If it seems a foregone conclusion given the opinion polls in Britain and Northern Ireland lately, the real polls sometimes tell a different story and politicians there are screaming at voters to get theirs in today. 46 million people are eligible to cast a vote, have until 10 p.m. to do so, and counting begins immediately therafter.
Employers are under no illusions about the slim chances of a productive Friday. The BBC recommends a "multi-nap strategy" today.
embrace the multi-nap strategy – first one at 21:00 tonight, in time for the 22:00 exit poll, then at 02:00, 06:00 and 14:00 on Friday
but limit naps to between 20-30 minutes and "pre-load" with a caffeine hit just before you sleep
keep hydrated with water but avoid sugar-packed energy drinks and alcohol
keep all the lights on overnight
snack on protein drinks or unsalted nuts (sorry, no chocolate)
For the first time voters in Britain must bring photo ID—not so controversial in the U.K. as in the U.S., but controversial enough. Guess who forgot to bring his last time? Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, responsible for the rule change and turned away by election workers in recent local elections.
The former prime minister was initially told by polling station staff he would not be allowed to vote in the police and crime commissioner election in South Oxfordshire without proving his identity. The misstep was embarrassing for Johnson because the requirement to bring photo ID is a stipulation of the Elections Act he introduced in 2022 while in Downing Street. The Electoral Commission has warned that hundreds of thousands of people could be excluded from voting because of the law, which it said could have a disproportionate effect on some groups.
If the ruling Conservatives had an idea of who would be hidden behind that weasel-worded "some groups," it's perhaps another lesson in the dangers of importing American versions of right-wing ideas: the group most furious about the requirement appears to be military veterans, turned away in numbers due to their IDs being omitted from the accepted list.
