similar offices in people’s homes in the wards they represent so that we are in striking distance of the voters.”
Poster voter activist: In the morning we spoke to one voter Phil, who had driven to the Labour HQ to get some Vote Labour boards that had been taken down in his street Pretoria Road, leaving only Vote LD posters standing.
Phil said: “Someone stole all the vote Labour posters in my street in Pretoria Road, Cambridge, so I have come to the Labour HQ to get some more and replace them. I am a supporter of the Labour party but not a member. They left all the LD ones, I thought people shouldn’t steal these things so I came and got some more. I have voted already. It is a bit terrible really, it feels underhand to me. ”
An elderly voter: Brian Butler, 84, in Abbey Ward, walked with us to his polling booth with his wife.
Brian told us: ”Three months before the election you get a card through your door to fill in and if you are on the list you don’t fill it in and if you aren’t you fill it in and get given a number. A fortnight before Election Day you get given a polling card and told where to vote and get given a number. I am 84 and I have voted in every election since I came out of the Forces. I vote for the person I think will do something for Cambridge, irrespective of what party they are. My wife and I are number 44 and 46!”
The Tellers Abbey Ward: Martin a Liberal Democrat Teller at Abbey Ward Polling Booth told us: “We are ticking our supporters off so we know if they have voted”.
“Mostly people are happy to give us their numbers but if not we don’t ask for them. I think it is a really important means of ensuring we get our people out to vote.” Martin is also a “Knocker Upper”, he said: “Mostly because people have already said they will support us they are generally happy to see us and they ask us if we are going to win. We would send a car if they wanted a lift but we don’t walk them to the polls.” He thought the present system of voting served us well: “This is a very secure way of voting rather than online, but if it went online you wouldn’t have Tellers. To me it doesn’t make any sense to hold an Election on a working day, I would have it over two days and at least one of them a weekend day. With online voting it is hard to secure, this is a low tech process but it works.”
Another Abbey Ward Teller of 20 years Martin a Labour supporter said: “People use their body language if they don’t want to give a number”.
“We were told at about 10 am that 20 per cent had voted already which sounds a good turn out.” Julia Ball another Teller said: “I have been a Teller for about the last ten years for the Labour Party, it is quite useful.”
As described by the depositor:
The voter: On the day of the count we accompanied one voter Alison Litherland, from her home to the polling booth at St Matthew’s Church - a walk that lasted 7 and a half minutes.
Alison said: “I am not a member of any political party. I have watched some of the national debates and I have been to some of the Hustings and I have also had lots of leaflets through the door, most of which I have not really read. I do know the policies of all the main parties and I generally vote for the party whose policies I agree with. I have thought about tactical voting, but that way madness lies.
“There are more posters and leaflets than I have seen before, the parties have been very active. There is a lot of concern around here about social justice and a lot of scepticism about the Conservative government’s claim to have to reduce the national debt.
“I have never told the Party Tellers who stand outside the polling booth in the Church hall how I am going to vote, I give them my number and that is it. They do it to knock up people who they have canvassed and who have said they will vote for them.”
The Tellers St Matthew’s: One Teller at St Matthew’s Church Hall told us: “We are taking people’s polling card numbers; we record them so we don’t “knock them up” later in the day so we know if those people have voted.”
Another Teller said: “It is all confidential,” while a third Teller commented: “We are given a full official briefing and told what the regulations are even to how big our rosettes are. We are not allowed to go into the polling station or campaign and give leaflets out or talk to people or each other about a politics.”
The Party Workers: We visited the Labour campaign hub in Alex Wood Hall in Norfolk Street, twice on the day of the vote. In the morning party workers spoke to us as they were getting polling returns and tallying these against their potential voters. Labour activist Ken, narrated the scene in front of him.
Ken told us: “We have previously been round finding out who will vote Labour and we have used that information to create a list. We call it our “knock up” list and as people pass the polling station, we collect the polling card number from their card and collate this in order that we don’t then go and knock up the voters who have voted. If anyone is left on the list we then go and remind them that it is polling day, normally at mid-day or after traditional work hours around 5pm in the evening.
“We can drive them to the poll if they are disabled or have a disability but most of it is about reminding them it is Election Day. We are representing Petersfield ward today, where the office is based, but there will be similar offices in people’s homes in the wards they represent so that we are in striking distance of the voters.”
Poster voter activist: In the morning we spoke to one voter Phil, who had driven to the Labour HQ to get some Vote Labour boards that had been taken down in his street Pretoria Road, leaving only Vote LD posters standing.
Phil said: “Someone stole all the vote Labour posters in my street in Pretoria Road, Cambridge, so I have come to the Labour HQ to get some more and replace them. I am a supporter of the Labour party but not a member. They left all the LD ones, I thought people shouldn’t steal these things so I came and got some more. I have voted already. It is a bit terrible really, it feels underhand to me. ”
An elderly voter: Brian Butler, 84, in Abbey Ward, walked with us to his polling booth with his wife.
Brian told us: ”Three months before the election you get a card through your door to fill in and if you are on the list you don’t fill it in and if you aren’t you fill it in and get given a number. A fortnight before Election Day you get given a polling card and told where to vote and get given a number. I am 84 and I have voted in every election since I came out of the Forces. I vote for the person I think will do something for Cambridge, irrespective of what party they are. My wife and I are number 44 and 46!”
The Tellers Abbey Ward: Martin a Liberal Democrat Teller at Abbey Ward Polling Booth told us: “We are ticking our supporters off so we know if they have voted”.
“Mostly people are happy to give us their numbers but if not we don’t ask for them. I think it is a really important means of ensuring we get our people out to vote.” Martin is also a “Knocker Upper”, he said: “Mostly because people have already said they will support us they are generally happy to see us and they ask us if we are going to win. We would send a car if they wanted a lift but we don’t walk them to the polls.” He thought the present system of voting served us well: “This is a very secure way of voting rather than online, but if it went online you wouldn’t have Tellers. To me it doesn’t make any sense to hold an Election on a working day, I would have it over two days and at least one of them a weekend day. With online voting it is hard to secure, this is a low tech process but it works.”
Another Abbey Ward Teller of 20 years Martin a Labour supporter said: “People use their body language if they don’t want to give a number”.
“We were told at about 10 am that 20 per cent had voted already which sounds a good turn out.” Julia Ball another Teller said: “I have been a Teller for about the last ten years for the Labour Party, it is quite useful.”