You also ignored the reasons put forward by a lot of people on the left, as well as the right of the political spectrum.

It is a genuinely exciting time for everyone concerned and I think it would probably breach some arcane aspect of Human Rights to make prospective MPs (and all their supporters) wait an extra day for the results!

Once every few years, even us who are not politically active, but interested in the issues can have a bit of an unusual event by sitting up all night and watching the election results, either with friends or gossiping online.

Frankly, it’s damn good fun.

And meh to the killjoys who want to abolish it.

Hmm. ‘Were you up for Portillo?’ rather loses its drama when it happens at 11.45 on Friday morning and everyone’s at work.

I care about election night. What about democracy. Let us keep election night, We need to keep the right to vote.

Hmmm…”they counted on Friday this year…and it was still just as enjoyable watching Labour make gains.” Not everyone’s as lucky as you and can afford to be lounging around in front of a TV during the middle of a weekday.

“it was still just as enjoyable watching Labour make gains.”

At the risk of walking into some ironic trap I am too stupid to see, I seem to remember them making massive losses?

If you want entertainment, go to a gig or a football match or something. If you want democracy, count the votes while people are awake enough to get the result right.

The idea that non-Labour councils would stuff the ballot boxes with Labour ballots is pretty laughable, but if that’s really a concern, why not verify the total number of votes on election night then do the actual count the next day. You’ll know if the result doesn’t tally with the number of votes cast.

“count the votes while people are awake enough to get the result right”

But if you’re a counter you know to adjust your sleep to account for the fact you’re going to be up all night counting, so the idea that tired people get the result wrong doesn’t account for that.

I’m with ConHome on this one, not because of the ‘excitement’ factor, but because votes should be counted the moments the polls close. While fraud is highly unlikely (unless you’re a Labour activist ‘helping’ people to fill in their postal vote), it is irresponsible to increase the chances of it by leaving ballot boxes overnight.

“5-At the risk of walking into some ironic trap I am too stupid to see, I seem to remember them making massive losses?”

Ah, no, I was at the count in one of about 3 places where Labour made gains (Oxfordshire).

“4 – Not everyone’s as lucky as you and can afford to be lounging around in front of a TV during the middle of a weekday.”

True nuff, though most people could take a day’s leave if they wanted, like I did.

“2 – ‘Were you up for Portillo?’ rather loses its drama when it happens at 11.45 on Friday morning and everyone’s at work.”

I believe that you will find it just as enjoyable if, say, Ed Balls loses his seat at 11.45 on Friday morning as if it happens at 3.45am.

8 – no, because I’ll be sober and at work. There’s little enough in the way of democratic drama in this country. Election night is political theatre, and spreading it out over the next few days would drain the magic from it. Life’s flat and dull enough as it is without making it more so.

“And the Town Clerk’s coming onto the balcony now …”

Jeeziz! What a bore!

#7

It’s not that easy for councils to find people to do the count – many have worked a full day previous to the count.

There’s also some self-interest on my part as activists will likely have started campaigning at 5am. They do have an important scrutinising role to play, watching the counters and checking for mistakes.

The allegation that Labour activists routinely intimidate postal voters is probably defamatory, and certainly false. The only time I’ve ever known malpractice with postal and proxy votes happen locally was a Conservative activist who was convicted of it. In actual fact I suspect the Tories benefit more from postal votes overall – but we don’t find pretexts to complain about that because we believe in the importance of people using their vote.