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Original poster

Spoilt ballot not counted

56 replies

ChickenPieBumFace · 13/12/2019 10:30

I took the stand yesterday to spoil my ballot, based on self ID and women's rights. Looking online this morning in my constituency, there are no spoilt ballots. It has been categorised differently. I am fuming. There was no ambiguity. how many more protest votes have been Mis categorised deliberately?

Spoilt ballot not counted
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nettie434 · 13/12/2019 11:58

Spoiled ballots aren’t recorded separately but they do count the number of invalid papers for any reason. Where ballots like yours do make a difference is at the count where scrutineers from the parties can see what people have written. I have been to counts and I know they do make notes about this, even if it is just practical things like the number of voters in local elections who do not use all their votes. Personally, I think we should have a ‘none of the above category’, as I think they do in Australia but they have compulsory voting there too.

Disfordarkchocolate · 13/12/2019 11:51

Possibly counted as a vote for Andy.

LonginesPrime · 13/12/2019 11:46

A spoilt ballot wouldn't be counted - they're discarded.

Anyway, given that the vote counters are supposed to look for any indication of a preference, they may we'll have taken your paper to be a vote for Andy as that's the one you put a cross in. I've never done vote counting, so I could be wrong.

AvocadoToes · 13/12/2019 11:29

(See examples 21 and 24 in particular).

AvocadoToes · 13/12/2019 11:27

The categorization of ballots is laid out here: www.electoralcommission.org.uk/sites/default/files/pdf_file/UKPE-doubtfuls-booklet.pdf

There is no official category for 'protest votes' or 'spoiled ballots'.

VMisaMarshmallow · 13/12/2019 10:31

Aren’t they rejected votes? As in no party can claim them, but they are all aware that many people engaged with the process rather than not vote.

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