Spoilt votes - post them here so that the parties/papers can see them

[MrsFogi]

I know there is a split of opinion about spoiling ballots vs voting for the least bad option.

If you do decide to spoil your ballot it feel free to post a photo of it here (be careful not to include any information that identifies you and in particular not to include the ballot's unique identification number) in case any of our loitering journalists wish to pick up the story or in the hope of giving the parties/candidates some pause for thought.

In case it is of interest (and you want a place to post your views for/against spoiling ballots), there have been a number of threads about spoiling ballots, a few links below:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3751902-Spoiling-my-ballot?pg=2 www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3749890-Can-we-talk-spoiling-ballots-again-sorry
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3743237-advice-on-spoiling-ballot
Advice on Spoiling your vote

Anyway, whatever happens, I would like to thank everyone on this supportive thread. I felt so bad about myself as I originally wasn’t going to vote, but I feel so much better now that I’ve spoilt my ballot as I now feel that I’ve managed to take part in the election, even if it was just to protest.

As the poster can’t tell it’s feminist chat I think we can all be super relieved that (s)he will be putting their X on the table beside the ballot, so will be joining us dastardly spoilers after all.

Had a conversation with my DH when I got home. He completely gets it, it’s me that puts myself under pressure. Stood in the polling booth in tears again that I’ve been so let down by the political parties (I’m not usually this pathetic but we’ve had a particularly shitty time lately and this is all just the shitty cherry on the shit icing on the cake of shit). Ended up writing “I wanted to use my vote but you have all sold women’s rights down the river - NO to self-ID” all over the paper.

Feel unutterably sad. First time I’ve ever felt unable to vote.

Just talked my 12 year old DD through what I'm going to do. Her response was, "What would happen if everyone did that? The parties would think they were really rubbish, wouldn't they?"

Godess love her!

I did the same as BeyondVotesForFlube as in marked the box for my preferred candidate with an x and then wrote round the outside 'No to Self-ID' 'Protect Women's Safe Spaces'.

Last time round in my constituency the margin of victory was below 100 votes so I'm darn sure that someone will be reading that ballot paper later on tonight. They can count it or not - it's entirely up to them, but they will know what I think. And for all the monitors, I don't give a stuff whether or not it makes the news. I did it for me, so that no one thinks I'm going along with this erasure of women's sex-based rights.

It’s wrong to accuse women of being on the side of men because they disagree with you

Feminism and women's rights is not about 'men versus women'.

I look forward to seeing all the coverage the spoilt papers get in the press tomorrow

You have not read the many posts that people, such as myself, put some time & effort into, have you? You provoked, but then didn't bother to read the responses. If you has you would not be making comments such as this. You've bee n told. this is about individual conscience, not about media publicity.

You clearly come on here, as a Labour party activist, to jolly along, or rather patronise, the troops. Like this is a forum full of apathetic idiots who can't tell their arse from their elbow.

@Justhadathought your comment is ridiculous as I am a professional, trade unionist, mum and possibly older than you think. I’m allowed to have a different view and be all of those things

You were the one who entered this particular thread for those decided to spoil - with insults and a generally patronising attitude. Yet when responded to in similar vein - you can't quite hack it.

God that felt empowering.

Any spoiled votes are read aloud during the vote count! I was quite surprised when I experienced this as I thought they’d be ignored and binned!

Please stop isolating women that have different ideas and views

This is a thread for those who frequent the women's rights board to share their feelings and thoughts on their decision to spoil their ballot.

You came onto it( I've never come across you before anywhere on this particular board( to tell people they were silly, stupid, misguided, naive, wasting their time......What did you really hope to achieve?
Nobody is isolating you. You are a minority voice on here - that's all. But that was your choice.

Instead of an X in one box I drew a purple venus symbol in each one.

Vote spoiled. I wish I could have voted on Brexit because I do think it will be catastrophic (not that there's a lot of choice given Labour are not overtly anti-Brexit)

What is more catastrophic? Women and girls ceasing to have any rights. My daughter being told she can't say no to an AGP fetishist in the hospital bed next to her.

I do feel sad I couldn't in good conscience vote for someone. It's sad our rights have been rolled back this far already.

Janice turner wrote a piece in May about why spoiling your vote is the new protest vote.
I can't access the article anymore but if you have a sub then take a read.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/spoiling-your-paper-is-the-new-protest-vote-fw3k7d8pq#

If everyone that spoilt their paper had emailed local MPs/newspapers to voice their opinions then it would of had a much bigger impact.
I spoke in person to my MP, as well as emailing them. Fat lot of good it did.

After reading this thread, with comments like the one above, I decided to spoil my ballot paper. And so did my DH. Not for publicity - no doubt it'll make no difference to anyone else. But for me. I can't vote for any of them.

Blimey - so many people telling us what to do! I personally haven't told one single person how they should vote, or even that they should vote. I suspect my partner will vote Tory when he comes home tonight, BUT he totally gets why I spoiled my ballot, and I get why he's going to vote as he is. Because we're grown-ups and we get that people have different points of view. I won't deny that I've tried to enlighten him, especially as we have a daughter, but his vote is his vote. (I wouldn't be surprised if he actually draws a cock and balls or a pair of knockers on his ballot in solidarity at the last minute though.)

I have emailed/tweeted all of our local candidates several times, and the only one that bothered to respond basically told me to like it or lump it, so I've decided to do neither, I DON'T like it and I WONT lump it.

Spoiling my ballot says "none of you are representing me", and I don't care that it might not be read. I'm exercising my democratic right to vote or spoil as I like, whilst I've got a chance to say what I like before being arrested for hate crimes.

I met with my MP and have written to them on and off for 18 months now. They were "too busy" to attend the Fairplay/WPUK meeting in Westminster - Brexit was the reason.

I have also persuaded friends and family members to do the same. One of their MPs is Jess Philips, who was too busy meeting with Amnesty (please check out their record on female rights)

But we've just been sat around sniffing Magic Markers right?

my individual (spoiled) vote will not make a difference, I'm in a marginal with the conservatives just ahead of labour (2017 results) however, I am one person of the female class that female class is 50% of the electorate. I would have voted labour but this was so fundamental for me.
Keep the momementum, with getting womens voices noticed, think they might just rethink in the long term, those who have need to let their MP know the reasons for their no-vote.

Appletree76 Women in this thread have said over and over again why women's rights, sex-based rights that reflect how rape can ruin our lives and leave us pregnant, are important. RTFT, don't just seagull, it's really bad form.

@Justhadathought
to tell people they were silly, stupid, misguided, naive, wasting their time......???

Actually I said it was cowardly to hide behind a anonymous piece for paper.

I’m sorry if I came across patronising but that’s doesn’t deflect from the fact is was wrong of you and others to make assumptions that I was a man, had no children, wasn't professional and was young. I have even been swore at by some members.

I didn’t realise the feminist forum was just for women who frequent it regularly. Maybe best you make a private group if you don’t want strangers coming across it with their own opinions.

I have re read this thread and some of the reply’s to people that disagree with spoiling papers have been awful and mean. This isn’t feminism it’s bullying.

Some people here think I've let everyone down by spoiling my vote.

Well at least I did not let myself down. Any vote would have been a lie, they do not represent my views.

I’m sorry if I came across patronising but that’s doesn’t deflect from the fact is was wrong of you and others to make assumptions that I was a man

I'm not sure where you get that from? At no time did I imagine you to be anything other than female.

Quite often people do come onto this board, though insult people and their intelligence, then when people respond in a forthright way - say things like " if that's feminism I want nothing to do with it...."

' I have re read this thread and some of the reply’s to people that disagree with spoiling papers have been awful and mean. This isn’t feminism it’s bullying.'

Have you read a different thread? Because all I've seen is posters I've not seen before coming on here, write insulting and condescending things and telling us how we should vote and that we are bad people for spoiling our votes and wrong.

Hope I think you've been incredibly rude. This is a thread for people to tell others about spoiling their ballot. It is not for a discussion about whether we should do what you want.
Please feel free to start another thread. Maybe you'll get some takers.
Otherwise, please read the room.

OnlyTheTitOfTheIceberg Solidarity sister.