If you voted already, did you spoil your ballot?

[HesGotHisTrombolyse]

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'?

They're counted and categorised into 'type' of spoil. The figures are part of the official stats for each election.

I thought about it but tbh the green candidate answered my questions about animal welfare very well indeed so have given it to them as they do seem to stand a real chance in my area. I had to weigh up which issues I cared most about and that swayed it.

@kitsuneghost

of course it 'counts'

it shows people are willing to vote (voter turn out) background, but weren't happy with ANY OF the candidates/parties.

No I will be voting later not spoiling my ballot which feels pointless.

I don’t love any of the parties and haven’t since the optimism of Blair getting elected. But I will vote for the party I consider least bad, which is admittedly hard to decipher.

I voted tactically rather than with my heart

If you spoil your ballot you really are pathetic.

I disagree that no-one gives a toss about spoilt ballots. They may not care about individual messages but stats do show spoilt ballots and if there is a significant jump then it becomes newsworthy - either the population of previous voters has become more thick, first time voters are stupid, or there is a reason lots of people are turning up and not correctly voting (which shows it's not just voter apathy) 🤷‍♀️

I was going to spoil my ballot paper, I've never not voted but didn't feel any deserved my vote this time.

Fortunately I have a 12 year old who is passionate about politics and loves to debate. He read manifestos and came up with a well reasoned argument so I voted for his choice.

Nope. I want a change of government. None of them are perfect. Many parties have policies I agree or disagree with to different extents.

Only Reform could make things worse than the current shitshow

Spoiled mine. I emailed every local candidate with a version of the WRN email. Only one emailed back to say he didn't agree with me, silence from the rest. So sod the lot of them.

I spoiled my vote because I'm engaged enough to make the effort to go out and vote, but have no confidence in any of the candidates

No. I didn't spoil my ballot paper because I'm not five years old and I have no desire to scribble nonsense when I have the power of a hard won democratic vote. I also know that parties do not take notice. This is a wearisome mantra that amounts to utter bullshit. Someone is going to win the election even if you paint your arse red and pretended to be a horse at the polling station, so you might as well vote for a party or an independent that roughly aligns with your values. You can't just cop out of choosing the country's leaders unless you have a solid contingency plan such as standing for election yourself. Painting pictures on your ballot paper is not a contingency plan and it achieves fuck all.

No I didn’t spoil my ballot because I am not a toddler having a tantrum. Vote for the party who best represents your views. None are likely to say everything you personally want but choose the best fit.
Not voting or spoiling your ballot achieves nothing.

@MissScarletInTheBallroom yeah, that's pretty much where I'm at too

You know who will see your protest vote? The ballot counter, that’s it. They will place it in a pile with the other spoiled papers and count them up. Then they will be disposed of. Nothing you write on the ballot paper other than a clear mark for one candidate will be of any relevance. No one reads them, it is pointless. Spoil your ballot if you wish but don’t fool yourself into thinking it makes a difference as to why you did it. We don’t currently have any system in place for spoilt ballots being recognised in any other way.

No party is ever going to align 100% with your views. Political parties are busses not taxis, they won’t take you exactly where you want to go but you can decide if they’re going in the right direction.

I personally wouldn’t discard my opportunity to vote over a single policy I disagreed with. Especially one that has been much hyped and over discussed in an attempt to divide and distract from the real issues in our country and the wider world.

On average we live for 71 years (based on life expectancy). Most of us remember people we meet after age 5. On average let’s assume that we interact with at least 1 new person daily 365 days in a year plus leap year days is 365.24. In total it will be (71 – 5) x 1 x 365.24 = 27,027 people.
The current Uk population is 69,425,995 so you could potentially meet 0.38% of the UK population during your life. Currently 48,000 or 0.1% of the uk population identify as trans women so can you start to see how unlikely it is that you would even meet a trans woman in your lifetime let alone have multiple instances of being in a ‘women’s only space’ with a person who identifies as trans. Can you now see why it seems odd that this is your primary issue of concern?

There are real issues around education, health, cost of living, homelessness and the environment that need to be urgently addressed and impact every person in the uk but somehow the media/politicians have managed to get gender identity to be the pressing issue that people are concerned about.

There have been times in the past when people have felt the need to keep themselves segregated and have spaces only for them because the ‘others’ are dangerous, dirty, untrustworthy, uneducated, weak or different. This is no different, it’s sensationalism, bigotry and mass hysteria pushing a narrative to make people afraid of those who are different.

If someone thinks that none of the candidates are suitable to run the country then why not? I wish more people would spoil their ballot and then maybe the politicians might actually sit up and take notice. It means that you have made the effort to go out and vote but don't have any confidence in the parties and they don't deserve your vote.

"Can you now see why it seems odd that this is your primary issue of concern?"

I agree it must seem odd to people who don't really understand the issue and think it is about the odd trans person in a public toilet, sure.

It isn't about that though.

No because I want to get rid of the Tories and the best way to do that where I am is to cast a proper vote against the most likely candidate to beat them. If I really had no clue as to who to vote for or just didn't like anyone at all, then I simply wouldn't vote. Hasn't happened yet in my 68 yrs.

I've never spoiled a normal ballot paper there is always one party who i mostly agree with, no one party will ever be a perfect match. But every time the police crime commissioner elections come round I spoil that one with " no politics in policing" written over it.

Spoilt ballot papers are read and looked at very closely and counted. They are announced in total at the end.

Also you clearly don't understand the trans issue at all.

Edited to say sorry as quoted wrong post.

Yes we have to have a government but I also have a conscience. I want to use my vote. I'm not willing to give my precious vote to people I fundamentally disagree with. There was no one on that list who deserved my vote. Spoiling my paper wasn't about scribbling political comments or drawing on the paper it was a carefully considered decision that I did not take lightly. I've never done this before. Other people say they voted for the least offensive person or a random candidate. That's their choice but it's not one I'm willing to make. I've worked on counts (you do get paid). I know what happens to spoilt papers.

Are you sure you're directing that comment at me and not the person I was responding to?

I have spoiled my ballot paper over Labour/LD/Green stance on women's rights.

Edit: just seen your edit!

I should have quoted NZDreaming's post.

Absolutely

this makes no sense at all. You did not use your vote. You spoiled it. You voted for no one. We will have a government voted by the rest of us. Not by you as you wasted your vote.

and if you know what happens you know full well it’s a cursory glance and no one cares.