Who can I vote for?

[ParisProperty]

If there is an election?
Is there a party I can join?
Does anybody read spoiled ballot papers?
I feel disenfranchised.
Might as well not have a vote.

I have never understood people who say “oh I don’t know who to vote for-“ or “they all lie” until now. I feel exactly the same. I don’t believe in spoiling ballots, because while we may not like it the race will run anyway and I’d rather have a chance at getting the least bad option than one I absolutely hate. I’ve been a life long labour voter. But I could not in good conscience vote for them with their TWAW nonsense. I can’t vote for anyone who goes along with this. I’m hoping they get their heads together before the next election.

I feel the same. "None of the above" is my vote at the moment

I have never understood people who say “oh I don’t know who to vote for-“ or “they all lie” until now. I feel exactly the same. I don’t believe in spoiling ballots, because while we may not like it the race will run anyway and I’d rather have a chance at getting the least bad option than one I absolutely hate. I’ve been a life long labour voter. But I could not in good conscience vote for them with their TWAW nonsense. I can’t vote for anyone who goes along with this. I’m hoping they get their heads together before the next election.

Exactly how it is for me. Exactly.

You can vote for me. I intend to change by name by deed poll to 'Don't Know'. Don't Know is topping the opinion polls for who would make the best prime minister by a country mile.

The Tories? They are looking the most likely ones to call out the emperors new clothes

The Tories were always likely to be the 'ones most likely - quite why so many of them are falling for this bollocks is beyond me.

I'll be spoiling mine.

Check out any independents standing in your constituency.

Also check what the individual candidates' stances are on self ID... there's a few voices of sanity out there - it may be worthwhile boosting their profile.

Other than that, it's down to lobbying/protest to get our voices heard.

Is there any way we could all spoil our ballots in exactly the same way in the hope that it would be noticed nationally? Like sticking 'women don't have penises' stickers on them?
Sorry, whatever happens, I can't bring myself to vote Tory.

My local elections- I suspect the M.P who is conservative is G.C. I am still waiting for a reply to my email about it though. They have had this constituency for ever and I can’t wver see them loosing it. If there were a General election I’m genuinely stumped. I am actually hoping that May stays for now- a sentence I never thought I’d say about any conservative prime minister ever.

It also appears I don’t actually have any labour councillor in my ward. I wrote to a neighbouring councillor to ask them.

I have had enough of the Momentum lot round here to put me off for life.
My local Tory mp has been really helpful to me personally but I have never voted Tory in my life and can't stand the way they are shafting the poor and disabled. I supported the Lib Dems for years but they have lost the plot completely and the behaviour has been shameful.
Yet reading MN shows me that there are plently of intelligent, socially aware, practical, sensible women around. I wish there was more choice.
No independents here unfortunately.
I am angry that I effectively don't have a vote.

Does anybody read spoiled ballot papers?

The teller who counts one might read it before they pass it to the returning officer. The returning officer might read it but but only for the purpose of determining if the ballot is definitely not capable of being counted. If you have written an essay about gender being a social construct but haven't put an x against any name they will not read it.

If a result is very close the candidates will ask to see spoiled papers to make sure the returning officer made the correct call.

No one is interested in what you wrote on it other than where you put an x.

My local MP has a 30k majority so, while I'll always vote, I don't harbour many illusions of it making a difference.

It's so depressing. Am a Labour voter but I shan't be next time. Would never vote Tory.
I too will be spoiling my ballot unless I can find an Independent to vote for. Who knows? Right now I feel very hopeless.

I am actually hoping that May stays for now- a sentence I never thought I’d say about any conservative prime minister ever

Me too. I'm hoping she is PM for the rest of my life. I don't think I will vote Labour again- even if Corbyn goes he'll be replaced by more of the same. Momentum are far worse than Militant Tendency were. Self ID isn't even a consideration for me. There are plenty of other reasons.

I am in a Lib Dem seat and will probably vote Lib Dem to keep SNP out as SNP are the second party. If there were a chance Tories could win it I'd vote Tory.

It plays on my mind a lot. Always voted Labour, but resigned my membership over self ID.
I can’t stand Momentum and Corbyn.
I grind my teeth even thinking about what the Momentum woke bros have done to our local party.
All reasons to fuck Labour right off.

Yet in my constituency, the likely Labour candidate (who ran two elections ago and is tipped for the next election) is a fantastic female candidate, and I have strong suspicions she is gender critical.
The Tory MP is a deeply misogynistic prick and TRA-sympathiser.
I couldn’t fathom voting for the Tories.

It’s a marginal seat, too, and one which often predicts the election outcome...so every vote counts.

Painful.

Maybe there's not much point in spoiling the ballot if no one looks. Still, my MP kept his seat by 2 votes last election so might feel vulnerable.

Maybe there's not much point in spoiling the ballot if no one looks

There is no point in spoiling your ballot paper except for your own personal satisfaction.

I've always said if you don't vote, you can't complain, but I've never been in the situation where I disagree with every party.

I think that a co-ordinated campaign, to write the same message on the ballot paper, across the country, would be a defiant political gesture. If enough people did it.

Local elections are coming up in 2019. Low turn-outs expected. Suppose a great swathe of people, mostly women, boosted the turn out - but wrote something on the ballot paper, instead of voting.

There's not much room, so the slogan would have to be short.

Are you serious???? You are voting based on self ID! There are some far more pressing issues to base your vote on but no, its more important to make sure those trans people don’t get to pee in a cubicle beside you.

You seriously think that is the biggest crisis to tackle right now? Over cuts to health services, disabled people being left with nothing, families starving.....

Yes I would base my vote on this single issue, it is that important. (If you think its only about toilet cubicles, then either you have spent zero time reading this board, or you're an idiot.)

Currently there is no party I can vote for. No idea what I would do if a snap election was called tomorrow.

We need a Standing for Women party!

You are voting based on self ID!

No, I'm not. I'm protesting about the dismissal of women's voices.

I prefer to judge parties on what they do rather than what they say on things like - pay gaps, child care, elderly care, education, war, peace, air quality, climate change, safeguarding children, justice, crime, employment, welfare, poverty.

None of the parties have all the answers that are consistent with my values. But then, none of them think that my opinion is of any value whatsoever. With the Equality Act loopholes and the reform of the GRA, they have shown what they think of me. It's personal.

It may not have the same shock-value as the unexpected Brexit vote, but a campaign of protest and 'wasted votes' might just make politicians reflect on the importance of 50% of the electorate.

I have nobody to vote for.

I was always a labour voter, up to the last election. Really concerned with the direction Momentum is going though. Very far left, and almost totalitarian. They scare me with their "Dear Leader" attitude. I no longer think Corbyn would be a good PM. In fact, I think he would be disastrous.

Can't think of anyone else I'd vote for right now- but if the tories reversed their direction on Self ID, I'd vote for Theresa May.