Ignored by canvassers!

Sophia91

Im 19 years old so will be voting at the next election! 2 Fine Gael campainers just came to the door and asked me was my mum here as they had been talking to her a few days ago.......I said no she was working, so they just handed me a leaflet and asked me to give it to her. Although I may not look 19 I do look about 17 or 18 so Im just wondering why they had no interest in looking for my vote! After all, I am the one who will be graduating in a couple of years and paying much higher taxes than my parents who will be retiring!! sorry to rant!!:)

Morag

Did you tell them as they walked away that you are a voter and they had lost your vote?

takun

Sophia91 wrote: »

Im 19 years old so will be voting at the next election! 2 Fine Gael campainers just came to the door and asked me was my mum here as they had been talking to her a few days ago.......I said no she was working, so they just handed me a leaflet and asked me to give it to her. Although I may not look 19 I do look about 17 or 18 so Im just wondering why they had no interest in looking for my vote! After all, I am the one who will be graduating in a couple of years and paying much higher taxes than my parents who will be retiring!! sorry to rant!!:)

Sorry, but in what sense were you ignored?

They came apparently as a follow up to a previous contact with your mother, who was not in. Did you ask them any questions which were then ignored?

MrMatisse

Lucky you!

Sophia91

Sharrow wrote: »

Did you tell them as they walked away that you are a voter and they had lost your vote?

no i couldnt think of anything on the spur of the moment and I didnt want to be too rude in case they knew my parents or anything! I was all set to vote for fine gael but they would need to start looking for my vote!

Sophia91

takun wrote: »

Sorry, but in what sense were you ignored?

They came apparently as a follow up to a previous contact with your mother, who was not in. Did you ask them any questions which were then ignored?

slightly misleading title.....i meant i ws ignored in the sense that they werent exactly interested in looking for my vote!

dlofnep

I was canvassing last night for SF. I came across 4 or 5 young people at the door - I usually ask them "Will you be voting this election?" - It's easy to gauge if they are old enough to vote. If they are, then have a chat with them - If they aren't - I'd usually just ask if anyone else in the house will be voting in the election. I'd feel really horrible about not asking a young person for their views, because I'm only in my late 20's myself.

PomBear

In my experience in canvassing, they probably thought you didn't look 18, canvassers have huge areas to get across in a small amount of time, they just probably thought you weren't voting age and thought it was best not to canvass you, also very few people under 18 would ask anything or know much about politics.
I know you're over 18! but they could have thought otherwise!
I don't particularly like Fine Gael but that's what my thoughts are!

Sophia91

dlofnep wrote: »

I was canvassing last night for SF. I came across 4 or 5 young people at the door - I usually ask them "Will you be voting this election?" - It's easy to gauge if they are old enough to vote. If they are, then have a chat with them - If they aren't - I'd usually just ask if anyone else in the house will be voting in the election. I'd feel really horrible about not asking a young person for their views, because I'm only in my late 20's myself.

exactly.......all they had to do was ask if I'd be voting! and its more important to ask young people as they can be more easily swayed in the sense that they haven't been voting the same party for years!

Sophia91

PomBear wrote: »

In my experience in canvassing, they probably thought you didn't look 18, canvassers have huge areas to get across in a small amount of time, they just probably thought you weren't voting age and thought it was best not to canvass you, also very few people under 18 would ask anything or know much about politics.
I know you're over 18! but they could have thought otherwise!
I don't particularly like Fine Gael but that's what my thoughts are!

I understand this but Im just saying how many seconds would it have taken to ask if i was of voting age!

Aldebaran

I'm 22 and the first question I was asked by the two Fianna Fáil canvassers who arrived on my doorstep today was if my mother was in. I wasn't too impressed with that, not that I'd ever vote FF anyway.

takun

Sophia91 wrote: »

slightly misleading title.....i meant i ws ignored in the sense that they werent exactly interested in looking for my vote!

They could equally claim that you were not interesting in finding out what they had to say, since you didn't ask them anything.

If you'd asked them something and they'd patted you on the head and ignored you (metaphorically or actually), you'd have a complaint.

All I am seeing is some people came to speak to your mother, to whom they had previously spoken, asked if she was in, ascertained she wasn't and left. I don't see it as any slight on the person who answered the door.

Sully

Its an awkward situation when you ask someone to vote, and they turn around and say they are not at a voting age.

It would seem they were just following up rather then canvassing, so that maybe an additional reason. Don't take it personal - they want your vote but the large amount of houses they cover a day can make their mind a tad fried.

You should have called them back, questioned them etc. and then they may have spotted you could vote and answered any queries. Better that then going online and having a go at a canvasser

Morag

But they have been doing this for year and then wonder why we have had generations of young people grow up disenfranchised. I had it happen to me several times when I was past the age of 18 and happen in the run up to the last election, apprently they won't expect the 'lady' of the house to have pigtails.

It's ageism and making assumptions and it's insulting.

Sophia91

Sharrow wrote: »

But they have been doing this for year and then wonder why we have had generations of young people grow up disenfranchised. I had it happen to me several times when I was past the age of 18 and happen in the run up to the last election, apprently they won't expect the 'lady' of the house to have pigtails.

It's ageism and making assumptions and it's insulting.

I agree......I'm not insulted if they thought I looked younger Im just wondering why they werent even interested in getting my vote when Im the person that will be paying their wages in two years time! ok they were following up on the last visit with my mum but why didnt they try and get an extra vote when they had to waste their time coming to my house anyways!

Sophia91

Sully wrote: »

Its an awkward situation when you ask someone to vote, and they turn around and say they are not at a voting age.

It would seem they were just following up rather then canvassing, so that maybe an additional reason. Don't take it personal - they want your vote but the large amount of houses they cover a day can make their mind a tad fried.

You should have called them back, questioned them etc. and then they may have spotted you could vote and answered any queries. Better that then going online and having a go at a canvasser

I dont see how its awkward I always just said I wasn't old enough to vote in the past and they happily accepted this and then asked for my parents? Im not mentioning any names or even what area Im in so I dont see the problem with going online........

whatdoicare

I too was asked if my mammy was in - so i rang her and asked while saying "I have no idea why you guys want to know from me if my mammy is in, she lives ten miles away!" Fianna fail has failed again!
(I'm 30 year old married woman BTW)

Vizzy

Sophia91 wrote: »

I dont see how its awkward I always just said I wasn't old enough to vote in the past and they happily accepted this and then asked for my parents? Im not mentioning any names or even what area Im in so I dont see the problem with going online........

I wonder if you dad had answered the door would they have bothered to ask him for his vote or were their heads so "fried" that they were only interested in "following up" with your mother ?
Their loss at the end of the day !!

Sophia91

whatdoicare wrote: »

I too was asked if my mammy was in - so i rang her and asked while saying "I have no idea why you guys want to know from me if my mammy is in, she lives ten miles away!" Fianna fail has failed again!
(I'm 30 year old married woman BTW)

hahaha good comeback!!

Sophia91

Vizzy wrote: »

I wonder if you dad had answered the door would they have bothered to ask him for his vote or were their heads so "fried" that they were only interested in "following up" with your mother ?
Their loss at the end of the day !!

exactly.....they shouldnt be trying to get into government if their heads get "fried" so easily a couple of days into their campaign!

Nadser

Sharrow wrote: »

But they have been doing this for year and then wonder why we have had generations of young people grow up disenfranchised. I had it happen to me several times when I was past the age of 18 and happen in the run up to the last election, apprently they won't expect the 'lady' of the house to have pigtails.

It's ageism and making assumptions and it's insulting.

+1 I had the same experience in the early 90s

UpTheSlashers

They dont want your vote, dont give it to them

crebel81

equal rights etc!! When it comes to votes, a vote from an 80 year old man is just the same as one from an 18 year old. Ageism at its best!!

spaceHopper

Both my parents used to canvis for FF (don't shoot me please it's not my fault) Any time they went out they would have had a copy of the electoral register with them. If the OP visitors had done their home work they would have know that they had a vote.

They clearly weren't after your vote but that's two people who work for FG not the whole part. For the craic use the boards vote http://www.boards.ie/vote and see who is running in your area and what you make of them