Voting begins in LCRCA Mayoral election and Claughton byelection (polls close at 10 pm)

Voting begins in LCRCA Mayoral election and Claughton byelection (polls close at 10 pm)

Voting begins in LCRCA Mayoral election and Claughton byelection (polls close at 10 pm)

Holy Cross primary school Bidston polling station Bidston St James 4th May 2017 resized
Holy Cross primary school Bidston polling station Bidston St James 4th May 2017 resized

Today is polling day (polling stations are open between 7am and 10pm) in Bidston, Birkenhead.

Here in Bidston people receive two votes in the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Mayoral election.

Above is a photo of my local polling station. When I took it I was filming into the sunshine (which is not considered good practice), but it wasn’t until I viewed it I realised what the photo meant. The thumbnail is above or you can click on it for a better resolution photo.

The no stopping sign outside is an excellent summary of Wirral Council’s bossy attitude. The spikes on the gates represent Wirral Council’s bunker mentality.

The sign (up for one day only) represents a small nod towards democracy and the public having a say. Yes the public that Wirral Council are there to serve.

Secrecy is of course something Wirral Council enjoys as that way nobody can dare criticise how they decided something!

Perhaps I am reading too much into one photo I took.

Inside the polling station was a queue of people waiting to vote. However it wasn’t very busy and the Presiding Officer seemed keen to see us leave.

So polling day, the beginning, a new dawn, a new day. The end of something and the start of a new beginning.

Results of both elections are expected tomorrow.

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What was the 2016 EU Referendum result on the Wirral and the UK?

What was the 2016 EU Referendum result on the Wirral and the UK?

                            

front of polling card EU Referendum 2016
front of polling card EU Referendum 2016

The 2016 EU Referendum result on Wirral was as follows:

Remain 88,931 (51.6%)
Leave 83,069 (48.4%)

137 ballot papers were rejected.

Total votes cast 172,137 (turnout 70.96%).

However nationally the result was different:

Leave 17,410,742
Remain 16,141,241

25,359 ballot papers were rejected.

Total votes cast 33,577,342. You can find a more detailed breakdown of the EU Referendum result on the Electoral Commission’s website.

However there were a number of things that happened during the EU Referendum campaign that could trigger a legal challenge to the result.

I outline below an email I sent yesterday to the Returning Officer Eric Robinson here on Wirral about a UKIP poster telling me to vote Leave propped up on the wall of my local polling station.

He sent me a very quick and polite reply back!



Dear Eric Robinson,

I went to vote today this morning at my polling station at

Holy Cross Catholic Primary School
Gautby Road
Bidston
Wirral
CH41 7DU

which is a polling station for polling district AC in the Bidston and St. James ward.

When I left the polling station, I saw outside a few yards from the entrance to the polling station (still in the grounds of the school being used as a polling station) against a wall a large UKIP poster on corrugated plastic suggesting I vote leave.

Obviously it didn’t influence me as I have already voted, but I immediately brought it to the attention of one of your election staff who was in the corridor outside the room used for voting.

She immediately came with me and removed the UKIP poster which shouldn’t have been there and commented that "they keep sneaking in".

It was in a position that people had to pass to get in to the polling station, however I will point out it wasn’t there when I entered the polling station.

Please could you regard this as a recorded compliment to that member of staff for the efficient and effective way that they dealt with my query and removal of the poster.

I would also be keen to know if you in your capacity as Returning Officer will be writing to UKIP (and/or referring this matter to the police) reminding them that leaving posters outside polling station entrances propped up against walls suggesting which way people vote is not allowed!

Thank you,


John Brace


3/10/2016 UKIP have been in touch to state that they wouldn’t sanction what happened at the polling station detailed above.

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