Best way to register a protest vote?

[AIstolemylunch]

What's the best way for someone that having see all the manifetos now can't vote for any the mainparties?

One - Cross through all the boxes on the right and write 'NO VOTE' across names - so they know it's a specific no vote and gets recorded as such, rather than as 'voter intention unclear'

Two - Don't go out to vote so contribute to 'historic low voter turn out' to indicate disatisfaction with all the main parties, and indeed British politics today as a whole?

Three - Vote for an independent (if standing)?

In that situation, my first choice would be the Independent (I'd like to see more independents anyway).

As lots of constituencies don't have independents standing though, I'd look at it from a local constituency angle, rather than national party. Look at your local constituency candidates. If it's someone standing for re-election regardless of which party, were they a good local MP? If it's a new candidate, do they seem like they'd be a good local MP?

Last resort if all are bad options, you could spoil your ballot.

The best way is to write to the parties now telling them what you want. Then bring it up on the door every opportunity you get.

Nobody has been to the door thusfar .... - and I work from home. Syptomatic of a (former?) Conservative safe seat with a parachuted in Conservative 'rising star' a few years ago I think.

On the plus side, I have just checked and there is one Independent and an Official Monster Raving Loony Party candidate I could vote for!

DO NOT JUST NOT VOTE

Women died so you can vote.
Spoil your vote if there is no one you feel you want to vote for

I think your ballot paper would still be classes as "unclear"

Ok Independent is ex UKIP so looks like it's The Monster Raving Loon for me.

It depends if it's an obvious intentional Spoil or not. If obvious, it's noted as spoilt.

If someone wants to intentionally spoil their ballot, it's important to make that very clear. Write something like "I'm spoiling my ballot as I don't want any of the options".

I still think that's the last resort though.

Best thing imo is to look at it from a local constituency basis rather than national party (if you're undecided or don't like any of the parties).

If your seat seems a fairly safe one, vote for the candidate likely to come second, unless perhaps they are a Tory. MPs seem to care a bit more about local issues if their majority is small.

Just spoil your paper. It shows that you are bothered enough to go to the polling station but there is nobody that you consider is worth voting for.

🙄

If only they could see things now, they'd not bother.

Quite. I'm getting a little sick of this messaging. I have voted in every single election, national and local, since I was able to as a student at university 30 odd years ago. I have voted for the same party at every General Election since the 1992 one. I have voted for mostly a different party in every local election as they are the most active, and effective, on local issues. I am not a feckless or lazy person that cba to vote.

I have given this a lot of thought and I can't in good conscience vote for any of them this time around. I am the definition of politically homeless. I find that depressing, appalling and sad, in equal measures, even while wearing my suffragettes scarf. But that is where we are. Hence my considered wish to know how to make the best out of the situation I find myself in.

And you have been answered....

Don't not vote
Spoil your vote if you must

Yeah - feels like its not important now due to whataboutism

Spoil you paper. That way the effort that you made to exercise that option is at least recognised in the count of the number of spoiled papers.

Not voting isn't a protest, it's just another lazy $$$ker sitting at home that couldn't be arsed.

I can't in good conscience vote based on the manifestos of any of them (our independent is a bit right of Reform as far as I can tell). So I am going for the one that seems most likely to be a good constituency MP.

People died so that we have the opportunity to vote. Though it’s great that we can, It’s not obligatory.

None of the candidates are worth my vote.

There is no ‘none of the above’ which I would happily mark my cross for.

Not voting isn't a protest, it's just another lazy $$$ker sitting at home that couldn't be arsed.

Yeah I see that. But part of me wonders, for the first time, whether historic low turn out would actually give a strong message to all parties how fed up everyone is and how many people feel politically homeless - surely it's the worst it's ever been? And I quite like the idea of Labour winning by a narrower margin of fewer votes as a signal that everyone isnt behind their manifesto after all. But yes, no way to tell the difference between those who have though about it and those who cba.

Just trying to decide which option is the best place for my 'hacked off with the lot of them' vote/non-vote.

Tory, Labour, lib dem, Green, workers party or reform. No independent in sight and none who would make a decent constituency mp. Whats the best way to spoil a ballot paper?

You will never be offered the perfect party/candidate. There will always be compromise. You need to decide if there's an option close enough to your views to be able to vote for them, or whether to spoil you paper.

I compromised too many of my own political views in 2019 and won't make that mistake again. This time I'm voting for a strong local candidate who will be a fantastic constituency MP and who happens to represent the party option that's closest to my views. I don't agree with their policies on everything, but they do tick my three red line requirements, and on the policies I disagree with I'm prepared to lobby an MP that I am sure would listen if elected.

You need to balance your own political views with those available and make that compromise-or-spoil decision for yourself.

Although it might seem tempting (if spoiling a ballot) to write opinions on why spoiling, it's best to just make it very clear it's an intentional spoil. I think when there's an unclear paper they try to work out if the person was just confused, and if they decide the person actually intended to pick a particular option it's counted as whichever candidate they think the person wanted.

Best to make it very obvious and, even if you add other comments, clearly write "I'm intentionally spoiling my ballot and I don't want any of these candidates".

To add. I think spoiling a ballot is a cleaner message than not voting. Not voting is ignored whereas at least they have to note the number of spoilt ballots. Also not voting is open to interpretation. Would obviously be disillusionment in many cases but can also be dismissed as someone not minding who wins. Spoilt ballots avoid any doubt over the intention.

How many people voted for Brexit?

Registration and turnout and the result of the referendum
A total of 46,500,001 people were registered to vote in the referendum and 33,577,342 votes were cast, representing a turnout of 72.2%.

The outcome of the referendum was:

• 16,141,241 people (48.1% of all voters) voted to remain a member of the European Union
• 17,410,742 people (51.9% of all voters) voted to leave the European Union
• There were 25,359 rejected ballot papers.

If those people who were Remain had bothered voting, then who knows where we would be now?

Apparently this is the way to most effectively spoil a vote - picture half way down page:

https://www.votenone.org.uk/protest_votes_count.html

Who do you think will care?