Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

Original poster

Coordinating spoilt ballots

443 replies

Binglebong · 29/06/2024 12:38

I know there is a thread about have you spoilt your ballot but this is slightly different.

I'm trying to hold my nose and vote for someone but there is not a single potential MP in my constituency who does not disgust me. I don't want to vote Reform or someone as a protest as it might be seen that they have more support than they do. So the liklihood is that I will spoil my vote.

I know spoilt votes only really get looked at if there is a huge number or if the vote is close. But just in case I was wondering if it is worth having the same thing written on all of them to show that it is a massive issue that is losing them votes. What would you suggest (if you think it is a good idea).
Respect my sex if you want my X is a good one but is it the best?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
9
duc748 · 04/07/2024 15:50

Easily Googled:

x.com/bbc5live/status/1806689012175732756

Omlettes · 04/07/2024 15:43

OneSugar1 · 04/07/2024 13:48

I might put “I vote for JaneFromLondon who knows that women’s rights matter. #LabourLosingWomen”

I keep hearing about Jane, but where can I find a clip about her, I'd love to hear what she had to say. Lost my twitter password account so hoping its somewhere else?
cheers

Omlettes · 04/07/2024 15:40

morningtoncrescent62 · 04/07/2024 13:03

I couldn't work it out. I very much wanted to vote Labour, and I wrote twice to the Labour candidate. He could have been worse, but he wouldn't give me a commitment to clarifying the Equality Act, and he touted the confused party/manifesto line on a conversions practices ban. I couldn't call whether to give him a chance or not. So I put a cross in his box, and I also wrote next to it, "Women's rights matter; women's access to single-sex spaces and provisions matters." I think that means they'll have a bit of a quarrel over whether it's a valid vote or not. You're not supposed to write anything other than your X on the paper, but counters are told that if the voter's intention is clear, they should count it. I think it'll end up being contested in my very marginal constituency, which means it'll get seen. As I absolutely couldn't decide whether to vote Labour or to not vote/spoil my paper (there was no other candidate I would want to vote for) I think this was the best I could do.

Likely counted as a vote for Labour.
Anyone spoiling your ballot its crucial not to mark one box or they will count it.
Mark all the boxes or none

MoiraPose · 04/07/2024 15:33

UtilitarianNameChange · 04/07/2024 15:05

Has anyone got any tips for the filling in the weirdly obvious extra time it takes to write ‘No Woman Has a Penis’ compared to ‘X’?

Whistling, maybe?

I’ve got a soft nib pen in my pocket to prevent the scritch-scritch sound of a pencil.

Honestly I wouldn't worry about it-I was once there for a good 5 minutes writing all over the card and the officer did make a quip but it was all lighthearted. I have my red pen ready in any case.

Vegemiteandhoneyontoast · 04/07/2024 15:25

I was clearly scribbling away for a while but if anyone noticed, it didn't bother me at all.

CriticalCondition · 04/07/2024 15:10

A bit of sniffing and one-handed fiddling about with a tissue blowing one's nose while writing furiously with the other hand should cover it!

CriticalCondition · 04/07/2024 15:06

I can't see it as particularly creepy or something that's done by 'dodgy' guys. Isn't it just a rather juvenile way of saying the voter thinks the candidate/s is/are dicks/pricks and not worth voting for?

UtilitarianNameChange · 04/07/2024 15:05

Has anyone got any tips for the filling in the weirdly obvious extra time it takes to write ‘No Woman Has a Penis’ compared to ‘X’?

Whistling, maybe?

I’ve got a soft nib pen in my pocket to prevent the scritch-scritch sound of a pencil.

duc748 · 04/07/2024 14:50

I'm sure there've always been a fair few cock'n'balls on ballot papers, maybe more this time. I'm sure no-one has a fit of the vapours about it, though.

Danana · 04/07/2024 14:44

I do think back to what an earlier poster said about poll workers coming across spoilt ballots with drawings of male genitalia and getting creeped out by the idea of some dodgy guy drawing them.

Vegemiteandhoneyontoast · 04/07/2024 14:34

I was also asked to show ID and also had to confirm my address.

CriticalCondition · 04/07/2024 14:31

Yes. Three people at the desk, one took my polling card and another one asked for my ID which they took and checked. Someone asked me to confirm my name and address but can't remember who.

Tinysoxxx · 04/07/2024 14:31

You don’t need the polling card but it helps the polling clerks as them can quickly match it to their list. They should always ask for photo id.

Shortshriftandlethal · 04/07/2024 14:30

I was asked for ID and it was checked

duc748 · 04/07/2024 14:22

BTW, did people find they were asked for ID? I took my polling card (but they weren't interested in that, really), and had my driving licence in my pocket, but no-one asked to see it. Just asked my name and address.

CriticalCondition · 04/07/2024 14:16

From the AMA thread it seems that ballot papers are unfolded, counted to check that the number tallies with the paperwork from the polling station and then sorted according to candidate. It's at the candidate sorting stage that any spoiled papers are passed to the Returning Officer for review. If the result is close the candidates' papers and the spoiled papers will be looked at again.
So a spoiled paper will be read at least 3 times in the normal course of events and potentially 4 or 5 times if the result is close.

duc748 · 04/07/2024 14:11

The deed is done. For the first time, I spoil my ballot. I took a green Sharpie in, and Jeez, it squeaks, it is so noisy! 😀Also it clearly shows through the paper when you fold it and put it in the box, so the teller obviously knows you've spoilt. Not that they care, I suppose.

OneSugar1 · 04/07/2024 13:48

I might put “I vote for JaneFromLondon who knows that women’s rights matter. #LabourLosingWomen”

Original poster
Binglebong · 04/07/2024 13:42

I went with respect my sex if you want my X and put something vaguely cross like in each box to increase the chance of it being examined.waves to local counter who recognises the description Really impressed by what some of you have done.

OP posts:
ArabellaScott · 04/07/2024 13:40

CriticalCondition · 04/07/2024 13:23

I've debated long and hard about what to do over the last few days. My constituency was a fairly safe Conservative seat in the last election but with boundary changes and a Reform candidate predicted to take a significant part of the Tory vote it's much less predictable and I didn't feel good about simply spoiling my ballot.

So I put a clear cross in the Tory's box and also attached some middle class stickers 😉in purple and green over the other candidates's names saying 'Respect my sex if you want my X' and 'Woman = Adult Human Female'.

As you are not supposed to write anything on your paper this should mean that it'll get debated about whether it's a valid vote or not but, if it comes to it, my intentions are clear and my vote will count.

Ooh, that's an interesting approach.

CriticalCondition · 04/07/2024 13:39

That's exactly what I thought RoyalCorgi. There's a very interesting AMA at the moment in which presiding officers and tellers at the count describe what happens to the ballot papers.

RoyalCorgi · 04/07/2024 13:34

Even if just one person reads the comments on spoiled ballots it all helps in banishing the idea that it is a total non issue. That one person may well tell other people the sorts of things that they saw written on spoiled ballots.

This is what I think. If you cast a vote, then no one takes any notice of it because it is just one vote of thousands. So except in very marginal constituencies a single vote has no impact. But if you spoil a ballot, one person will read it, which is one more than you'd have reached if you'd put a cross next to someone's name.

CriticalCondition · 04/07/2024 13:30

Ha, like minds @morningtoncrescent62 !

CriticalCondition · 04/07/2024 13:29

Yup, happily I had purple and green highlighters. Did nice big capitals. Tucked my labels into my waistband so no suspicious faffing with a bag or pocket that might get the polling station staff coming over to the polling booth.

wavingmadly · 04/07/2024 13:25

@morningtoncrescent62 That seems like a very good solution in your circumstances.

I'm in what should be a Conservative safe seat and cannot bring myself to vote for anyone. I've just sat down with a box of self-adhesive address labels and have made myself a variety of stickers to take to the polling station this afternoon to spoil my paper. I'll decide which to use when I get there. The women's symbols, large ones, in neon pink highlighter and the suffragette colours are very visible.