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.

Why is it that people have such fragile egos that they see other posters writing their opinions on an Internet forum as being "righteous", "scolding" etc?

Do what you like. I think a few people are just pointing out spoiling a vote doesn't achieve anything. They are allowed to do that. You are allowed to ignore them. No need for complaining.

Who do I give my payment details to, as I've not been told I'm being paid! 🤔🤷‍♀️

Discussion doesn't equal being pushed. I've seen nobody say YOU MUST spoil your vote.

I've seen plenty of people saying YOU MUST vote, however. In whose interests are those people acting? It works both ways!

Error, I'd say those people are acting in the interests of democracy You know, the basic system that underpins our country? I don't think there is any party political benefit to be had in encouraging people to participate in democracy.

You are funny sometimes. 😆

Glad to be a source of amusement to the person who doesn't understand that spoiling your vote is as equally democratic as putting your X in a box.

In fact, loads of us spoiling our votes are probably way more politically informed and engaged than people casting tribal votes without thought.

And I know that you meant stupid, not funny. Because I'm not stupid and I see you.

You are not trying to persuade people to spoil of course. Did you read OP and just decide you know better than her?

If only there was some established way of contacting political candidates. Then we could do away with all of this cloak and dagger ballot messaging/notes secreted under breakfast plates/morse code tapped on hot water pipes.

Alas, there is not, and so we are compelled to send our most urgent and heartfelt communications by precarious and unreliable means, knowing there is every likelihood our words will be destroyed, unread and unheeded.

No I do actually find it funny that you think encouraging people to vote might have some kind of ulterior motive. It tickles me. What on earth negative thing will happen as a result of voting?

Whereas spoiling most likely benefits the incumbent, as those who want change will vote. If you can motivate them to spoil instead, it minimises incumbent losses.

A protest vote is better than a spoilt vote. At least it counts somewhere.

😂

Yes, I don't trust any of them as far as I can throw them, there isn't one party I would put over another, but I'm still making a point of showing up to the polling station.

Led by Donkeys have done a good summary as usual
https://x.com/ByDonkeys/status/1808752979475911090/mediaViewer?currentTweet=1808752979475911090&currentTweetUser=ByDonkeys

I see a lot of other posters have already pointed out how stupid this is. Its really fractally wrong in every level.

1. low turnout is a better indicator of public disaffection.

2. public disaffection from the electoral process is a huge advantage to all parties. It narrows the playing field so that each party needs to appeal to a smaller number of voters. This also means less money needs to be spent on the GOTV efforts and political parties can narrowcast their appeals.

3. The incumbent party would always prefer voters to disengage rather than to engage snd vote them out. They will not change their strategy or appeal to re-engage all voters but keep throwing red meat to their most gettable voters. This explains why Tory cries that Labour brings about the end times and a death knell for women’s rights increase as the election draws near. Because only a fever pitch can bring the Tories own voters back from their own disaffection. These are not policy promises as much as they are just waving the bloody shirt.

Why does someone spoiling their paper cause so much anger from others? want to be involved and pick someone but there are specific policies that the parties have that I cannot endorse at all. A mixture of personal circumstances and ethical points of view. I genuinely can not vote for any of them.

The act of spoiling isn't the issue.

It's when posters state that "it sends a message" that people respond. Not from anger, but because that's simply not true.

If people are considering spoiling their vote based on a totally erroneous assertion about sending a message, it is better that is dispelled before they go to vote. They might still decide that a futile action is the best course (sometimes we all need to howl into the void), which is fine as long as you know that is what you are doing.

If you want to send a message, better to email. You may or may not get a response, but at least it will be read. Which is more than happens with spoiled papers (they are only looking at where the marks on the paper are, and if there's any way it could be a valid vote clearly for one candidate)

Parties are much more concerned about turn out (abstentions ie those staying away, can be as high as 33%) than voided votes (less than 1% of returned ballot papers)

Actually I do kind of object to spoiled ballots as a general rule. I have worked quite a number of elections in the US: we are obligated to account for and correctly process all ballots, record write in candidates, note spoiled or indecipherable ballots, and this is a big, exhausting task. When I was inspector (low level but responsible for a precinct with maybe 2000 registered voters) I was on my feet dealing with voter demands from open at 7:OO am until an hour or two after the polls close when everything is accounted for snd a police officer and I take the locked ballot box to city hall around 8-10 pm.

Since most ballots are auto recorded and scanned only those which can’t be read are spat back out for handling. And all we can do is record that the ballot was uncounted. In the event that the election goes to a recount those ballots may be re-examined by a team of inspectors and the ones ehere voter intent can be determined will then be counted. But the viter intent to spoil the ballot just has no significance at all.

Your ballot spoiled for “ethical reasons” means that at a minimum you cost me and the other poll workers time and energy. We may not be able to figure out how to record your ballot. We have to preserve it eith the rest. We have to be concerned after the fact with the question of whether the spiiled ballot reflected the fact that you were confused by the ballot? Incipient dementia? Problems in the poll station?

If you write in something clever I have to spend time recording that to prove I didn’t toss a legitimate ballot. Sure! But I can assure you that no one in authority or in any party apparatus looks at the people who wrote in “lizard people” or “my cousin bob” which really happened to me and which I duly recorded.

abstentions……can be as high as 33%

higher than that @MoggyP . 2001 GE turnout 59%, so 41% of those registered to vote didn’t bother. Not much better in 2005. With far worse examples at constituency level.

Indeed it's a shame that doodling, scribbling or popping hundreds of x everywhere is the only way to show you are unhappy. 🙄 if only email, polls, hustings, surgery appointments, replying to questionnaires, surveys or writing to candidates existed.... nevermind just doodle away, they'll understand the cryptic message.

Nobody is saying it's the only way, in many cases, where politically literate voters are choosing to spoil, they have done all those things and feel unable to vote as a result of those interactions.

What is with so many posters not getting this? And this assuming mental incompetence, vulnerability, dementia FFS if people spoil is bloody rude and, frankly, ableist.

🤣....it's not ableist when people on here are saying they are doing it to 'make a statement ' . Will the 'statement ' be understood though 🤔 maybe the counters will assume a rise in people with dementia etc then. You've proved the point lots were making, what message if any does it send, a message that vulnerable people need help to vote or some other cryptic thing 😉

What point have I proved?

It is ableist to assume that someone who's making a decision that you think is ill advised must be making it because they are intellectually disabled or debilitated in some way.

Rubbish.

Absolutely spoiled papers will be read, by anyone around. (Handled only by the counter and returning officer). There is little else for observers to do.

I would ask (election worker for 30 years) - please don't rip your ballot paper up then post the bits. It has to be pieces together and sellotaped at the count and that's a ball ache.

Now Ive heard everything! Its abelist to observe that poll watchers can not determine that your spoiled ballot was deliberate and not accidental?

I brought up intellectual disability and dementia so I think I should respond to this. Speaking as a person who has worked elections (in the US) I am able to let you know that persons with a wide variety of mental and physical disabilities have the right to vote—and do vote—in elections.

Blind people, for example, vote in elections and we have special plans in place to make it possible for them to do so without inadvertently spoiling their ballot. Ditto persons with trembling hands or other physical issues. The same us true for people with developmental disorders. They have the right to vite and would never waste that by deliberately spoiling their ballots.

A spoiled ballot means a ballot whose surface is torn or marked in such a way that the voters intention can not be properly determined. This can happen, and usually does happen, inadvertently and the voter themself will catch it and ask for a new ballot. Because the voters intention is to participate in the democratic process not waste everyone’s fucking time having a public pity party that no one offered them the pink teacup at the fairy tea party.

So if I am in charge of handling the ballots snd a ballot is spoiled I am going to assume it was inadvertent but the voter was unable to revognize their error. Maybe they were confused, hand slipped, a new voter, suffered from some other problem which led them to mistakenly waste their time and energy not making their vote count.

This thread has been really useful. Next time I’m running the polls I will not waste any time with my colleagues figuring out how we can reduce accidental ballot spoilage but I will confidently get up and say “its probably not a problem at all These voters are just ^really fucking stupid.

It would be great if there would be a special pile for the many creative papers of those of us who have identified that women’s rights are worth spoiling our votes for. How many would be statistically significant? 51% of the total votes cast in one place?

I’m a woman. And the mother of two daughters. And i will spoil my ballot for no one and nothing. I also don’t cut off my nose to spite my face. Or set fire to my money to just to see it burn. If my rights and safety were at issue I would make my case and fight for them. Not shit in the collective democratic punchbowl and throw every other concern from human rights to health care and climate change out the window.