Haggis_trap Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 (edited) I think the referendum result was fair and square. We got beaten and it is time to move on. However : this story deserves its own topic ?The video evidence is startling and I trust the police will get to the bottom of it ? "Police have been asked to examine claims that pro-UK campaigners breached electoral law by counting some postal votes ahead of referendum polling day. Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson said Better Together agents had been "taking tallies" of postal votes at sample openings held in the weeks before the count." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-29359318 It is notable that the story went from 2nd headline to bottom of the page within 20 minutes.Another example of the BBC sweeping things under the carpet ? Edited September 25, 2014 by Haggis_trap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UPROAR Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 I have no doubt they were fecking about illegally and Davidson may end up having to resign if she knew and didn't report it, if not face charges Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haggis_trap Posted September 25, 2014 Author Share Posted September 25, 2014 we need to make sure this story doesn't get buried / lost...if true it is outrageous. funny enough I handed my own postal vote at the polling station as I was so paranoid! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thplinth Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 sorry what?! she confessed to a crime (that had to involve at least a dozen of people) on live TV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ally Bongo Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Its cut and dried Remember the BBC show the weekend before the referendum where Andrew Neil interviewed Galloway and then Sheridan ? Also on that programme was John McTernan (who i despise more than the Alexander Brothers and Jim Murphy) who also admitted the postal votes had been sampled and No was well ahead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haggis_trap Posted September 25, 2014 Author Share Posted September 25, 2014 (edited) More evidence here...."Sources in both the yes and no camps also confirmed that sampling of the 780,000 postal votes issued for the poll were two to one in favour of Better Together, with yes campaigners confirming they expected Edinburgh to vote no."http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/sep/19/scottish-independence-referendum-no-campaigners-buoyed-first-results-clackmannanshire-orkney"On Friday in Edinburgh, postal votes were already being processed with a week left of the referendum campaign."https://uk.news.yahoo.com/scotland-postal-voters-regretting-choice-032926861.html#LDo6Ble2 obvious and genuine questions1) Were the postal votes sampled ? If so this is illegal ?2) Why were the postal votes (apparently) so strongly in favor of NO ? Especially compared to the main ballot Edited September 25, 2014 by Haggis_trap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haggis_trap Posted September 25, 2014 Author Share Posted September 25, 2014 John McTernan admits postal votes sampled @0:45 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peever1745 Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Both Yes and No had been sampling postal votes, thats not a crime.What is though is not keeping their findings secret. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Pepper Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Isn't Davidson's comment roughly that she (and anyone involved with both campaigns who both had observers at all postal vote verification sessions) knew that postal votes were favouring no. It's illegal to report on this while voting is still going on, from memory (slightly whisky hazed) she said 'now polls are closed I can say that the postal votes are quite good for no'. I don't know the precise situation after polls close, but there were lots of pre announcement rumours from the various counts (confirmed by both sides) that the yes or no sides were up/down. As to why postal votes favoured no, if postal voters are older/better off then it's probably not a surprise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilser Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 As to why postal votes favoured no, if postal voters are older/better off then it's probably not a surprise. Agreed - oldsters don't tend to want change. Most people are naturally resistant to change given the element of the unknown. If you're close to or beyond the end of your working life it's perhaps understandable that the certainty (as you see it) of the status quo has its attractions as compared to the younger voters for whom the world is their metaphorical oyster and change is far more of an enticing prospect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ally Bongo Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Both Yes and No had been sampling postal votes, thats not a crime.What is though is not keeping their findings secret. Sampling postal votes is not supposed to be a process to determine how people have voted The sample postal vote openings, which were attended by agents from both campaigns ahead of polling day, were held to confirm personal identifiers - the date of birth and signature - on the postal ballots matched those held on official records. The ballot papers are supposed to be kept face down when postal voting packs are opened so postal ballot agents and observers are unable to see how people have voted. The Scottish Independence Referendum Act 2013 states that those attending the sample openings must not "attempt to ascertain at the proceedings in connection with the receipt of the ballot papers the outcome for which any vote is given in any particular ballot paper or communicate any information with respect thereto obtained at those proceedings". Anyone convicted of breaching the law can be jailed for up to a year, and/or receive a fine of up to £5,000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanday Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 You can't actually sample postal votes. That's the point. After the postal vote has been validated, the vote is taken out of the envelope and placed facedown on the table. You cannot see the preference on the vote - well maybe one or two if the counter is careless - but never enough to make any conclusion whatsoever, So - she does have a case to answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haggis_trap Posted September 26, 2014 Author Share Posted September 26, 2014 ^ Yip : my understanding is that it is illegal to start counting votes before 10pm on the election / referendum day ?Who else knew this was happening ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flora MaDonald Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 If this is indeed the case, fatso should be locked up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grim Jim Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Just curious... when were the postal votes opened/sampled? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peever1745 Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Just curious... when were the postal votes opened/sampled? I know some were sampled by yes the Friday before the vote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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