No Canvassing Day....

MysticalSoul

.... is supposed to be today, due to it being election day. I walked to the DART station this morning, and to my shock, Fianna Fail were canvassing there :eek:. Talk about desperation

squonk

MysticalSoul wrote: »

.... is supposed to be today, due to it being election day. I walked to the DART station this morning, and to my shock, Fianna Fail were canvassing there :eek:. Talk about desperation

Ah don't worry! Nobody could blame you for not knowing that the reules are only there for other parties, not them

Septico

Fine Gael were at it near my house too..

Who enforces this and what are the penalties?

Orion

The rules only state that you cannot canvass in the vicinity of a polling station. Anywhere else is allowed.

Riskymove

Macros42 wrote: »

The rules only state that you cannot canvass in the vicinity of a polling station. Anywhere else is allowed.

+1

hopefully you are now less shocked OP:pac:

solice

I have not been canvassed by anyone for this election. Im a little upset!

That_Guy

enda roche wrote: »

enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAtzH-PNnQc

That's brilliant. Thanks for posting.

Liam Byrne

There's a guy running in my area who drove to the polling station today in a car that had "VOTE XXXXXXX XXXXX" and his photo on the side of the car.

It was parked outside the polling station for 15 mins or so.

Does that constitute a breach of the rules ?

nkay1985

Liam Byrne wrote: »

There's a guy running in my area who drove to the polling station today in a car that had "VOTE XXXXXXX XXXXX" and his photo on the side of the car.

It was parked outside the polling station for 15 mins or so.

Does that constitute a breach of the rules ?

Yeah I think it does because it's effectively a poster and they're not allowed within a certain radius of the polling station, to the best of my knowledge. I'd say phone your local environmental services or something. They should be able to tell you who to report them too.

sceptre

nkay1985 wrote: »

Yeah I think it does because it's effectively a poster and they're not allowed within a certain radius of the polling station, to the best of my knowledge.

They're not allowed within 50 metres of any of the entrances to the grounds where the polling station is. It applies to everything, including loitering:)

gerkeo

Are candidates allowed put up posters in housing estates? i was driving out of my estate this morning and a few had magically grown on poles overnight.

solice

Yes, the only thing they cant do is be within 50m of the the entrance to the polling station.

Liam Byrne

nkay1985 wrote: »

Yeah I think it does because it's effectively a poster and they're not allowed within a certain radius of the polling station, to the best of my knowledge. I'd say phone your local environmental services or something. They should be able to tell you who to report them too.

That's what I thought, but I don't want to be TOO anal about it. I mean, if he has his car painted and needs to drive to the polling station, that could be "acceptable".

But if he thought of it as a sneaky way to advertise, then he deserves a rap on the knuckles.

What would you guys do ?

F-Stop

Macros42 wrote: »

The rules only state that you cannot canvass in the vicinity of a polling station. Anywhere else is allowed.

I hadn't realised that. I was surprised to see an FF leaflet on the door mat when I got home, especially when they came around and handed one to me on Tuesday I told them it was going in the recycling bin.

MysticalSoul

sceptre wrote: »

They're not allowed within 50 metres of any of the entrances to the grounds where the polling station is. It applies to everything, including loitering:)

I got a lift in that type of car in the general elections 2 years ago, but in all fairness, they parked across the road and down a bit, so as not to be directly in front of said polling station.

Searlait

So, a certain Independant running in Dun Laoghaire, with awful hair, (no names mentioned!!), with his two giant placards, about 50 feet from the polling station is ever so slightly in the wrong then!?

nkay1985

sceptre wrote: »

They're not allowed within 50 metres of any of the entrances to the grounds where the polling station is. It applies to everything, including loitering:)

That sounds about right

I think Alexander Stafford's driver was being a bit sneaky. The polling station where a good number of people in Waterford City vote is by a set of traffic lights where the red light lasts a long time. And, sure enough, here was a jeep with Alexander Stafford plastered all over it stopped in the traffic! Obviously he's not technically doing anything wrong but I'd say he was just driving past polling stations all over the city.

Liam Byrne wrote: »

That's what I thought, but I don't want to be TOO anal about it. I mean, if he has his car painted and needs to drive to the polling station, that could be "acceptable".

But if he thought of it as a sneaky way to advertise, then he deserves a rap on the knuckles.

What would you guys do ?

Yeah I can see your point but I think it's bad form from someone who should know better. I'd personally say something.

SeanW

At my local polling station (a school) there were loads of posters at the edge of the school grounds and one of the candidates had parked his "Vote Me" cars in the parking area.

nkay1985

SeanW wrote: »

At my local polling station (a school) there were loads of posters at the edge of the school grounds and one of the candidates had parked his "Vote Me" cars in the parking area.

I'd have been taking a picture of that and forwarding it to the relevant people.

ven0m

or how about a Green party candidate in a Diesel VW Transporter van driving back & forth in said van carrying details of his candidacy right in front of a polling station?

Or Fine Gael candidates who were told to remove a HUGE set of posters that were inside the 50m exclusion zone at a polling station near me who tried being sneaky & erecting it at 8am this morning, an hour after polling started only to be asked by monitors at said polling station to remove it.

Apparently this polling station has already said it will be lodging several complaints relating to candidates operating near it today.

Anyone else seen this kinda malarky going on?

I thought the only thing they weren't do was broadcast on polling day, ie. use radio or TV to 'get to the people'.

nkay1985

Deleted User wrote: »

I thought the only thing they weren't do was broadcast on polling day, ie. use radio or TV to 'get to the people'.

That and publicise within 50m of the polling stations.

Tazzle

I went to vote today at 5:15pm and was greeted by a FINE GAEL VOTE FOR COLM BURKE (fully kitted out with picture and party colours) car parked in the car park of the polling station, just a few meters from the entrance to the polling station.

I approached the driver and asked if he was allowed park this car so close to the entrance of a polling station. He said he was just droppnig somebody off and would not move on.

When I entered the polling station I could not see any Guard so approached one of the polling officers inside and requested if a party or individual were allowed canvas so close to the polling station.

Colm Burke appears from nowhere and apolgises, says he was just dropping in and would have the car moved immediately. Fine, that's grand. I feel like he knew full well what he was doing, but fair enough he's gone to get it moved.

So I went ahead and did my bit by voting, as I return outside I can see the car has indeed been moved, not very far mind. Just outside the car park. Fine, grand I'll leave him off.

As I'm leaving the ground Colm Burke's own personal driver feels fit to come over and aggressively confront me about the issue as I'm leaving the polling station's car park.

I called him on this, requested his name as I was going to formally complain about being confronted, and the fact they were canvasing by the polling station. He would not give me his name, only saying he was a guard for 25 years.

I find this behaviour completely unacceptable, especially coming from the driver of an MEP at a polling station on polling day. Is this not intimidation?

upmeath

solice wrote: »

Yes, the only thing they cant do is be within 50m of the the entrance to the polling station.

The day of the 2007 GE two candidates, one FF and one FG, were in the polling station at the same time I was there. These people have votes too, and they're entitled to enter the polling station to cast them. It doesn't phase me personally, and I think anyone who takes issue with it is being pretty nitpicky. To think that a candidate's presence in the polling station would influence my vote doesn't make me out to be a very strong-minded or decided individual. If they were standing outside the door of the polling station with a megaphone, handing out flyers and fivers, well that would be a different matter. Then I'd take issue with it.
As for the car issue, well it's fair to assume the candidate has to drive to cast his/her vote. Even if there are 2 or 3 cars in the candidate's household they've probably all been plastered with stickers for the last 6 weeks or more, and there's no alternative. Again, do you gaze out the window at cars parked outside as you run down through the candidates on your ballot? If it doesn't undermine your concentration and privacy in the booth I don't see what the problem is.
Housing estates, of course they're allowed put up posters there. Do you see the people who live on town streets and country roads getting out and tearing down posters off lampposts? Housing estates aren't enclaves. :rolleyes:

nkay1985

Tazzle wrote: »

I went to vote today at 5:15pm and was greeted by a FINE GAEL VOTE FOR COLM BURKE (fully kitted out with picture and party colours) car parked in the car park of the polling station, just a few meters from the entrance to the polling station.

I approached the driver and asked if he was allowed park this car so close to the entrance of a polling station. He said he was just droppnig somebody off and would not move on.

When I entered the polling station I could not see any Guard so approached one of the polling officers inside and requested if a party or individual were allowed canvas so close to the polling station.

Colm Burke appears from nowhere and apolgises, says he was just dropping in and would have the car moved immediately. Fine, that's grand. I feel like he knew full well what he was doing, but fair enough he's gone to get it moved.

So I went ahead and did my bit by voting, as I return outside I can see the car has indeed been moved, not very far mind. Just outside the car park. Fine, grand I'll leave him off.

As I'm leaving the ground Colm Burke's own personal driver feels fit to come over and aggressively confront me about the issue as I'm leaving the polling station's car park.

I called him on this, requested his name as I was going to formally complain about being confronted, and the fact they were canvasing by the polling station. He would not give me his name, only saying he was a guard for 25 years.

I find this behaviour completely unacceptable, especially coming from the driver of an MEP at a polling station on polling day. Is this not intimidation?

It's absolutely intimidation. I'd have asked to see Colm Burke again after that incident and demanded he tell me the person's name, or saving that I'd have gone and looked for the guard that has to be somewhere at the polling station and reported the threatening behaviour. I've heard stories of ex-guards behaving inappropriately before and seeming to think "I was a guard for 25 years" is some kind of defense for it! Like they're not subject to the same laws as the rest of us!

How did this incident end? Did you say anything to the ex-guard or just walk off or what?

upmeath

Tazzle, why didn't you moderate his ass?

Two words:
JOOOOOOEEEE DUFFAAAYYYYY!

That's ridiculous carry-on from someone acting on behalf of a candidate for public office, I've never heard of anything like it. For someone who claims to have been a guard for 25 years he seems to have spent the last 5 throwing his weight around like a right gurrier. Was the aggression verbal or physical? Not that either is to be condoned of course, but there's a difference between him expressing displeasure for not being allowed to bend the rules and him trying to assault you. What a tool. Were recent opinion polls unkind to Mr. Burke?

Tazzle

nkay1985 wrote: »

It's absolutely intimidation. I'd have asked to see Colm Burke again after that incident and demanded he tell me the person's name, or saving that I'd have gone and looked for the guard that has to be somewhere at the polling station and reported the threatening behaviour. I've heard stories of ex-guards behaving inappropriately before and seeming to think "I was a guard for 25 years" is some kind of defense for it! Like they're not subject to the same laws as the rest of us!

How did this incident end? Did you say anything to the ex-guard or just walk off or what?

It ended with me in a complete rage, you're right I should have returned to the polling station again. I just wanted to get home at that point. After calming down I started composing and have just completed a polite email to Mr. Colm Burke with CC to a few newspapers & all the parliamentary parties. Hopefully I'll get an apology, I won't hold my breath. I won't be voting FG again though.

Tazzle

upmeath wrote: »

Tazzle, why didn't you moderate his ass?

Two words:
JOOOOOOEEEE DUFFAAAYYYYY!

That's ridiculous carry-on from someone acting on behalf of a candidate for public office, I've never heard of anything like it. For someone who claims to have been a guard for 25 years he seems to have spent the last 5 throwing his weight around like a right gurrier. Was the aggression verbal or physical? Not that either is to be condoned of course, but there's a difference between him expressing displeasure for not being allowed to bend the rules and him trying to assault you. What a tool. Were recent opinion polls unkind to Mr. Burke?

It wasn't in anyway physical, it was the malice in his words. His attitude. The way he walked straight up to me to make a point. His sneer. His sheer disregard for the law of the land, which he claimed to once represent.

sceptre

Tazzle wrote: »

I find this behaviour completely unacceptable, especially coming from the driver of an MEP at a polling station on polling day. Is this not intimidation?

Yes it is.

nkay1985

Tazzle wrote: »

It ended with me in a complete rage, you're right I should have returned to the polling station again. I just wanted to get home at that point. After calming down I started composing and have just completed a polite email to Mr. Colm Burke with CC to a few newspapers & all the parliamentary parties. Hopefully I'll get an apology, I won't hold my breath. I won't be voting FG again though.

Well done. I'm sure the likes of Matt Cooper etc would be interested to hear about this too

Or Eamonn Kean, he always loves a bit of scandal.

Zuiderzee

sceptre wrote: »

They're not allowed within 50 metres of any of the entrances to the grounds where the polling station is. It applies to everything, including loitering:)

Sceptre - Suppose a candidate is standing outside the door of the polling station, basically taking down names - counting heads - I presume to estimate turnout - and I mean literally outside the door?

Are the rules different in each district or is there somewhere online where there are standard rules?