Unprecedented numbers of spoiled ballots delay council election counts

I wrote ‘I cannot vote for any party that supports self id’.

Again

When am I actually going to get to vote for someone?

If you want to make sure it doesn't get counted... Put an X in every box.
The write your reason ...
When we counted we had to check there was no X in a box ...

I spoiled my paper with a big cross as per the first picture and 'woman equals adult human female'
I will try to take a sticker for the 23rd May elections.

Oh tea, that’s good to know.

I used an AHF sticker. There was a WEP candidate in my ward, I do hope she feeds back the message.

DD2 and I both spoiled our ballot papers and wrote our reasons, I don't think mine were brilliantly phrased but we both mentioned some variation of 'no party supports women's sex-based rights'.

There was no Labour candidate; I used to vote Labour so felt a bit cheated that with no candidate in the ballot they wouldn't even know I'd refused to vote for them - them and their well-known 'women's officer' and all.

They put pictures of my local result forms online.

Rejected papers are counted in the following categories:

A. Want of official mark.
B. Voting for more candidates than the voter was entitled to.
C. Writing or mark by which the voter could be identified.
D. Being unmarked or void for uncertainty.
E. Rejected in part.

C. was the most usual (about 20 per constituency) with the odd B. here and there.

If there is no-one you could honestly vote for, then spoiling your ballot paper is the only logical option.

I've seen it in past elections. Non-voters are portrayed in the media as either: apathetic and can't be arsed to get their arse off the sofa and daytime TV and go and vote; or, that they're happy with the status quo and therefore feel there is no reason for them to go and vote.

But: when you spoil your vote - then it's not that you can't be arsed, are apathetic, or happy woth the status quo. Rather, that you made the effort to turn up at the polling station. And you're not happy with the status quo, hence the spoiled ballot.

I applaud all of you who spoiled your ballots: because be assured - someone, somewhere DID look at it carefully at some point, and read what you wrote. They may not have understood, or agreed with you, but someone did have to read it!

Spartacus . Maybe I should just write an essay too.

I REALLY want to stick a sticker though!

I wrote 'none' and 'adult human female' on my ballot paper.

Stuff the lot of them.

Can you put a sticker on a ballot paper? I’m thinking of getting some W=AHF ones and it would probably be easier to stick that on the ballot paper rather than write it out?

We didn't bother tbh, most people I know weren't bothered.

Spoiled ballot papers are also recorded as part of the official turnout so it is better to make a protest by spoiling your ballot than not vote.

Even if the media is presenting this all about Brexit, as other posters say, the tellers will have seen adult human female etc on the ballot papers. I think I'd write 'None of these represent women' but there were no elections in my area this time.

In Spain there is always a blank paper to show you don't vote for anyone...perfectly acceptable.

Why are they only showing the spoilt papers with deliver Brexit on them. There were definitely remain profilers as well as the GC ones. Actually I am not that surprised...

Electoral commission's guide to 'doubtful' votes: www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/87699/UKPE-doubtfuls-booklet.pdf

On a similar note the Greens will have picked up those protest voters who remember the Lib Dems u-turn on tuition fees.

I'm not sure why the LibDems are crowing; it's pretty obvious they only picked up seats by default.

If there's a recount, the candidates' agents will argue over the validity of the spoilt papers with the returning officer.

I understand that every single spoiled ballot had to be individually scrutinised and adjudicated upon, last night

That is always the case.

Where did you get that ballot paper from?

It was a very strange feeling this morning, watching the news and having no feeling about which party won. Hearing that both labour and cons lost seats cheered me up, but I wasn't pleased to think of greens or lib dem ( or ukip ob's) profiting. My ballot paper came today for the EU election, I'll be looking for independent candidates or spoiling my ballot.

Did anyone have any interesting independent candidates? I'd vote for Rowan, Datum or Red toothbrush any day! Lots more of you too.,

It is every voter's democratic right to spoil their ballot.

It's just a pity that if "None of the above" got the most votes, the seat does not remain vacant.

No vote in my area but I would have done exactly the same. I won't vote for any party that treats women as a subspecies lesser than men, as all our current parties do.