poll pete Me: "May I see your card sir?" He hands me his card. I find his name on the list of electors. Me: "One hundred and twenty eight." I rip up the card. Him: "Why did you do that?" Me: "To protect your confidentiality and to make sure you only vote once." Him: "I mean why did you read that number." Me: "It's your voter number so that everyone knows you are registered." Her: "Here is your ballot sir please take it behind the screen and mark off one candidate in the circle and then return it to me just like this." A few minutes pass. He comes back and hands her his ballot folded completely wrong. Her: "Please refold your ballot so the numbers are on top." He refolds his ballot and it is still wrong. Her: "Okay, the numbers have to be on top." Him: "There are no numbers!" Her: "I'll look away and refold it." She does so. He leaves while she is removing the counter-foil, so she must place his ballot in the box. ..... Me: "May I see your voter's card sir?" He gives me his card, I cross his name from the list and tear up the card. Me: "Three hundred and two." She gives him his ballot and he looks at his daughter, aged 8 or 9. Him: "You see, darling, this is what you do when you come to vote." He looks at me and then at her beside me. Him: "I refuse to vote in this sham of an election until we have a real democracy." Her: "There is no such thing as a refused ballot in a federal election sir." Him: "Well I am refusing this ballot, make note of it!" He leaves the polling station with his daughter in hand. Her: "Well isn't that nice." She removes the counter-foil and deposits the ballot in the box. I record nothing. .... End of the day. Of 311 voters, 51 either moved or voted in the advanced polls and 208 voted, including the gentleman above. That is 259 of 311, roughly 80% of all voters in my polling district voted. And Ed got 103 of the 207 valid votes cast. NDP landslide in Ottawa Centre. ... Oh to be a poll clerk again. 040629 what's it to you? who go blather from