Can you spoil a postal vote ballot?

[WomensRightsAreContraversial]

Exactly that really. I'm not sure I can bring myself to vote for any of the parties and my area is a safe seat for the party I mose despise anyway

There have been a couple of threads about this.

Posts from people who say they have experience as tellers all say that the vote will be scrutinised only to check whether it can be considered a valid vote. If not, no further attention is paid to it, other than the total number is reported.

So yes you can mark your ballot paper in any way you like. But a spoiled paper isn't going to achieve anything in terms of sending a message or whatever.

Even if you believe your vote will make no difference, I'd still urge you to cast it for the party you think is best fit (unlikely any will be perfect). That is the way that, over time, seemingly unassailable majorities can be chipped away.

If it comes down to a recount, the candidates and/or their agents will wish to scrutinise the rejected ballots personally. So you may get a message to them in that case.

Best way to 'Spoil' a postal vote is to send an empty envelope.

Why though? Don't vote if there's no-one you can vote for, and campaign somehow for change - the opportunities to campaign and protest are endless and spoiling your vote achieves the square root of zilch.

Pointless to spoil a ballot

No point, I work elections.. and can tell you that no-one really reads spoiled papers or cares, when they come out of the box any that are not quite clear are just put into a pile and the returning officer checks them just to check that its not a valid vote after all . If it looks valid it will be shown to the candidates agents and if they all agree that its a valid vote it go back into the count.

If its obvious there is no valid vote they are just put in a bin bag and dumped ..

Seriously , spoiled papers just make more work for the counting staff and it means that the result takes longer ..no-one cares what you write on it , its just if there is a valid cross in a valid box or not .

.When you have 1000000s of votes to count ,you really dont look at what anyone has written, and they certainly dont go back to any of the political parties .

So spoil your paper if it makes you feel better, but that's all you will do ( just make yourself fell better ) But you could just write what you feel on a local wall and more people will see it .. if you dont like any candidate then dont vote

My friend was at a vote count once and someone had drawn a penis and balls next to one of the candidate's names. They counted it as a vote. I'm not sure that's what the voter intended

The spoilt ballots will be counted and that count reported publicly. Sometimes there is commentary in media about the % of spoilt ballots being unusual (high or low). -- so yes, if that's what you want to communicate about the election, then it will be counted. Along with the ones that had 2 marks or profanity or whatever else.

imho, it's very important to express a preference if you have one. Votes are not pointless no matter how 'safe' the seat.

If you really want to, then write us election staff a nice message! That’ll make our day when we open it

Ahh yes let your postie cart your postal ballot out to you at the busiest time of year when they are already under loads of pressure and dealing with winter weather and then spoil it 🙄

If you really want to, then write us election staff a nice message! That’ll make our day when we open it Yes, or send chocolate...

oh yes they are recorded as a number ..but not what they said ,

I do postal vote counting at elections and we have had all sorts on the ballot papers over the years. Someone did a knob at the indy ref (Scotland) and the view is if the intention is clear and sometimes it is it may count as a vote. It does give us a bit of light relief when you see a knob or a poem in what can be a long long process!

Of course you can spoil it, but I dunno why you'd bother. I'll chuck a vote at the Greens this year because I can't get behind any of the others and am in a safe Tory seat anyway. May as well try to do my bit to increase the Green vote share and try to encourage the "main" parties to adopt greener policies to attract those votes.

Thanks all. Not seeking to get a message written on it, Just wish to express that I care enough to vote, but dont see any of the parties as fit to vote for. I think not voting is easily mistaken for not caring.

Appreciate the arguments for voting tor the least objectionable. May still do this.

I'm gender critical but will be holding my nose and voting Lib Dem as it's the only way to get our twat of a Tory out. Brexit is too big an issue to be clouded over trans bollox. Let's deal with the biggest issue first then tackle women being shit on from on high. All parties have drunk the kool-aid or are rape apologists so as women it's impossible to choose a party that represents us. But as I said, brexit first, then tackle the trans nonsense.

The spoilt ballots will be counted and that count reported publicly. Sometimes there is commentary in media about the % of spoilt ballots being unusual (high or low). -- so yes, if that's what you want to communicate about the election, then it will be counted. Along with the ones that had 2 marks or profanity or whatever else.

The point being there is no way of telling whether someone didn't vote because of apathy (couldn't be bothered) or aversion (dislikes all the candidates). By spoiling a paper you are actively sending a message. "I don't want to vote for any of you".

Imagine a situation where the majority of the votes cast are rejecting ALL the candidates. (As opposed to a situation where the turnout is just very low.) One will be dismissed as voter fatigue / voter apathy and the other will be a wake up call to the elected candidates that there are some seriously pissed-off people out there.

"By spoiling a paper you are actively sending a message. "I don't want to vote for any of you".

Not necessarily - it could simply mean you are confused, made a silly mistake, sleep deprived, insufficiently familiar with how to vote, thought your crossing out in one box and tick in another is clear, etc

There is no option to reject all candidates and have it recorded as such.

Is it really better to increase the number of (meaningless) spoiled ballots, rather than reducing the majority of Twatty McSmugface?

Not necessarily - it could simply mean you are confused, made a silly mistake, sleep deprived, insufficiently familiar with how to vote, thought your crossing out in one box and tick in another is clear, etc

True. Then maybe we should adopt the 'Write in Candidate' option that they use in the States. An empty box in the candidates list where people can vote for Howard the Duck (as they did in 1976) or anyone else they care to think of.

By spoiling a paper you are actively sending a message. "I don't want to vote for any of you".

is that true of the folk who marked multiple candidates or options (very neatly)?

Most of the clerks have regular jobs in local councils so maintain purdah, try to have no public political opinions. They're just ordinary working stiffs. Only a few people will count & verify the spoilt ballots, and they don't have time or interest to stop & read. The candidates will never read spoilt ballots & pissed off messages. The winner will just be relieved it's over.

There are better public ways to state "None of you is good enough" if you think that's an important message to deliver.

There are better public ways to state "None of you is good enough" if you think that's an important message to deliver.

Like...?

Write (or even just email, tweet) the candidates directly and list the things about them and their specific party or policies that you don't like?

Their constituency agents WILL read that. If the points ring true enough they may even summarise in feedback to the candidate.

Go to rallies or surgeries or walk abouts & confront the candidates in person Why aren't you in Brussells sorting this out? style.

Even better, choose an issue you care about and campaign for positive change? Don't just moan. Do something to try to make the world into a better place.

I’ve only ever spoiled my vote in elections for a Police & Crime Commissioner. A pointless political post which was certain to be won by the Tory candidate in my area. Drawing a massive cock and balls, and writing a diatribe about Tory snouts in the trough was extremely satisfying . There was no way my “vote” could have been considered to be the result of confusion!
And I couldn’t care less if I made more work for the vote counters - my ballot paper would have had to be counted whether I voted “properly “ or not