Spoiled ballots?

[Binglebong]

As far as I can see there is no point to the election on Thursday - the MEPs will have nothing to do wish I'd stood. So I am seriously considering using it as an opportunity to spoil my ballot with Woman - Adult Human Female.

Any thoughts?

I won't be spoiling my vote but I will be sending an email on voting day to my chosen party (and cc individual elected members for my area) to let them know that I'm sticking with them this time but that's only because I'm giving them a chance to sort out this ridiculous issue with infringement on sex based rights. I won't be doing it again if they fail to listen to the ever louder voices of women and girls.

I've already emailed various parties asking whether they would reject self-id if it's put through the EU.

Spoiling ballots has always been a legitimate protest vote. In some countries voting is compulsory but in the UK it is optional. I think it 8s better to turn up and spoil your ballot rather than not go at all. A large number of spoilt votes may not be individually read but will be counted and notice taken - as it wax at the local elections.

I think the Brexit party and change will get a lot of votes as Brent is the main issue in these elections.

This is too important an election for faux protests

Who are you to decide what is faux and what is genuine or real?
You make your own decision and others will make theirs.
None of us here need to be told about the struggle for the vote; but manipulating people into voting one way or another - and against their feelings or instinct, is certainly not in the spirit of democracy.

Turning up on the day and having your name ticked off is quite enough to show respect. I, for one, will never be told what or who to vote for.

This action of spoiling ballot papers is being encouraged by the far right

Since I don't really read any far right material, I wouldn't know about that.
I make my own mind up. Some things are even more important than remain or leave the EU. And one of those things is freedom of conscience.

...anyway, on this occasion i'll be voting Change UK - because I want a change.

Spoiling your ballot may seem attractive, but it never serves any purpose. Nobody sees it except for the poor workers at the polling booth. And they just briefly glance at it and put it into the "spoilt" pile , which is bundled up and never looked at again.

I regularly work at polling booths and beleive me, we are the only people who see the spoilt ballots and we couldn't care less what is written on them. We have a very long day, and all we want to do is to get things done and go home to bed. Your comments on your ballot paper will never be seen by those you are aiming at. You'd be better off writing a letter .

I think I will vote Change UK. They haven't come out yet as being anti-women have they?

I'm planning on voting change uk as I believe they haven't come out as anti female, have one opeby gender critical candidate (need to check this hasn't changed ) and represent remain. I'm hopeful that regardless of how seats are allocated the percentage clear remain vs clear leave votes cast may be considered indicative of public opinion (so may shape policy on a future people's vote etc.).

I'm sorry but it's too important. You can bet the pro Brexit Tommeh and Nige followers will vote so I'm holding my nose and voting tactically to ensure there are as many remain MEPs in my area as possible.

I can't act in a way that will work to assist the Brexit party and their fellow travellers. I'm not even particularly fixed on Remain but I know what I can't support, even by omission.

Otherwise if the vote is for something having a defined time limit that can be voted on again in the future, I'll be TWATW-ing and AHF-ing on my ballot papers all the way.

Spoiling your ballot may seem attractive, but it never serves any purpose. Nobody sees it except for the poor workers at the polling booth. And they just briefly glance at it and put it into the "spoilt" pile , which is bundled up and never looked at again.

If I spoil my ballot paper it won't be so that it can be seen. It will be so that it can be counted.

The number of spoiled ballots is recorded and reported by the returning officer, which is why it is a legitimate form of protest.

It's too late for me (postal already posted), but does this work?:

Correctly vote for but in the row for that candidate's name write WOMEN ARE ADULT HUMAN FEMALES.

So vote is not spoiled per se, but has to be manually confirmed that your intention was clear - and this the is the paper that candidates can look at if they want.

As I understand it Buzz, candidates are entitled to ask to review the spoiled papers, and can potentially have them added to "their" votes.

An example would be if you wanted to spoil your paper by drawing something rude against the candidate you most dislike, that candidate could potentially ask for your drawing of a penis to be considered a vote for them.

The link here suggests how you should mark your paper to prevent this happening.
www.votenone.org.uk/protest_votes_count.html

Interesting link, thanks Ali1.

BuzzShitbagBobbly I'm going to do that. It means I can vote for a not right wing Remain candidate and still make a point.

Its embarassing doing it though. It seems really noisy and takes ages

God I’ve just had local labour mob knock on door. Took the opportunity to briefly state my dismay on their stance on self ID, having been a lifelong labour voter. He stated abruptly that he would ‘have to agree to differ’ when I stated that women were not men who identified as women. He then walked off.

He also disagreed with me that sex should remain a protected characteristic.

Spoiling my ballot really is my only option and I’m gutted.

Spoiling your ballot may seem attractive, but it never serves any purpose

It serves your own, inner purpose......and that is what is important to the people doing it.

And if enough people do spoil their paper, then it doesn''t go completely un-noticed. The high numbers of spoiled papers were commented upon in the recent local elections. " Spoiled papers are the new protest vote" it was said.

He also disagreed with me that sex should remain a protected characteristic

Where they the new tranche of young Corbynistas, I wonder? They all tend to be right on message.

...shocking though that he doesn't realise the importance of sex as a protected characteristic. And he's a socialist?

I think the reasons for not spoiling your ballot paper in this election is that votes do count as it is a (complicated) PR system.

On the possibility of us somehow remaining in the EU because all the MPs are so up their arses on their individualistic soap boxes I do not want a lot of Brexiters representing us in the EU.

(Have to admit I thought we had transferable votes, but we dont although NI does!??)

In my EU region the non Brexiteers are WEP, Green and Lib Dem, so not sure which I will vote for given their anti woman stance.

I have spoilt my ballot paper at GE because the FPTP means my vote is pointless any way. And have not for a number of years seen the number of spoilt ballot papers reported.

Does anyone but the vote counter actually see it though? Genuinely interested.

Where they the new tranche of young Corbynistas, I wonder? They all tend to be right on message.

This was a middle aged white man. Coolly informing me, a woman, that he begged to differ on what a woman is and that I should not continue to have sex based rights.

This was a middle aged white man. Coolly informing me, a woman, that he begged to differ on what a woman is and that I should not continue to have sex based rights

Doesn't sound very bright. I think you should pursue that conversation further - via letter or email, to whichever constituency party was responsible.

I'm going to have to hold my nose and vote lib dems as well. Tactical voting for Scotland suggests snp (no fucking way) or if you're not nationalist lib dems.

They're also the only ones that turned up at my door, I filled in their questionnaire angrily including the FPFW site address... :(

As a (non-British) EU citizen who has lived half her life in the UK I can’t tell you enough how much the outcome of these elections will mean to me.
The overall percentage of remainer parties vs the Brexit lot will show me what kind of country this is. If Brexit win I don’t know what I’ll do. Probably just despair. My partner is English.