Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

If you voted already, did you spoil your ballot?

192 replies

HesGotHisTrombolyse · 04/07/2024 12:23

I just voted - I couldn't align with any of the parties in their current state but I felt spoiling my ballot was not the best move. So I voted. If you voted already today, did you spoil your ballot? If so, is it because you couldn't align with any of the parties 'on offer'?

OP posts:
WiseBiscuit · 04/07/2024 13:23

AstonMartha · 04/07/2024 13:19

I thought (possibly wrongly) that spoiling your ballot would just mean that the tories just stay in?
As in if everyone did it nothing would change?

Eh? How would that happen?
This is quite terrifying. Do you know how votes are counted? First past the post?

Fuck me.

MaGueule · 04/07/2024 13:23

No. I’ve voted with the candidate most likely to oust our ghastly current MP.

However, I spoilt that ball is a perfectly legitimate form of protest if you are disinclined to vote for any candidate.

We are in Anglo-French family and so there has been lots of talk this week about what we will do on Sunday. Several family members intend to submit a vote blanc to avoid voting for any candidate. My view is that every vote will matter to keep the fascists out.

AstonMartha · 04/07/2024 13:23

@bellinisurge and @MissScarletInTheBallroom thank you

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Politics
K0OLA1D · 04/07/2024 13:23

I'm counting the votes. A spoilt ballot or note will just get an eyeroll.

Theweepywillow · 04/07/2024 13:23

MissScarletInTheBallroom · 04/07/2024 13:22

I don't actually know if there's a rule about what happens if every single voter spoils their ballot. It's an interesting question. I guess they would have to re-run the election.

Spoilt ballots aren't counted as a vote for the incumbent though.

Show quote history

It is moot as it would never happen. Most of us recognise we need a government and we should have a say in who that is, so we have our say and vote.

MiscellaneousSupportHuman · 04/07/2024 13:24

naturesform · 04/07/2024 12:52

Nobody cares if you spoil your ballot. It's a pointless protest

Exactly.

The only message it sends is "I did not fill in the ballot paper properly"

No-one's reading what you put, any more than they're reading rants about lizard people or assessing the artistic merits of the (many) cock and balls graffiti

I voted - for the party I think is least worst

MissScarletInTheBallroom · 04/07/2024 13:24

MaGueule · 04/07/2024 13:23

No. I’ve voted with the candidate most likely to oust our ghastly current MP.

However, I spoilt that ball is a perfectly legitimate form of protest if you are disinclined to vote for any candidate.

We are in Anglo-French family and so there has been lots of talk this week about what we will do on Sunday. Several family members intend to submit a vote blanc to avoid voting for any candidate. My view is that every vote will matter to keep the fascists out.

Anglo French here too. I'll be holding my nose and voting for the Ensemble candidate.

ClonedSquare · 04/07/2024 13:24

No, I voted for the party I want. If they hadn't had any chance where I am, I'd have voted tactically.

Spoiling a ballot seems pointless to me.

AstonMartha · 04/07/2024 13:25

WiseBiscuit · 04/07/2024 13:23

Eh? How would that happen?
This is quite terrifying. Do you know how votes are counted? First past the post?

Fuck me.

Show quote history

@WiseBiscuit thanks for being such a kind hearted human and taking your time to carefully respond. You really are wise!

ilovesooty · 04/07/2024 13:25

No. If people want to write twee little messages on theirs they are of course free to do so.

User478 · 04/07/2024 13:26

Chemenger · 04/07/2024 12:52

There is always a least bad candidate. I would never spoil my ballot.

I can't believe we're at the stage of "least bad".

If you voted already, did you spoil your ballot?
Bobsanidiot · 04/07/2024 13:27

username47985 · 04/07/2024 12:49

I really don't understand why anyone would spoil a ballot. Surely it's better to vote for a party you at least loosely align with.

I would really appreciate someone who did spoil theirs to enlighten me on what they hope you achieve? (I'm not being a knob, I am genuinely curious)

I spoiled mine. 9 candidates on the ballot paper and not one I felt loosely aligned with. Women fought for the right to vote. I couldn't not turn up so I did what I thought best and spoiled my paper. It is recorded as a spoilt paper but I would much prefer, as in Australia, compulsory voting and a none of the above option. I don't hope to achieve anything, just doing the same as everyone else and turning up at the polling station to express my opinion.
Reasons why

  • No party is concerned about the sex based rights of women
  • Selling arms to Israel and genocidal acts against the Palestinian people
  • Privatisation by stealth of sections of the NHS
  • Huge amounts of public money siphoned off into the private sector
  • Rwanda
Lots more but I've got to go back to work in 5 minutes. Essentially, I'm an old school socialist, Starmer's a twat and there wasnt anyone to vote for. 😁
jay55 · 04/07/2024 13:28

I voted for a bit of a randomer. There were 8 candidates, I'm in a safe labour seat, went for the one I'd most like to not lose their deposit.

WillLiveLife · 04/07/2024 13:28

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn at user request.

redbric · 04/07/2024 13:28

username47985 · 04/07/2024 13:00

@Singleandproud

I spoilt my ballot, drew a line through the boxes and wrote" Women = Adult human female, Keep single sex spaces" across the ballot.

Who's going to actually see that though? I assumed the vote counters would but that in the spoilt pile along with all the others.

No one is actually going to see/care/act on what you have written. You could just aswell put 'paw patrol for government' and the outcome would be the same.

I genuinely don't understand it.

The counters see it but also the candidates see it.

Theweepywillow · 04/07/2024 13:29

Bobsanidiot · 04/07/2024 13:27

I spoiled mine. 9 candidates on the ballot paper and not one I felt loosely aligned with. Women fought for the right to vote. I couldn't not turn up so I did what I thought best and spoiled my paper. It is recorded as a spoilt paper but I would much prefer, as in Australia, compulsory voting and a none of the above option. I don't hope to achieve anything, just doing the same as everyone else and turning up at the polling station to express my opinion.
Reasons why

  • No party is concerned about the sex based rights of women
  • Selling arms to Israel and genocidal acts against the Palestinian people
  • Privatisation by stealth of sections of the NHS
  • Huge amounts of public money siphoned off into the private sector
  • Rwanda
Lots more but I've got to go back to work in 5 minutes. Essentially, I'm an old school socialist, Starmer's a twat and there wasnt anyone to vote for. 😁
Show quote history

You do understand we need a government, right? And this is your chance to have a voice in who that is. Spoiling your ballot is the same as not voting. The volunteer counting will not give a shit. And we will have a goverment voted in by everyone else.

AmelieTaylor · 04/07/2024 13:30

KreedKafer · 04/07/2024 13:17

Spoiling your ballot achieves nothing. It's not a protest. There's no distinction at the count between a spoiled ballot that's spoiled deliberately and a spoiled ballot that's spoiled by someone who doesn't understand how voting works. It doesn't send any message to anyone. It's just the same as not voting at all.

I've voted, just like I've voted in every election and referendum since I turned 18. But if there ever came a time when I genuinely felt I couldn't vote for any of the parties (which is extremely unlikely, but anyway) I simply wouldn't vote. I wouldn't turn up and write a futile message on my ballot paper that will be seen only by a bored council worker doing a shift at the count to earn some holiday money.

Rubbish.

SwedishEdith · 04/07/2024 13:30

MissScarletInTheBallroom · 04/07/2024 13:21

Because they will see her comment and point of view. That's why. And if a candidate loses by a handful of votes and knows that at least one of the votes they didn't get was for this particular reason, chances are they'll reflect on that. It's a level of scrutiny that no other votes actually get.

Show quote history

No one will be interested in their comments just whether it's a valid vote. No one has time, in the early hours, to be considering someone's "clever/funny/mad" comments. Engage with your actual MP if you want to be heard.

Theweepywillow · 04/07/2024 13:30

redbric · 04/07/2024 13:28

The counters see it but also the candidates see it.

Show quote history

Do you really think they give a shit about some fools spoiling their ballot?

Theweepywillow · 04/07/2024 13:30

SwedishEdith · 04/07/2024 13:30

No one will be interested in their comments just whether it's a valid vote. No one has time, in the early hours, to be considering someone's "clever/funny/mad" comments. Engage with your actual MP if you want to be heard.

Show quote history

Absolutely.

JanglyBeads · 04/07/2024 13:30

JustPleachy · 04/07/2024 12:51

I think that if you feel strongly enough to spoil your ballot then you should either stand yourself, or organise behind someone else who will. Just protesting against something is disruptive, but not productive. It doesn’t lead to a solution. It feels lazy.

Hear hear

Theweepywillow · 04/07/2024 13:31

AmelieTaylor · 04/07/2024 13:30

Rubbish.

Show quote history

It’s completely factual . The fact you don’t like it doesn’t change it.

MissScarletInTheBallroom · 04/07/2024 13:31

SwedishEdith · 04/07/2024 13:30

No one will be interested in their comments just whether it's a valid vote. No one has time, in the early hours, to be considering someone's "clever/funny/mad" comments. Engage with your actual MP if you want to be heard.

Show quote history

I do that.

I also engaged with several of my local candidates, prior to making my decision.

Neither the Lib Dem nor the independent could be arsed to respond, and Labour have no chance locally.

triangleatthetop · 04/07/2024 13:32

JustPleachy · 04/07/2024 12:51

I think that if you feel strongly enough to spoil your ballot then you should either stand yourself, or organise behind someone else who will. Just protesting against something is disruptive, but not productive. It doesn’t lead to a solution. It feels lazy.

Oh come on! Don’t be daft! Most people don’t have the time or money to throw at that!

Being unhappy with all the choices on offer isn’t a privilege reserved for those with the gift of spare time and cash that they can throw at a futile gesture.

MoggyP · 04/07/2024 13:33

MissScarletInTheBallroom · 04/07/2024 13:11

I did spoil my ballot. But it was a postal vote and I'm not sure it will get there on time.

There's a thread in FWR about spoiling. Someone has just posted that she ticked the box for the candidate she dislikes the least but also wrote a message on the ballot paper in such a way that they will have to have a discussion about whether it is a valid vote or not, which I thought was quite clever.

If mine arrives on time it will just be recorded as a spoilt ballot and chucked in the bin without further scrutiny. But given how late it arrived I was in a hurry to get it in the post so I didn't have time to deliberate over precisely how to spoil it.

They won't read what she's written though. They'll just note where there is writing, and whether it contains a signature, and decide from layout whether it's spoiled.

If you want to send a message, then send a message - by email. That will get read, and they might even pay attention to it.

Voiding your vote or abstaining by not casting a vote at all have the same effect. The low turn out tends to concern the main parties more than incorrectly filled in ballot papers.