http://notalwaysright.com/big-bother/5677
Big Bother
Polling Station | United Kingdom
(A young girl of 18 or 19, clearly a first-time voter, skips the line and rushes up to my table.)
Me: “I’m sorry, you’ll have to wait. There’s a line.”
Voter: “I’m sorry, but it’s important! I need to get my ballot paper back. I voted for the wrong person!”
Me: “Alright, give me the spoiled one.”
Voter: “I can’t. I put it in the box.”
Me: “Then I’m afraid we can’t get it back. The boxes can’t be opened until the end of voting at ten o’clock.”
Voter: “But I didn’t know! I don’t want the Conservatives to get in so I voted for [Conservative candidate]. I should have voted for someone else!”
Me: “Um, why did you vote for the Conservative?”
(The girl turns scarlet and looks utterly miserable.)
Voter: “I thought it was like TV where you vote them off!”
My mother-in-law, not by then Of Sound Mind, ticked one and firmly put a black cross nect to the others.
A bit worrying, but hey - she'll remember next time! 
Merry, your mother-in-law isn't so daft. I often wondered why a tick wasn't a better way of selecting a candidate. Of course that could mean that I am also daft. 
I am surprised they never got around to making it multiple choice like in exams and having a computer count the votes.
Then we would have to put a line of course and it would be even more confusing for people already used to ticks and crosses. I also agree that a tick is more logical. well done MMIL-NOSM. Obviously it takes a lunatic old person to think of more good ideas than our politicians.
In an area near to me , although not my own particular ward, they did trial voting by touch screen machine a few years ago. I never heard anything about it since though so either it was a dismal failure or else cost too much and they gave up on the idea.
There were a few news stories at the time probably exagerated where women with babies in their arms got in a mess as the babies meddled and voted for them.