I may well be a bit late with this and apologies for that but as I’ve done in previous elections, here’s a live open blog for you to feed back observations on turnout and any other shenanigans in Tower Hamlets (and Newham?) today.
And thoughts on candidates and voting tactics.
Over to you.
Update at 7.20pm:
As the reader who sent me this image of Labour GLA candidate Unmeah Desai says: “A picture can tell a thousand words.”
Behold, wearing the shades..that’s ex-Respect group leader and ex-Tower Hamlets First member, the one and only, the martial arts king, Cllr Abjol Miah. Has he now joined Labour??? We must be told…
Trial by Jeory 
Marner Centre
Great relief to see this Polling Station so well organised and supervised. However, I was surprised to see two women turned away because their names were registered for Postal Voting; they seems totally bemused. This may have been an isolated incident but I would be interested to know whether details are kept of similar incidents throughout the borough
They should have been advised to bring their competed postal voting forms properly sealed and hand them in at the polling station. Unless they had already sent their postal votes and were trying it on …i
All quiet in Canning Town and Custom House, in the sense that only Labour campaigners are visible.
Very quiet at the polling station I visited late lunchtime. Absolutely no “persuaders” outside.
New routine of no folding of ballot papers and sliding them into the ballot box.
My understanding is that if anybody who has not used their postal ballot presents themselves – with their unused ballot paper – at the polling station they can still vote.
Labour are happy with the turnout in LBTH, which they expect to be in the high 30s – and around 46% at the St James polling station in Bethnal Green.
Labour source says re turnout: “Think we are into the 40s – Some polling districts into the 50s”
St Paul’s on the Highway was very quiet at 11am. Local beat bobby in attendance throughout – there was about 7 people voting in the 40 minutes I was outside the venue.
Just logging-on to ensure I receive a copy of all postings.
Bonner St. polling station very quiet , though it was after 9 pm when I got there.
Not a single canvasser around , just a lone policeman. Think this shows a poor work ethic on the part of our would be representatives.
I have misgivings about the requirement for ballot papers not to be folded. Doesn’t this compromise privacy ? Not a problem for me personally but we all know some of the practices that have gone on in previous TH elections
All was quiet(ish) at my polling station around midday. One lone and disinterested Policeman on duty. No street canvassers. Man before me was complaining because he was not on the voters list. He was taken to one side and enquiries were being made. Initially I was told I could not vote even though I had my voting card. When polling clerk looked at the right page he found my details and all was well.
I think the requirement not to fold is due to the fact that they are scanning the votes rather than doing the Count the old fashioned way (and who can blame them given the problems in LBTH in the past!)
Which also means that we can follow the results as they come in
See https://londonelects.org.uk/im-voter/election-results/live-count-progress-2016?contest=28
Currently 35% scanned and 28% verified as at 11:00am.
Unmesh Desai is way out in front for City and East and looks unbeatable. Greens are in third place.
I’m guessing it gave Oona King some sweet satisfaction to tweet this on Friday.
Is this the end of George Galloway? After all it certainly wasn’t the end of Oona King back in 2005!
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
If the sharia law supporting Abjol Miah is a fervent fan of Sadiq Khan (which it seems from this pic that he clearly he is) then I’m really fearful for the future of this country.
No-one knows whether it is the end of George Galloway.
However, in City & East he was less popular than Spoilt Papers.