Ballot Paper: Did you mark it with a PENCIL?

uprising

When I voted last week I used the pencil provided, then today in casual conversation another person who voted in a different polling station said they "just marked it with the pencil".

I was trying to remember the last time I voted whether I used a lead pencil or ink pen and I'm almost certain ink pen's were provided in the past.

Is it normal practice to use lead pencil's on voting ballot's, when lead pencil can ever so easily be erased and changed.
I know we could all have brought a pen along, but all the booth's provided pencil's only, and I don't carry pen's about with me, like most people I presume.

Just seem's a bit stupid for something so important to use a non permanent mark on the paper. A child could change the mark.

This could become known as "RUBBERGATE".

Mac daddy

I noticed that last week while I was voting.

However if you used a pencil and someone came along with a rubber and changed your no vote into a yes, they would have seen the inprint on the piece of paper when counting the votes.

uprising

Mac daddy wrote: »

I noticed that last week while I was voting.

However if you used a pencil and someone came along with a rubber and changed your no vote into a yes, they would have seen the inprint on the piece of paper when counting the votes.

Yes but people can make mistake's, and maybe a high number of voter's simply made a mistake and erased it! and actually with the super hard/smooth surface these mark's would be much less noticeable, and after a few use's the pencil point will round off making even less of a lasting impression and I don't think the counter's actually examine each ballot paper that carefully, they count, and the quicker the better as far as they are concerned.

Dinner

I've always voted with a pencil. I think everyone has always voted with a pencil. I believe when the e-voting machines were being discussed Bertie made a comment about 'stupid old pencils' or something like that so it's not a new thing.

And the poll clerk would give you a lend of their pen if you really wanted wanted. Rubbers were also not provided at the polling station so if somebody incorrectly marked their ballot paper then the ballot paper and corresponding stub would be marked as spoilt and the voter would be given a new paper.


No conspiracy here folks.

EDIT: And also the graphite on the pencils provided was quite thick so as the point wore off the mark would get more noticable.

meglome

Every single time I've voted and it's several at this stage, it was with a pencil.

espinolman

It was a colouring pencil i was given in the polling station , i have voted lots of times over the last 25 years and never before have i been handed a colouring pencil to vote with , it was king of a brownish reddish colour , i really had to go over the X on the votting card several times because it was'nt adhering very well to the paper , it was a childrens colouring pencil .

thecommander

Did a google search for this being discussed when the last Lisbon vote was done but couldn't find anything on it. Strange how the issue of pencils only cropped up when there was a yes vote.

uprising

thecommander wrote: »

Did a google search for this being discussed when the last Lisbon vote was done but couldn't find anything on it. Strange how the issue of pencils only cropped up when there was a yes vote.

Well maybe we can go for best out of 3, this time something a little more permanent than a pencil or coloring pencil, but really how many official form's can you fill in by pencil?, can you apply for a licence, passport, birth cert using a pencil or coloring pencil?

passport
Please fill out with block capitals in black ink.......

namloc1980

uprising wrote: »

Well maybe we can go for best out of 3, this time something a little more permanent than a pencil or coloring pencil, but really how many official form's can you fill in by pencil?, can you apply for a licence, passport, birth cert using a pencil or coloring pencil?

passport
Please fill out with block capitals in black ink.......

I've been voting for well over a decade and I've never used anything other than a pencil at the voting station

It's convenient that when the result goes the 'wrong' way the CTs start flying around.

Max Power1

meglome wrote: »

Every single time I've voted and it's several at this stage, it was with a pencil.

+1

samson09

Always voted with a pen, this time a pencil (and a very light one at that).

Keith186

Ballot Paper: Did you mark it with a PENCIL?

Yes. No conspiracy here, it's a resounding 'yes' vote unfortunately and I'm 99.99999999% sure it wasn't changed to yes instead of no as it is locked in the ballot box until it gets to the counting centre and is opened there.

There's more chance of a global recession to have been engineered to highly impact on Ireland in particular and give the yes side apt ammunition to 'yes to jobs' sh1te and win the ref. This is CT afterall.

....

good one