May 6, 2010 UK General Election 2010

general election 2010

05:30 My alarm goes off. The big day has arrived. Today in Stevenage we will be voting for a member of parliament and local councillors. I stumble around my flat, half asleep, hoping I will wake up soon.

I’m starting the day ‘telling’ at Fry Road. I need to be there for opening at 7:00. Telling involves sitting outside of a polling station asking for voters’ polling card number.

06:30 I leave home. It’s bright and crisp and way too early. I walk to the polling station, there are no other tellers around when I arrive. The Labour teller turns up. We shake hands and introduce ourselves. Howard is a Labour councillor for the ward although not running this year.

The polling officer brings us a cup off coffee, which was nice of her. She didn’t have to. Early morning voters turn up on their way to work. Everyone seems happy to be voting. There is a kind of holiday atmosphere.

Howard gets out the Guardian crossword. I’m no good with crosswords but get a couple. We are mostly stuck. The two hours pass quickly, chatting to Howard about music and football in Stevenage. These both come under his brief.

09:30 I arrive at my parents place for breakfast. They live near Fry Road so this saves me from going home. I talk politics with my Dad, then have nap. Later, my Mum comes in for lunch.

13:00 I am back at Fry Road for two hours. There is no Labour teller this time. Are they very confident or overworked? I catch the end of the lunch time rush, then it goes quiet.

Rules regarding political activity near polling stations are strict. You can’t attempt to influence a voter or even ask for a card number as they go into the station. You have to wait until they come out. You can’t ask people how they voted, just their polling card number. They’re under no obligation to answer. You can only ask once.

The problem is that on the way out of the polling station voters no longer have their polling card with them. Few people remember their number. So you ask for the first line of their address instead.

15:30 I arrive home. I voted by post a few days earlier so I do not have to vote today.

In the weeks before the election we canvassed homes looking for potential supporters. With the information gathered from telling we can tell if our potential voters turned out.

On polling day, if things are looking close, we drop in on non-voters to remind them to vote, offer lifts to the polling stations etc. This is called ‘knocking up’.

I’m on stand-by for ‘knocking up’. I play World of Warcraft with the TV on in the background. It looks like it’s going to be a big turn out.

20:00 I have not been called up to do any ‘knocking up’. It is unlikely I will be now as the polls shut at 22:00. Either the vote isn’t close or they have forgotten I exist.

I’m due to be monitoring the count at Stevenage Leisure Centre as an ‘Official Counting Agent’ tonight. I’ve been advised to get there sometime after midnight, “Not much happens before then”.

22:00 I’m off out to the count via the Red Lion. I need a break from all this grown up, sensible, respectable behaviour, so I go watch some live music. Thrash metal – not really my thing, but it breaks up the day.

00:30 I’m on my way to the count. My first ever count, I’m quite excited even though there is little chance of a LibDem win in Stevenage.

Continued tomorrow with the the general election count.

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