Coordinating spoilt ballots

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.

Sharpie, took it with me specially!

Thanks BinkyBeaufort that summed it up very eloquently - have used it too, but with an X placed such that it will take an effort to decide if it's a valid choice

Same boat here.

That's pretty clever.

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.

Sharpie or pencil? 😁

I've spoiled my ballot. I wrote 'no' in all the boxes and 'Respect my sex if you want my X' across the paper.

I don't want anyone thinking that I haven't considered long and hard how to vote.
I've emailed 3 candidates and had responses from all of them (two of them could have been cloned).

Since I was among the first batch of 18-year olds eligible to vote I haven't missed a single one. I have no allegiance to any particular party, although my inclination has always been liberal.

Today though, no cross for anyone.
Instead "Woman = adult human female, so if you want my X respect my sex", which I think about covers it.

If it makes you feel better, voting for an independent with no chance is a bit like a wasted vote - similar to spoiling it?

I voted Green until this shit show. So, in a way I've been spoiling my vote all along...

I think getting the women's rights issue over is very important however you do it.

Though the number who thinks a penis is female I think my slogan will be quite clear!

That said I am so cross not even any of the independents mentioned it (all male) so I have no choice. Gutted as this is my second time spoiling my ballot. Doesn't feel positive in any way

No Balls in Women's drawers?
No Penis is a Venus?

Sorry I'm not very good at this. I'm just going for Sex Matters for Women's rights

Imagine a very close vote in a constituency, and a big pile of spoilt ballots in the corner, and a candidate thinking I would have won if those ballots had been for me.........

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.

I stuck three ( very 'middle class' 😉)stickers on my ballot which obscured totally all the candidate boxes, and also wrote in red felt tip " Women have dignity too".

The stickers say 'Transwomen are men: women require single sex spaces, services and sports for their dignity, comfort and safety'

but there is a record of spoiled ballots - nobody here is seriously thinking that someone is assiduously writing down what is on the spoiled ballots. 🙄

Someone i know has written "Don't vote, the government will get in" and made sure to put something in each box.

This (drawing of male genitalsl) isn't This (female symbol)

I wrestled with my conscience all the way to the polling station.

Spoilt my ballot.

And made it clear why.

This is true. The reason why staying at home is a bad idea is explained in this. https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1808637781138129244.html

of course it's taking action: it is saying that you want a better quality of MP candidate.

Not voting? is apathy and you deserve the government that causes you most harm

I spoilt and wrote 'I stand with JK Rowling and Rosie Duffield.' Felt those two grabbed the headlines in the last week or so, so it was an okay way of getting the point across. Husband also spoilt, saying Labour don't care about women.
I'm gutted that I couldn't go and joyfully vote for Labour after 14 years of the Tories.

Yeah same result likely here @Didsomeonesaydogs - one of those constituencies where you could put a blue rosette on a donkey and it would get in. I've always voted Green before, I was active in the Green Party from 1989 but left a year or so ago. I know there's a lot of criticism around spoilt ballot papers, but it's just the decision that sits with me best.

You might if your local candidate had refused to meet with you on an issue that was very important to you, and if your campaign group had been referred to as a 'hate group' by that candidate, too.

Lots of Lefties ( I live in a Leftie city) seem to think it noble to vote for alternative candidates to Labour or even to spoil, on account of Starmer's treatment of Jeremy Corbyn and other Labour party members. Kier Starmer has been ruthless in seeking to silence and do away with any internal opposition or critique...for those at this sharp end spoiling is a perfectly valid thing to do - and which signals integrity.

Who would vote for someone who treated you that badly?

@MurielThrockmorton I’m just off to do the same. Prediction here is a conservative win but lower majority.

I've just voted and wrote none and woman = adult human female. First time in 35 years I've spoiled. I'm disappointed there's no party members here at the polling station and I've had no one round to the door.

I'm definitely spoiling, and I know two other people who are doing the same. There is no one in my constituency I can support, simple as that. Really disappointing.