Don't miss the bus - vote early and vote often!

In Ireland there was once a famous pursuit known as "personating."
It involved obtaining the identity of someone eligible but unable to vote either because of infirmity, or in some cases by virtue of being dead, and casting their vote for the person that the pretender wanted elected.
It's a trick that has now largely died out, but, of course, polls remain malleable.
To tip the balance gently in the direction you would like it to go depends on a number of influences.
Firstly you can encourage people to take part, or you can discourage them.
And you can do your best to ensure that people only vote once.
In the context of the current poll on the Into Town bus service, which closes at the end of this week or a week today, depending on what you read, where you read it, and whom you believe, these two key factors have not been met.
The best line of encouragement is to make a poll as accessible as possible to as many people as possible.
But before it even began, this poll period was reduced by 25% - from four weeks to three .... which must have the effect of allowing fewer people to take part.
The survey is being run for Lincolnshire County Council by the Mott MacDonald Group - "a management, engineering and development consultancy serving the public and private sectors world-wide."
Indeed, Mott Macdonald would appear to be such massive global player that we assume a survey like this is a small beer operation being done for pin money.
But to ensure that it doesn't waste a penny of its fees, completed forms have to be returned to its Norwich headquarters by post at the expense of whoever has taken the time and trouble to fill them in.
We think that this is quite unusual.
Almost every organisation which invites people to take part in a survey provides a Freepost address to return the answers to.
We think a lot of people won't take part if they have to pay and post the replies .... and as far as we can tell, there are no collection boxes locally for people to use.
Still, there's always the internet.
According to Lincolnshire County Council, the survey is available on the Boston Transport Strategy website.
If it is, we can't find it ... certainly it's not on the link posted on the county website.
There is, however, a survey on the Boston Borough Council website on behalf of Mott MacDonald in which you can apparently participate until 11th March - even though (according to the county) it runs only until the 8th.
Despite its obvious resources the company chooses the cheap and cheerful "Survey Monkey" to conduct this online exercise.
And one problem with this particular survey is that there is nothing to stop you completing and submitting it again ... and again ... and again.
Yes, if you want to influence the result it's as easy as filling the form in repeatedly until you feel confident that your wishes will prevail.
As the personaters used to say ... "vote early and vote often."
And this is called local democracy!

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