Coordinating spoilt ballots

While this is sadly true, I feel it is important to to go to the polling booth and express my opinion and to do something that holds true to my beliefs. Which in the current circumstances is to put more than one x in so they have to check, and state my views. It's better than staying at home when, as others have said, women died so I could vote.

It's not their fault that the choices are the unspeakable in pursuit of the inedible as someone once described hunting.

Well, yeah, obviously. I don't have to give them my mandate though.

I have voted in every single election, both local and national, since I was 18. I have always taken voting incredibly seriously, to the point that I believe it is everyone's civic duty.
But what am I supposed to do now? I have read the manifestos and listened to each party, but ny conscience will not let me vote for any of them on ethical grounds.
There's a big difference between holding my nose and voting Labour like the life-long leftie that I am, and actively voting for a party that will effectively decimate women's rights and whose leader showed incredible disdain towards a woman raising concerns about it on the radio yesterday.
The Tories are incompetent and corrupt. They have decimated public services and the economy. The Greens and LibDems are even worse for women.
I wish there was a single party that I felt I could give a vote to and not feel like I'd betrayed my principles.
I don't want to just not vote. I'm not apathetic. I'm furious.
I don't really see any other option. I don't believe it will make much of a difference - just as my single vote on its own is unlikely to make one. Spoiling my vote is the least shitty option out of a bunch of them.
I was thinking of 'Support Rosie Duffield, you cowards' (with a big squiggle over all candidates so its clear its none).

I live in a constituency with a pretty standard offer of Labour, Tory, Lib Dem, Greens & Reform. I have contacted all the candidates in my constituency to ask about their views on single-sex spaces & amendment to the Equality Act. None have replied. So I go back to what I know of them and their party. Greens & Lib Dems are a no way on their position on GRA reform. Reform are a no way because they are Reform. Any of these three will finish way behind the other 2 anyway at it is a Labour target seat and a two way race. That leaves the Tory incumbent & Labour. I don't trust Labour on women's rights, which is a central issue for me (I'm not arguing the toss about this except to say if my central issues was housing or the NHS, no one would bat an eye about basing a voting decision on those). So we have the Tory, who by and large I don't agree with on anything. Which of these is the least worst? And why would voting for any of them have any impact whatsoever? How would it 'effect change'?

@murasaki @NoWordForFluffy

Irrespective of your views or mine. One of them will get in.

Voting for a party lets them think that you're supporting their entire manifesto. You don't get a half vote to say you don't wholly agree, or a box to say which bits you love and hate. If there are no parties which don't have 'red line' issues in their manifestos, then it's not possible to vote, as you'd be giving a mandate for things you absolutely don't agree with. So no, it's not better to vote for them and then try to change it. The ship has very much sailed then!

I want to make the point that I want to vote, but there isn't a single one who inspires my trust. Staying at home just looks like laziness or apathy.

Plus, as my DM pointed out to me many times, women died so I could do this.

So no, the raging misogyny of the Labour and LibDem leadership will not keep me out of the polling booth.

It’s vanishingly unlikely that anyone will look at a spoilt ballot paper beyond a few bored council workers at the count, sorry.

Because trying to effect change doesn't stop at the General election booth.

Especially when the least shit still have policies which cross my red lines. 🤷‍♀️

I certainly don't want to base my vote on who is the least shit.

Given there's barely a rizla paper between the lot of them for various reasons

Why?

Someone is going to get elected whichever way you cut it. The least worst is surely better than 'whatever'.

Honestly, you'd think they think we don't Google the candidates, especially when we recognise the name but can't quite place it.

Only when being chastised by the tory party for allegedly assaulting his pregnant wife. No charges were brought. He's now our lib d candidate. Happy days.

I think it's very important if you are politically homeless, you should spoil your paper. It's always disappointing if there is a low turnout, as a PP said, it looks like apathy. If, however, there is a large turnout and a large number of ballot papers are spoiled, it's sends a message.

Your LD candidate knows what a woman is? That's rare in the LDs!

Putting an x in two boxes and then writing is a good idea.

I'm now thinking x for tory and lib dem, then writing 'i don't want a tory or a suspected wife beater but at least they know what a woman is unlike the others '

Politicians judge their "legitimacy" by the size of their majorities AND by whether people turn out to vote. Hold your nose and vote for a party and they'll claim you support everything in their manifesto, although that is obviously bollocks.

Spoil your ballot paper and you send a message that you want to vote (and will in subsequent elections) but you dont support them. I've used "none of the above" before (and all boxes crossed through) but I like writing in Party of Women for this election.

All politicians know there will be other elections and I like indicating what I do want to vote for. I am still considering whether to vote for the tories, though, as a landslide is not good for democracy.

But staying at home is more likely to be interpreted as apathy/laziness/CBA rather than a protest. Protest must be active, it can't be passive.

Above all, it's important to make the effort to make a mark. Whether it's against a candidate you support or as a spoiler to indicate dissatisfaction.

I can't tell you what to do. We are getting a government I wouldn't choose regardless (bottom of my list would be Reform). I can't control that, but I can control where I spend my energy. I will be throwing my support behind anyone/ group who will, through legitimate means, force the incoming/ returning government's hand on projecting single sex spaces and other rights for biological women, amongst other things.

There is a now defunct website which I think sets out the reasons for spoiling your ballot paper quite well.

www.votenone.org.uk/

However, the messages on spoilt ballots aren't recorded so you can write whatever you want.

A spoilt ballot paper has no power.

I respectfully disagree. The number of spoiled ballots is counted as a matter of course in all elections and has been for years.

A sudden spike will be noticeable and candidates would be fools not to take note of one (if there is one).

Spoiling a ballot with a slogan requires all candidates to check to see it's not meant as a vote for a particular candidate.

I'm putting 'none of the above.'

Violence against women has no class.