If you are going to spoil your ballot...

[WTCT]

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How are you going to do it/what are you going to write on it?

Writing some kind of poignant message is a waste of time

Is it? Why?

They don't read it. They're just looking for a cross. Anything else just gets set aside / destroyed.

Why bother? If you can’t be arsed to vote properly then don’t. Spoiling your ballot deliberately is stupid and childish.

They DO read it. It has to be read and shown to the candidates where upon they all agree to reject it as a vote.

Ah thanks @TheGoodEnoughWife - I have been misinformed.

They are counted, there were nearly 100k deliberately spoilt papers in the 2015 election. If there's a huge number this time, it illustrates widespread discontent with all of the parties. Although it won't affect the result, the parties will be interested in the numbers in their constituentcy. If you just don't vote it doesn't necessarily highlight that you don't want to vote because there's no one you deem up to it, it could be a plethora of reasons ie couldn't be arsed.

Although it is a wasted vote it is much better than not voting at all in my opinion.

The times are too serious to protest. You'll be giving the election to the wrong party depending on which side you support.

@SuperMeerkat I don't agree - it is a way of stating that you don't have faith in any of the candidates. I don't think I could do it personally but i am opposed to this election and at this stage, don't know who to vote for. I agree that it isn't worth bothering thing with messages- i would probably draw a willy

I don’t think I could spoil my ballot in a general election but I did in the last European one. I wrote Farage is a facist beside the brexit party candidate and ‘should be ashamed of this mess’ beside the Tory candidate. I was one of 18 spoiled ballots in my constituency.

I might have spoiled my ballot but I still took part in the democratic process which is much better than not voting at all.

Spoiling your ballot if you do not feel you can vote for any candidate is IMO a civic duty. It's the only way to show up in the system. Simply not voting tells us nothing.

A significant number of spoiled ballots is a political statement.

Use your vote!

Why spoil a ballet, it goes straight in the bin surely !

Spoiling your ballot in an election as important as this is stupid and irresponsible. Are you a teenager?

A friend who helps at each election told me years ago that it's much better to write a protest on your ballot paper than just not vote. She said each spoilt paper is noted, so in a way, you are still voting.

I'm pondering this as well. I'm swaying between good old cocknballs (so to speak) and writing "none of the above". Definitely not voting for anyone as none of them have earned it and anyway we'll likely have another one six months from now

They definitely read them, and the spoiled ones are shown to candidates, agents etc and either disregarded or added to a candidates pile, I've been to many counts.
My favourite ever spoilt paper was when someone had written is a wanker in the box for the candidate's name, and someone in the crowd shouted "hey you're not supposed to vote for yourself".

I'm in an extremely safe Tory seat. I intend to write "none of the above" on mine. If it would have made a difference, I would have voted for another party, even though I don't agree really with any of them. It's not stupid and childish, it's a protest and the spoilt ballots are counted.

I've spoilt once and as a former candidate I knew it would be shown as the candidates have to agree that there either is or is not a preference on the ballot.
I used it to write a specific policy message to the candidates.

I won't do this in the next election as I'm voting tactically and doing a vote swop.

I work on the vote count and all spoiled papers are read. (as well as providing interest to the counters!)

"I'm swaying between good old cocknballs (so to speak)"

Be careful with this. If you draw it neatly within one box, it might be claimed as a vote.

Apparently spoiled votes can be scrutinised to see if the mark should be interpreted as a vote. If not, then not they go into a pile that is counted, but no further action taken. It might raise a smile amongst tellers, but has no political significance

What’s the point? Why waste your energy going out and doing it? Vote if you want to but if you’re going out just to spoil it, I think you’re wasting your time