Spoilt ballot not counted

Holy - what was it in 2017?

In my area it roughly doubled, and is a few hundred. Isn’t a significant % but definitely significant number imho. I don’t know if parties consider doubling of spoilt ballots to be a enough to make them think (very safe seat here too, no the numbers of spoilt ballots). I was wondering if other areas saw similar or better increases, and if the areas where labour lost seats saw these increases in particular, and if spoilt ballots are commonly a stable figure over other general elections. I guess I was thinking maybe my area doubling isn’t a big deal, but if all areas are increasing spoilt ballots (doubling or more) and especially if that’s true of areas labour lost seats, then maybe that would be a trend that some candidates might listen to. I’m not sure if there’s any likelihood of an analysis on this anywhere? I doubt it’s commonly analysed by journos but I wonder if there are any gc women/groups like fpfw looking at it? Like how it got tweeted as few yrs back the actual breakdown and analysis of figures of transwomen murdered and it showed that transing actually reduced the risk of being murdered.

176 rejected ballots in my constituency, one of them mine.

I did it because it was the best choice out of a bunch of shitty options.

I was never going to vote tory or brexit anyway.
I might have held my nose and voted labour or libdem if it had meant keeping a tory out but I live in a very safe constituency so there was nothing tactical to be gained.
I was never going to just not turn up.

It categorically will not have been counted as a vote for Andy. The Electoral Commission provides clear guidance on how these votes are categorised as per the poster above.

There were nearly 200 spoilt or discounted ballots in my constituency. It wouldn't have made any difference but if it's similar numbers around the country it adds up.

It was worth it for me personally as I'm not giving my vote to any of those cowards, liars or traitors of women, it was better than sitting at home, at least I turned up.

I read that there was a very specific way to spoil your vote. It's not counted until the word None is written on it and a line crossing out all of the check boxes. Papers with other words are thrown away

None of the above is correct. I can't be bothered correcting it as have done so several times.

Thanks Twanwan good to read that these were noticed. Worth doing I think. Still looking for results which include the full figures.and many thanks to my reluctant proxy who did it for me anyway.

Do you mind if I ask why you spoilt your ballot? Was there a feeling enough people may do so as to have an effect on the result?

I did it because I am politically engaged but there were serious, fundamental issues with each party (who had a candidate standing in my constituency) that I could not in all conscience overlook and just vote for the 'least worst'. I wasn't bothered about making a difference to the final count or in being part of a media story picked up about spoiled ballots or anything like that - it was about my own personal political principles and integrity.

Yours was probably counted as one of the 150 OP

Thanks twan

@Sprinklemetinsel I thought each area had to publish the full record of results. It may be that they’ve just not uploaded the information yet. I might be wrong on that tho. Or else if you could find a clip of your areas declaration then the number of rejected and the categories should have been read out then.

Do you mind if I ask why you spoilt your ballot? Was there a feeling enough people may do so as to have an effect on the result?

There's a lengthy thread on this on the Feminist board.

I read that there was a very specific way to spoil your vote. It's not counted until the word None is written on it and a line crossing out all of the check boxes. Papers with other words are thrown away.

This is not correct.

Anything other than a clear single mark for one candidate will be rejected. You can do it how you like, but as OP discovered, all that gets reported is the total (so people know the overall numbers added up).

Tranwan my area doesn't seem to have published anything about spoilt ballots.

Sanfran, I did it because every party I might have voted for was actively prejudiced against women. They were clearly and loudly demonstrating that women should be ignored if you don't like what they are saying. I could not vote for a party willing to undermine 50% of the population.

Do you mind if I ask why you spoilt your ballot? Was there a feeling enough people may do so as to have an effect on the result?

Thank you Tranwan. I've just been trying to find out what happened to mine, and where I will find out.

@Tanith I honestly don’t think it was a total waste of time. Yes, nationally I won’t make an impact. But at local level I really hope it could. The people in the halls last night have power on this issue. Last night I heard a woman explain to someone with seniority why woman were being gaslit. She was tentative and trying not to take a side, but I could have cried as she was far braver than I was in saying gender critical thoughts out loud.

I’ve been watching the spoiled ballot threads but given my job have been too scared to post until the election was over. I work at the count. The spoiled papers are counted and are spilt into Four categories as @TreestumpsAndTrampolines has listed above. The number of spoiled papers is read out during the declaration on the night and are published on each election constituency website. Eg see link here for no of spoiled ballots in Joanna Cherry’s constituency: www.edinburgh.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/13209/edinburgh_south_west.pdf

I saw several spoiled ballot papers last night which mentioned self-ID/woman’s rights. To those women: thank you. People saw. Candidates. Their agents. Activists and Councillors from all the parties. The management of the Council. People who are going make decisions.

Agree - that's definitely not a vote for Andy.

I spoiled mine too.

I found the guide posted above very interesting- absolutely no way that would be counted as a vote for Andy if following it.

I read that there was a very specific way to spoil your vote. It's not counted until the word None is written on it and a line crossing out all of the check boxes. Papers with other words are thrown away.

Having said that, quite a few people here have said they don't look at them and they are chucked.

They're not counted as a vote, but they are logged:

(4) The returning officer shall draw up a statement showing the number of ballot
papers rejected under the several heads of –
(a) want of official mark;
(b) voting for more than one candidate;
(c) writing or mark by which voter could be identified; and
(d) unmarked or void for uncertainty.

Oh, and according to the examples in that document, if you'd have counted it for Andy you would have been clearly making a fraudulent count.

@riddley
I just spat my tea out laughing 😂☕

I was thinking the same thing

That’s not how you spell penises.

Used to work at counts, that would of been counted for ‘Andy’ on the bases that there was a cross in the name box.

This is what happens unfortunately

We told you that's how spoiled ballots are treated!

I'm sorry you're disappointed, but you shouldn't really be surprised. Yes, it's a total waste of time.