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)?

I don't ever remember hearing about so many people feeling they have no one to vote for before?
I think it's because so much of UK politics has become driven to black or white extremes with very little room for shades of grey. Everything becomes an argument rather than a discussion. It creates more opportunities for one issue to become a huge psychological block to supporting a party even when you agree on them on many other things.

Gender and trans, LTNs and LEZs, Net Zero and Climate Change - these are all being shouted about as them vs. us issues. It's either 100% for or 100% against, when the reality is an awful lot of people are probably somewhere in the middle with concerns they feel aren't being addressed by anyone.

I stand corrected. I see they do get counted but I have to say I’ve never seen this reported in local papers etc. I don’t think it will bring about any political change. You’re better off waving a placard outside the town hall.

Agreed

However, I heard it depends on how many were "spoilt" and if it a so-called "close vote" whatever their definition of "close" is as it varies

I'm spoiling my ballot because I refuse to not show up yet every last one of the candidates is shite. There is not even best of a bad bunch option for me. So 'I'm spoiling my ballot, I want none of the candidates, respect my sex if you want my X' (or some form of that) will be on my paper.

Spoilt votes are counted.

Here's some info on it. It includes an example of when there's uncertainty over whether a vote was intentionally spoilt or not (there was one case when two candidates drew but one successfully argued an unclear paper was a vote for them)

It's definitely important, if spoiling your ballot, to make it very clear you're intentionally spoiling your vote.

https://votingcounts.org.uk/spoilt-ballot

Vote for the candidate closest to your views. An increase in a particular viewpoint will incentivise the other parties to incorporate it next time to win your vote.

If you don't turn out they don't know if that's lack of policies or general CBA.

If you spoil your ballot they don't know how to win you back.

I would vote Loony in your shoes. That candidate clearly stands in protest and I think it is a clearer protest vote than a spoilt ballot (as it’s more of a “I do want to vote for someone, but this was the best of the bunch” than a spoilt ballot which can be “I’m disengaged and everyone is corrupt”)

I disagree. Only vote for the person and their party if you believe them

"They" the politician do know what the voters want and that is HONESTY - sadly, that is a very rare commodity in politics and that this a fact

You're absolutely deluding yourself if you think spoiling your ballot paper or voting for the Monster Raving Loonies is going to bring about change. It won't, it never has and it never will. You're wasting a very valuable democratic resource to fulfil a personal sense of empowerment which is both meaningless and useless.

If you want to effect change, write to your MP, go on a physical protest, join an action group, sign a petition or better still stand as a local councillor. Otherwise you are effectively doing nothing to better your own life or that of others, whilst criticising those who are at least doing something.

My first choice, in any election if disillusioned with national parties, would be to vote on local constituency issues. I'd look at each local candidate and decide who's best as a constituency MP regardless of which party.

However I do think it's possible to indicate priorities when spoiling ballots. Obviously need to also make it clear it's an intentional spoil but could also add in your particular concern.

Example write: "I'm spoiling my ballot and don't want any of these candidates. This is an intentionally spoilt vote. Separately, I'm very unhappy about X policy and I want all the candidates and parties to addresses this".

Or, "I'm spoiling my ballot and don't want any of these candidates. This is an intentionally spoilt vote. Separately, I want X issue addressed by all candidates and parties, and next time I'll consider voting for whoever addresses this".

You have no idea what I do or don't do or whether I'm involved in local issues in any way (I am) or whether I currently attend physical events (I do). Because I didn't mention that in my OP. My question was how best to vote in a GE where I don't want to vote for any candidate from any of the main parties. I think that that is something that will be the case for many people in this GE and hopefully it will stimulate some discussion.

Party interns and reps coming on here to try and influence undecided voters by berating them is as futile as it is transparent.

Eh? Was this aimed at someone in particular or just a general vent? Noone is suggesting a particular party, just answering your question

I'm certainly not any party rep or intern! I don't know who you're aiming it at. I don't work in politics at all.

But I have lived in several countries that don't have democracy and people would give their right arm to have a choice. So I get really frustrated with people who sit on their arse expecting a perfect candidate to drop in their lap, and who spoil their ballot like a spoilt child when it doesn't arrive - it's cowardly because it's an anonymous protest, it's meaningless, and you're only doing it because it makes you feel good. It achieves nothing more.

Democracy doesn't happen to us - we are it.

You've not even answered questions OP about what policies you want to vote for (which aren't on offer).

Exactly this. We are the democracy and if you can do a better job get elected and put in the hard yards. People vote for the closest policies that align with their values. No party manifesto is perfect because they cannot be tailor made for individual tastes. Someone has got to run the country and spoiling your ballot paper is a pointless and pathetic cop out.

Its very rare to find a person you agree with on everything, same with a political party.

Weigh up the pros and cons and vote accordingly.

Not voting means you re just ignored, spoiling a ballot paper imho is childish.

My choice is split between 3 parties, there are aspects i fully support and many i do not.

Really? The Greens used to be all about protecting the environment but now it's just unbelievable.

They want to allow men into women's spaces and sports events. They also seem to think that hating Jewish people now seems to be good for the environment.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7228qnz555o

I would do something like write "no" by all of them. I spoiled a vote for the first time, a few years ago (police commissioner) by scrawling all over that I had no idea who any of these people are because no one had even bothered to send us a leaflet.

What happens to spoiled ballot papers.

I've been an election agent several times.

All the candidates and agents are shown the spoiled ballot papers.

We all have a collective chuckle over the quality (or lack of) the rude artwork and rude statements.

That's it.

That's your protest registered.

No one cares.

Sorry.

I think that's part of it for me. It feels so wrong doing sonething as important as voting for a candidate that cba to send a leaflet, never mind knock on the door. So you can't even ask them if they agree with the ridiculous stuff in their party's manifesto.

For the record, I think voting for the 'least worse' candidate or party is a really shitty and irresponsible thing to do when you fundamentally disagree and disapprove of many of even one of the items in their manifesto, so I wont be doing that.

I think a spoilt ballot paper looks a bit unhinged as does voting Monster Raving Loony. Nobody can see you are a sane person driven past endurance.

Even if the worst option were Adolph Hitler?
I don’t think it’s shitty at all.

There are millions of houses in the UK and a few 1000 candidates, you don't expect them all to visit you do you?

If you really cannot vote for anyone, then don't, your one vote isn't that important.

I expect the one Labour, Conservative, Liberal and maybe Green candidate asking for my vote in July to, yeah. Or at least get someone to deliver a leaflet.

Women died so that women had the choice to vote. Not the obligation.

I didn't vote in 2019 as the choice was bad or worse. I don't feel remotely guilty about it.

I have no idea who to vote for this time. They all have terrible plans and we're fucked whichever set of lying clowns gets in.

Seriously, who should I vote for if I feel this way? No independent here.

Exactly.