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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to wonder why people spoil their ballot papers?

154 replies

RedButtonhole · 06/05/2015 18:23

What does it achieve? Surely you'd be as well not voting, or am I missing the point?

OP posts:
GiddyOnZackHunt · 06/05/2015 23:12

£3 for that? Jeez Shock

I'd like a -1 option on ballot papers. So if you don't care who wins as long as that git doesn't get in, you could actively vote against a candidate. That'd shake things up.

TalkinPeace · 06/05/2015 23:13

Angry not Apathetic

at a push, vote with your heart to save a party their deposit

and if you do spoil, make it amusing for the tellers : its a bugger of a job on a VERY long night

OwlinaTree · 06/05/2015 23:18

It's a bit wrong to spoil if you've done nothing for the last 5 years to help improve the local issues, then suddenly decide to spoil your paper because no one is doing what you want. How will they know what you want?

wigglesrock · 06/05/2015 23:22

I spoil my paper and will do so again tomorrow. I'm in NI - none of the candidates nor their parties address the issues that are important to me and I won't give any of them a mandate by voting for the one that I dislike the least.

OwlinaTree · 06/05/2015 23:25

I can appreciate the situation in NI is a little different to the rest of the UK.

TRexingInAsda · 06/05/2015 23:33

My brother does the pole officer thing and he bloody loves a spoiled ballot. Especially if there are rude messages on them - it makes a boring job fun for a moment!

KenAdams · 06/05/2015 23:49

I spoilt mine once and wrote some sort of boring rude message.

I'm not spoiling tomorrow, but if I did, I'd do snog, marry, avoid against the candidates names Grin

Topseyt · 07/05/2015 01:39

All this talk about drawing donkeys and unicorns makes me wish I was artistic .

My 12 year old is very good at drawing. Should I take her with me?

I won't spoil, but we do have quite a poor choice this time around really.

GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 07/05/2015 02:02

No notice is taken of spoilt papers. In a election as close as this I think everyone who wants Torys out should vote Labour.

Nettletheelf · 07/05/2015 04:57

Does anybody really think that things they write on a spoiled ballot paper (none of you deserve my vote, you're all liars, I don't trust any of you, etc.) will be taken seriously or acted upon by the candidates or their parties? How naive.

If you have a specific complaint about the incumbent, or you don't like the particular policies of any party, why not tell them before the election?

I know somebody who is standing today, although I don't share his political views. He says that when people say to him, on the doorstep, that politicians are "all a bunch of crooks" or similar, he asks them to explain why they think that he in particular is a crook, with specific reference to the crimes he has apparently committed.

He also says that people who tell him that they plan to spoil their vote are often the type who fixate on a single issue specific to them, which they naively think they can campaign for by whining on a spoiled ballot paper and which are more about selfishness than the overall manifesto pledges of any of he parties. Examples include:

"My granny has to wait three months for a hip replacement because the NHS doesn't have enough money, and by the way I'm paying too much tax." (yes, and you're too stupid to see the connection)

"My child benefit has been cut, and we're spending too much money on benefits." (see the correlation, do you? No, of course not)

"There aren't enough healthcare assistants or carers in my area, and also I think there are too many immigrants" (yes, the same people who come to Britain keen to work in exactly those jobs).

"I want free childcare and I think that schools should provide free wrap around care from 7 am to 7 pm. I pay far too much tax." (you really believe in that bottomless pit of cash, don't you? If you want Scandinavian levels of state provision, get ready for Scandinavian tax rates)

Don't spoil your ballot paper. It's the equivalent of taking your ball home when you're a kid. As others have noted, choose the least worst option if you don't support any of the parties.

DoraGora · 07/05/2015 06:27

We don't have a proper None of the Above system and we should have one. There is so much wrong with our voting system. But, I'm not sure what to do about it. I'll give more thought to writing insults on the ballot paper. Could be something in that.

DoraGora · 07/05/2015 06:32

I disagree that spoiling is like taking your ball home. That's rather like saying you must buy something from the off license, even if you're a tee-totaller. You don't have to play football. But, you do have to live in this society and voting is the only way of choosing a government. You can choose another sport. To me what it's saying is there's something wrong with this system. But, at least I turned up. And, that's fair enough.

BoneyBackJefferson · 07/05/2015 06:48

acatcalledjohn

Did you mean this one the one you posted to is a political party

to wonder why people spoil their ballot papers?
BoneyBackJefferson · 07/05/2015 06:52

Nettletheelf

Choosing the least worst option is still consenting to be governed by the winning party.

I (and others) want to show that we don't consent to be ruled by any of the parties.

DoraGora · 07/05/2015 06:57

One solution is: a None of the Above constituency could select a random elector per day (like jury service) to attend Parliament for 24 hours.

Blamenargles · 07/05/2015 07:02

owlinatree
Yes I would rather no one represent us, than pick 1 of the 2 party's that was on offer.
We fall under 2 areas so had 3 voting slips general and 2 area votes.

WhatsGoingOnEh · 07/05/2015 07:11

Spoiling your vote achieves nothing.

TalkinPeace · 07/05/2015 07:39

In THIS election, spoiled ballots and minority parties will add to the pressure for electoral reform which will be here sooner than many think

if you do not bother to vote, do not complain about other people's choices

Yeasayer · 07/05/2015 07:49

In my area I have the choice of Tory, labour & green. I don't want to vote for any of them. Not even the least worst one. Not voting at all (IMO) has to be worse than spoiling your ballot paper surely?

acatcalledjohn · 07/05/2015 07:52

Boney, the website I linked to states:

VoteOrVoteNone is a positive campaign to convince everyone in the UK to participate in the 2015 General election, either by Voting, or by Voting None.

I can't find any link to the NOTA Party on it. The party's website is notaparty.org.uk from what I can gather. Apologies if I'm wrong.

RedButtonhole · 07/05/2015 08:02

Whatsgoingon I agree. But at least now I understand why people do it.

I would rather vote tactically to keep another party out if I couldn't vote for one I actually wanted, than spoil my paper I think.

What TalkinPeace says is interesting, we do need electoral reform, the system is shit.

OP posts:
TalkinPeace · 07/05/2015 08:07

redbutton
Part of the problem against Electoral reform is people my age : we grew up watching Italy collapse under failed coalitions in the 70's and early 80's

we tend to forget that Germany has had incredibly successful coalitions for many years

and actually if I had the choice of coalitions or US style deadlock, I'd bring in PR tomorrow.

Its likely that PR will come in at Council level first
but it has to come
and full PR will be the best method

If you do not vote you are accepting the system as it is
if you state your opposition

  • by rejecting the two main parties
  • or by spoiling your ballot
you add to the pressure for change

people died to get that choice
people die today to get that choice
people will die tomorrow to fight for the choice

enjoy what you have and USE IT

Ceic · 07/05/2015 10:12

In the past, I have spoiled my ballot. I'd prefer to be able to vote for a candidate that I can support. I think that it is important to have your ballot paper counted and that can only happen if it goes in the ballot box.

Several years ago, I was interviewed about my voting history and it was very very frustrating. (I was living in Scotland and the questions were all about Westminster but the interviewer was unable to make the distinction between Holyrood and Westminter!)

During that interview, I told them that at one election, I had spoilt my ballot. "Oh, we don't have that option, I'll have to put you down as a didn't vote". AngryAngryAngry I told them that I did* vote and ended the interview. If they weren't going to record it properly, what was the point?

If pollsters and other election researchers don't count spoilt ballots separately in their numbers, then i can see why people would think a spoilt ballot is the same as not voting at all.

DoraGora · 07/05/2015 10:16

talkingpeace, PR is basically a parliament building with satan in it.

Withershins · 07/05/2015 10:58

I think spoiling the ballot is a justifiable option when there is not a tactical vote available, or if the tactical vote is UKIP.

I am thinking of writing "None of the above (especially Nick Hurd you vainglorious, self-serving, kitten murderer atrocious cunt )".

I have still yet to decide what the hell to do in actual fact, I will definitely be going to the ballot box though.