Turnout only around 52%

[Houseplanter]

As far as I can tell? Goodness that's low. Almost half the population who is eligible haven't made their choice.

My choice was to not make a choice(vote).

It was intentional, I didn't want to vote for anyone.

Is that not a valid choice?

It's very concerning. I think it demonstrates the lack of faith in politics that a lot of us feel at the moment.

I did vote, but it was very unsatisfactory putting the x on my ballot paper.

This is exactly what I have just said to DH, how can people be so apathetic?
I would rather spoil my vote than not turn out

I completely understand how that feels, I didn't really want to vote for any of them. But not voting seemed worse

The way I look at it is just over half of the country make the decisions for the rest. I guess some people are happy to let others decide for them. So be it.

I also never voted and that is a choice, all the parties need to see the public has no faith.
lived with tory, labour , tory/ lib dem coalition goverment and what one has gven with one hand they have talen with the other , manifestos are not legally binding so they mostly never flow through woth their promises
maybe this will make them realise people are disengaged ans theres a lot of missed votes out there..

62 or 63% Swindon turnout

Who were you leaning more towards?

I can understand that TBH.

I voted for a socialist candidate which will have had exactly the same impact as your abstention. I can't see that there is a huge moral difference there.

Not really, no.

100% agreed. I overthought so much and wasn't happy with the choices.

I don't understand the rationale of not voting, but then not liking thr choices made in your behalf. As someone else has said, by not voting you have allowed your choice to be taken away, and have no say at all in what happens to you now. So you are basically supporting the majority

But why would anyone think that you not voting means 'the public has no faith'?

If you've never voted, I think most people would assume you just don't care very much.

No, it's incredibly disrespectful, and women died for your right to vote.

I decided to go on holiday abroad
on Monday and totally forgot it was going to be the election today and therefore couldn't vote. I'm annoyed at myself but can't change it. I wish we had online voting.

Ah that's a shame. You could have got an emergency proxy vote until 5 today.

This is precisely why I started a thread suggesting it's a perfectly valid choice to spoil your ballot. Now you are "don't care" statistic instead of registering your discontent as engaged citizen, showing no one represented your views and values enough or worse, were in opposition to them.

A spoiled ballot would show you had bothered to turn out, ie that your vote might be available to a party that could win you over. Not voting is assumed to be apathy, ie no point trying to engage.

Not voting doesn't actually demonstrate apathy. It demonstrates lack of faith that voting can effect change.

I don't think it's a rationale. It's emotional. It's a feeling of "no good option".

The parking around our polling station was way too easy this evening. It was instantly visible.

I do think a spoiled ballot gives more signal than not voting at all

It is not disrespectful. It is a legal choice in our system and that should be respected.

No, it doesn't.

I haven't got a passport or photocard driving licence so no valid ID. I live in a solid Tory constituency so not much point in voting anyway, the result is a foregone conclusion.

All sorts of things are legal. That doesn't mean they should be respected.