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)?

Great point

Reading the posts I have been persuaded to ensure I either don't vote or send them a message by stating there are all "C's"

🙄

What are you hoping for?

'If I can't have a party that ticks off everything on my laundry list I'll spoil my paper'.

The spoiled consumer version of politics.

Yawn. I'm not voting for any of them becasue they're all an embarassing shambles. Get over it.

And I don't have a laundry list. I have only 3 criteria that must be met to get my vote:

Don't pretend that people can change sex and shit all over women's sports and privacy concerns.
Don't fuck up the economy while doling out lucrative contracts to your mates.
Don't be a bunch of misogynistic borderline racists.

If you can point to a party in England that doesn't fall foul of one of the above pretty reasonable baseline expectations then I would happily vote for them?

You can't can you? So Monster Raving Loonies or NO VOTE it is.

Well, no. But if a party has a policy which crosses my red line, I'm not voting for them. I'm not so daft as to expect to match who I vote for on everything, but I do need them to match up on what's important to me.

Yep, and I have never once said on this thread that I want a party to match on everything that is important to me. That was made up by the Mumsnet political 'helpers'.

Write to all of the candidates you might realistically vote for about your issues. Vote for the least worst option. Write to whoever wins about your concerns.

This is so immature...

People had to fight for you to get the vote.

No party manifesto is every going to meet all your expectations.

Nobody will care and nothing will change if you don't vote/spoil your ballot paper.

Be a grown up and make your vote count.

If you want to make a protest paint a big message on a white bed sheet and stand outside your town hall, get a megaphone and shout out loud, or get arrested so you’ll be in the local paper, that’s a protest. Spoiling a ballot paper is similar to a child scribbling in a book.

I count votes and notice spoilt ballots. In May 2024 elections the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner vote had a much higher spoilt ballot % compared to the district elections. I believe the candidates do get to see the spoilt ballots.

The only thing not to do is draw a rude symbol by one candidate as this can count as a vote for them. I’ve seen it happen several times.

I think your post actually encapsulates the sad state of British politics today. Nothing contructive to say and just meaningless soundbites like 'make your vote count'. 'And people had to fight for your right to vote'. Pathetic. Have you even read the thread?

I believe people should vote and spoiling a ballot paper is just as legitimate as voting for a candidate.

@AIstolemylunch
"Don't pretend that people can change sex and shit all over women's sports and privacy concerns.
Don't fuck up the economy while doling out lucrative contracts to your mates.
Don't be a bunch of misogynistic borderline racists."

Re: 'shitting all over sports' - have you read a lot of stories online about transwomen winning women's events, that you think they shouldn't have been allowed to enter? You believe that this is happening everywhere, all the time? Despite the fact that there are only a tiny handful of successful transgender athletes?

Or you think if it happens once it's enough to make you want to metaphorically burn everything down as far as voting goes, because you're so angry about transgender people you'd rather disenfranchise yourself than risk contributing to any political movement that seeks to be inclusive towards them?

Also - last question, do you know any transgender people? Has your life been impacted by their existence? I mean not what you've read about on twitter, but problems you've experienced with transgender people in your day to day life?

Which begs the question
Why won't the politicians allow "none of the above" to be put on the ballot paper?

https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/sites/default/files/pdf_file/UKPE-doubtfuls-booklet.pdf

There is a fair bit of misunderstanding on this thread about spoilt ballot papers. The above link is from the Electoral Commission. As it makes very clear spoilt papers are counted; and are recorded against one of four specific categories.

Those four reasons set out in section 1.9 at the bottom of page 4 and top of page 5. Al. The “none of the above” and various derivatives however short, lengthy or heartfelt would be recorded under the fourth category

Because voting isn’t compulsory. Why waste everyone’s time counting non-votes?

Yeah and that was kind of the point of this thread. Is it a waste of time? Or is politically homeless, cant vote for any of the above a useful data point in itself? I actually think it is and political parties should be aware of the number of disaffected electorate, especially if it is going to be particularly high, which it feels like it might be this GE. What they do with that data is the question of course.

It doesn’t add anything that staying at home doesn’t show. People don’t vote if they don’t consider it to be in their interests. The data is there and politicians look at it.
A significant part of Jeremy Corbyn’s strategy was to try to appeal to people who don’t usually vote.
If you want to not vote, but to be engaged with the political process then as PP suggested, write to one or more of the candidates explaining your sticking points. Spoiling your ballot is a quick way of writing to the candidates, but looks a bit unhinged and wouldn’t give much detail.

I have written NO VOTE on my ballot plus some rude words about the candidates offering nothing for me personally.

I like the suggestion upthread, to write to the HQs and tell them what you want.

My daughter has read the available manifestos and said, as a young person, there's nothing in any of them for her. I said she should join one and make change from within! 😂

I would weigh up what you think of conservatives Lib Dem and labour and just go for the least bad option in your opinion.

However really you are voting keep someone out as much as voting somebody in.

It's just childish to spoil a vote. Do you think that's going to affect?

Sorry, that should be who do you think that's going to affect?

I didn't know that thanks for the education. I used to feel that people should vote but since I realised voter turn out is also measured I feel differently. By not turning up you're also making a message

People died for the right to vote. So everyone still has that right. They also have the right not to vote as we don't force people to the ballot here