How to spoil your ballot paper

[CandidateX]

I am not telling anyone what to do. I am giving information. This is because I have seen how posters are treated on other threads giving this information, and it isn't very nice!

Do what ever you want, but here is some information about spoilt ballot papers.

If you write on your paper, whatever message, it will NOT BE READ. Except maybe by the counter that puts it into the spoilt ballot paper list. But only if they have time to read it, mostly not.

It will be held up and agreed to be spoilt, in front of a committee open to all parties. but they won't read it, and the person holding it up won't read it. No one has time. Many papers are spoilt. Everyone is tired and busy. No one will be standing close enough to read the words.

There is a lot of talk about spoilt ballot papers being scrutinised by candidates, and this is how to get a message across to them.

NOT TRUE

Ballot papers are not scrutinised if they have been written across.

I have a list of circumstances when I might ask to inspect a paper closely, and papers written on don't come into it. I would not waste my time or anyone else's time on a paper that is clearly deliberately spoilt, because the business of the night is count votes, and there are literally tens of thousands to count, and that is clearly not one of them

The ones that are scrutinised are the ones that MIGHT have a valid vote on them.

So if you want to put a message on your paper to be scrutinised, then it must have something on it that might be counted as a valid vote. That way, people in the confirmation committee will be looking closely at your paper, and only then will they see the message.

A paper that is signed is invalid if the signature can be read.

If you want to spoil your paper then you need to make it worthy of discussion, about whether it has a vote on it or not.

So I suggest a CLEAR vote, for whichever party you dislike least. And your written comment that you want to be read. And a scrawled signature, which is not your name, and not legible.

This, I think, might get your comments read by agents of different parties - because they will be discussing whether this is a valid paper or not, and does that vote count, and is that signature legible. Your vote might or might not be counted in the end, probably not, but possibly, so don't do this if you definitely don't want to be counted.

Of course, the message might still not be mentioned to the candidate, or to anyone else at all, but this is the only way I can think of to get comments on a spoilt ballot paper read, because otherwise it doesn't happen, it is just a count for the spoilt paper party, and no one knows or cares why.

And I wonder why some people are so vehemently opposed to another person’s choice to spoil their ballot.
I have spoilt my ballot previously and have not yet decided on any course of action for tomorrow — that’s my prerogative.
I am not trying to urge anyone to vote, or to abstain, or spoil their ballot.
But I find it interesting that people who disagree with ballot spoiling are furious that anyone should do this (or even be allowed to.) It is a valid course of action.

Voter reform won't happen by spoiled ballots. Total waste of a vote that women fought and died for.

It doesn't send that message at all, though I realise that it's a popular internet myth that does the rounds every election.

No one is taking a message from it. It's most definitely not read as a "none are good enough" message because there are so many possibilities - error, illiteracy, incompetence etc.

(but even in the wholly fictitious circumstances that they did, they wouldn't have a clue what is was that was bothering you)

Much better to email candidates setting out why you will not be voting for them/their party. That will be read by candidates or their agents. So if you want to be heard, that is the way.

Then abstain or vote for the least objectionable (don't overlook independent candidates who are genuinely local, especially if they look as if they have a modicum of common sense.

I

The candidates have the right to look at spoilt ballots in case they want to try and claim any of the marks indicate a vote for them

For avoidance of doubt - I wasn't trying to tell people they mustn't spoil their ballot (or indeed that they must vote).

I mean that people should understand that, despite persistent internet myths, it sends no message whatsoever. If people wants to waste their vote deliberately, that's fine. But if they are under the misapprehension that spoiling if anything other than a waste, better dispelled now, before polls open.

I don't think anyone ever likes being told they've fallen for an urban myth, but your vote - whatever you do with it - matters. And is too important to leave those myths to be fed and grow larger

It's the number of posts/threads on here that seem to be started by people with a vesting interest in persuading people not to vote by presenting it as a useful and valid option

Why would they do that?

Oh, I think we all know why certain foreign states have large resources dedicated to sowing discord in target nations. This is just one of the ways of interfering in an election. They don't necessarily have a specific electoral outcome in mind, just mischief/division/discord.

Not saying that any specific posters are Bad Actors. But it's very possible that they have come across individuals who are, or who have come under the influence of a community who has been swayed by this kind of disinformation. It's how internet myths remain durable. No-one wants to think they (or their friend they heard it from) has been duped

No time for it

There's a SKY article about this today. It's a jaded old joke and people just glaze over when they see yet another one.

'You wouldn't believe the amount of dicks': Secrets of a ballot counter | UK News | Sky News

Why would anyone who wanted to write a message to a candidate do so on their ballot paper? I just don't understand the thinking behind this. Surely you'd just right to them to question their position on a certain issue?

I'm more in favour of tactical voting than just spoiling your ballot paper...in an ideal world it would great to actually have someone worth voting for, for a change.

🤣

I did say that I thought it was a problem that posters were encouraging people not to vote.
I agree with you.

Spoiling a ballot is utterly pointless and pathetic. No one cares . You achieve nothing.

There is never a perfect candidate. You choose the one that is the best fit. It is more important than ever in this General Election to actually vote. Please don't waste your vote. Vote for change, vote to get rid of the Tories, vote tactically if that is what will achieve it. We can't live with any more of this destruction, of the creation of poverty for children, of making the rich richer and the poor poorer, of the lowest State Pensions in Western Europe, of the underfunding and collapse of the NHS, of this government-created housing crisis. We need change.

This is why I would always vote, even if I spoil. I’d only spoil if there was nobody I could in good conscience vote for. Tomorrow may be the first time I spoil.

Women fought for many other things that our politicians are throwing to the wolves.

Oh I'm so glad this reply is there. Agree 100%!

I may have the right to vote but I don’t feel either party pays anything but lip service to women’s rights and I don’t think our rights are protected through the ballot box

For me, it isn’t pointless and it’s insulting to those who are struggling to call them pathetic. If anything, it shows a great deal of thought and consideration on deciding how to vote rather than voting purely to remove the Tories and not considering the possible implications. Yes, we need a change of government but that doesn’t mean I can put my support towards the choices I have available to me.

On many occasions I have opted for the best fit and am probably classed as the typical floating voter. However, this time round each party has a red line policy that I am not prepared to cross and vote for. I also believe you should vote for who you want in power, not to remove someone you don’t (although that’s an entirely different debate that is on another thread).

That’s why I’m struggling and can understand other posters who have said they feel the same.

"this time round each party has a red line policy that I am not prepared to cross and vote for. I also believe you should vote for who you want in power, not to remove someone you don’t."

This is where I am too.

Only 1% of votes are spoilt, but there is an argument for mass protest: www.votenone.org.uk/spoilt-ballot-results-2015.html

Another thread where the poster wants to be paid by the Tories and their backers. Do you think you'll get a medal for this? Making vulnerable readers think spoiling their vote is a good idea, and here's how to do it?? How to ensure you DON'T get a say. Please everyone, do use your vote, it matters very much. Read some manifestos, think about what you and your family need, and vote!

That link is playing a bit fast and loose - what on earth does it mean by 20% in 2015 none/spoiled?

But in 2019, the actual figure of spoiled votes was 0.36% (source: electoral commission) 117,101 ballot; the most common reason for rejection being that the paper was blank (~94k), followed by voting for more than one candidate (~21K)

Now I know things vary a lot between elections, but was there really such a massive drop in spoiled papers? Or is "votenone" not a neutral player?

What do you mean by "vulnerable readers"?

It's quite alarming that people stating that a spoilt ballot is a perfectly legitimate and understandable action that they might choose at the ballot box, or support others in doing so, is considered to somehow indicate that they are "mentally unstable" and "vulnerable". What exactly is that about?

@MoggyP I doubt @SlothOnARope deliberately misquoted that link (an odd link in the first place) - however its pie chart breaking down votes references 0.3% (correct) not 1% (threefold exaggeration) as spoilt papers and then further down says "across the UK, they represented less than 1% of votes"

This data is from the House of Commons Library UK General Election stats

Votenone has (or perhaps had is more correct) a narrative to pedal.

Yay! I was one of the 117,101 in 2019. #SpoilAndBeCounted !

out of interest what did that achieve

Maybe all of the women who told the Guardian they were considering spoiling their vote had a nefarious intent. Or maybe they're just totally fucked off with the state of the country and don't want to give any party a mandate.

I don't believe in least worst voting, plus every option here has a red line issue writing them off.

About the same as anybody's vote who voted for a party other than the Tories, thanks to FPTP.