Thinking about the Euro campaign

It appears the date for the Euro elections is Thursday May 22 2014.  Apparently there are some changes to electoral procedure, due to come into force for the Euros but applicable to all elections, one of which we need to build into our campaign planning.

The key change is that postal votes should now be issued a.s.a.p. after the close of nominations.  Thus people could potentially be casting their vote from the very beginning of the traditional campaigning period.  We have to start canvassing earlier and we need to put together some material, ready to drop through letterboxes, several weeks in advance.

The other changes mainly relate to the technicalities of postal voting and are of no real consequence for us.  One change I find reassuring after the 2010 fiasco is that people queuing at a polling station at 10pm should still be allowed to vote, even though by the time they do so the polls have officially closed.