To have exercised my right NOT to vote in today's elections

[taratill]

Just as the question says.

First time I have not voted in my adult life (24 years).

Just can't bring myself to vote for either party. Traditional labour voter but Corbyn is impossible to vote for (anti-semetic/views on self ID)

Torn between feeling guilty and hoping that enough people have not voted / there are voter analysis done that realise that labour have lost votes due to this and will evoke a change of leadership!

Spoilt papers are a bit of a waste of effort under the system that exists currently and there are no plans to change it at the moment..
Whatever you write on them is ignored and won't be recorded on any report or whatever, to be handed in and analysed.
The only examination given to them is if there is any doubt whether or not the vote is or isn't valid. Other than that, they are just squirrelled away in the Council dungeons and left there.

Poor opposition damages us all Mrs May is shit but Corbyn is shitter

Lord help us all
Infeactive doddering with a coven of champagne socialists and trustafarians

wreckless that is what I thought, which is why I am also going to write to express my reasons for doing it. This is why there ought to be a 'none of the above' option which is analysed.

metodear it's pitiful. Never known such an unworthy bunch. Whole system needs overhauling.

Better to turn up and spoil your ballot paper.... at least your dissatisfaction is registered. Not voting at all more likely accrued to apathy.

Spoilt ballots are counted - not voting simply makes you invisible which is exactly what the TRA's want so

Despite the somewhat isolated personal anecdotes on MN, spoilt ballots are ignored and even if they do count them on the night are forgotten in the grand scheme of things.

Although you are making a political gesture, the candidates will not be chasing your spoilt ballot but those of the opposition. Tis the way it's always been and always will, we could introduce PR but then a lot of the electorate need to understand that a lot of the extreme fringes of right/left wing will gain more prominence like the rest of europe.

It's the realisation from the main parties and electorate that the fringe alt-right/ctrl-left will gain power and trying to accept that scenario in the hope that their "team" win.

We as a nation are a long way from that

Yes but what’s the alternative ??

As long as labour voters dont vote Tory in protest.... which I think is utterly utterly stupid and skin to cutting off your nose to spite your face.... then entirely up to you.

justabunch I'm not about to do that. However if votes are properly analysed it may not be a bad thing for the labour party as many many people will not vote labour under the current leadership.

I suggest if you don’t want people to vote Tory get the Corbyn out and somone who could actually run the country in

If you exercise your right not to vote, I truly hope you also exercise your right NOT to bitch about the government that is elected.

sisyphus I completely agree with you.

My post is mainly about what can you do to effectively protest when you don't think anyone is competent.

There ought to be a way....

@Metodear
Exactly !

sorry @Metoodear!

Exactly!

And this is just as Millicent Fawcett's statue is unveiled.

Yes, YABU.

@Nanny0gg

have you read the full thread and my reasoning out of interest? I'm not at all apathetic.

What election?!

Seriously though. I am so disappointed and disillusioned by politics that I find it very difficult to vote for any party or person.
I was taught from a young age that I boils vote. Women fought for us to vote etc etc.
And I always did. But now I just can't in good mind in the knowledge that I do not believe any of their words or promises.

And I ESPECIALLY hate those parties who put a note through my letter box slagging off another party.

So I didn't vote and I do not think anyone is within their rights to do the same

IMO no vote is a wasted vote. So you may not have been apathetic but you still wasted something that was hard fought and hard won.

No election to my council but I have the same problems as you op. Next GE I have no idea what i’ll do

@Nanny0gg

right so what am I supposed to do?

Vote for something I fundamentally don't believe in?

I absolutely believe in the right to vote but I also believe in the right to not vote if there is no suitable candidate AND I don't believe that the current ballot paper allows for that option in a sensible manner. That needs reforming in the same way that the suffragettes gave us the right to vote in the first place imo!

I don’t agree with spoiling. No one knows that you have done it unless you tell them all afterwards. And it then makes you complicit with whoever wins- so support by default as you potentially had the chance to change things and chose to do nothing.

No I'm not an idiot nor a Tory, just depressed by the current labour leadership which is so ineffectual it is allowing Theresa May to remain in power.

What on earth does that have to do with who you vote for in local council elections?

My DH would never vote labour in a general election, but he voted labour today because he recognises that we have some excellent labour candidates and our Tory council is a complete shower. Nothing to do with who you want to be pm.

History is littered with parties that have done appallingly in local elections but gone onto winning a landslide in the next GE.....LE = they ve a very low turn out and parties dont really give a fuck about them.

Also, Labour under more mainstream leaders (Brown and Milliband) lost comprehensively to the Tories.... JC almost won in 2017 and still you complain???

Dont vote if you want but base that on real reasons and not rubbish printed in the press or on the TV, Abbott aside , imho Labour have a very effective front bench.

blueskypink we are a firm Tory area, there is no way labour will win but if they get less votes than they would do normally it does send a message . These things are analysed .

jasjas he hasn't got a chance come the next GE!

I voted him the last one, won't the next. He's a poor leader. Time will tell.