In the Richmond Park voting area – the constituency where Barnes Primary School is located – five candidates are competing in Thursday’s election. Each of them wants to become the person who gets to work in the Houses of Parliament to represent us for the next five years. On election day, Newsnuggets went to the polling station to have a look.
One candidate is standing from each main party in Richmond Park. Zac Goldsmith from the Conservatives has been the MP since the last election. Over the last weeks, he has had to fight the others for a chance to get re-elected. These are the names of all the candidates:
- Andree Frieze [ Green Party ]
- Zac Goldsmith [ Conservative Party]
- Robin Meltzer [Liberal Democrats]
- Sam Naz [UKIP]
- Sachin Patel [Labour Party]
During the campaign, the candidates have been working relentlessly to win the votes of our parents and all other adults in the area. Many families have had a knock on their door by one of the candidates. During an election campaign, politicians often spend a lot of time visiting people on the doorstep. That way they have a chance to listen to voters’ ideas and concern, and of course to try to win their vote. The candidates have also taken each other on in public debates all over the borough, and they have been interviewed in media.
Our visit to a polling station
When the people living in Richmond Park go to cast their vote on Thursday, the names of the candidates are printed a cards. Each voter picks a card and chooses to put a tick after the name of their favourite candidate. Then the vote goes into the black ballot box.
Newsnuggets’ reporters visited the polling station by Barnes Pond to see how it all works. At first we were stopped by the officials, who said children were not allowed in. We were lucky though. After some time of waiting outside and showing our genuine interest, the very serious helpers invited us in to the “chamber of secrets” where we could see the actual ballot box and booths where people go to tick their boxes in private.
Soon we’ll know which of the candidates in Richmond Park people trust the most to do a good job for them in Westminster!
By Hugo and Cecilia