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

Spoilt votes are counted and feature in turnout %. So not quite the same as not turning up

Eh, yeah it is, because they also count those that don't turn up.

You don't have a very sophisticated understanding of democracy and protest, do you

Well maybe not but I have a much better understanding than any one writing shite on their ballot paper and thinking it is either looked at by someone in power, or anyone who actually gives a shit. It's not.

It's counted. Like those who don't vote. Some council worker on a low wage will read them, lucky them. And then that's it. End of. They are counted like the folk who don't vote.

Anyone thinking it makes one iota of difference is fooling themselves. The only thing that matters is who you vote for. Unless you count the local council junior having to read through them trying hard not to get fed up of the large amount of cocks drawn on them.

then I would expect them to take a look

Irrelevant of your expectations they don't.

Irrelevant of your expectations they don't.
If they're so arrogant that they're not even curious enough to take a look then that is even more reason then why they don't deserve any votes.

If they're so arrogant that they're not even curious enough to take a look then that is even more reason then why they don't deserve any votes

And then how would we get s government? Some form of autocracy? We should all not vote? So then who decides? The queen?

And don't be so daft, of course they don't read them, most of them have friggen cocks drawn on them, or some random illegible shite.

Well maybe not but I have a much better understanding than any one writing shite on their ballot paper and thinking it is either looked at by someone in power, or anyone who actually gives a shit. It's not.

LOL! Excellent appealing to authority (yourself) there! You're not the only one who's participated in electoral counts and returning, you know.

Nobody cares. Of course not. Spoiled ballots are never noted as protests against the way politicians have dealt with issues of the day. Nope. Not ever. Certainly not in the most recent elections in this country. Nobody noticed or said a word or reported on it. Nope. Silence.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6988225/Scores-spoiled-ballot-papers-delay-local-election-results.html

inews.co.uk/news/politics/local-elections-2019-spoiled-ballot-card-brexit-502657

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/local-elections-results-brexit-2019-spoiled-ballot-papers-voters-brexit-a8897676.html

www.itv.com/news/2019-05-03/local-elections-2019-voters-spoil-ballots-in-anger-at-conservatives-and-labours-brexit-stance/

Oh. Well blow me down with a spoiled ballot feather.

I get the reason behind spoiling votes and may have done it in the past. I feel that this election, however, is different, if all the spoilt votes could be put into tactical voting we may not get an utter idiot running the country and our SEN support, NHS etc might have a hope in hell.
There is no perfect vote or strong leader but there is a very likely chance that we will get a misogynist, racist, intolerant PM. Just a thought

Unlike some posters I'm not telling everyone whether they should vote or not. Nor have I said what I'm planning to do myself. What I will say is that, whatever I do, I'll have given it more thought than any election I've ever voted in. And despite all the bluster, it's evident that some people are very invested in talking people out of this, which makes me curious. Cos if they care as little as they say, why keep posting?

Well I'd happily tell people to vote. Because I think it's important to have a voice and use it. Even if no party overly impresses me, living in a democracy and voting in a party is important.

If people don't want to vote, fine, if they want to spoil their paper, fine, but don't do it kidding yourself it is some big protest and people who matter are sitting pouring over the papers and reading them they are not.

Save yourselves a trip, not voting and spoiling amounts to the same thing,

Save yourselves a trip, not voting and spoiling amounts to the same thing,

Not to me it doesn't. I will know I have participated.

And my children will see me do it.

To those who argue that everyone should vote Labour on the basis that they are anti-austerity and pro-NHS, or Libdem as they are pro-EU, etc, I say the following: I cannot vote, as I have done all my 40+ years as a voter, Labour.

Because they will take my vote as an endorsement of all their policies. They always do - all parties do. They will take MY vote as an endorsement of their appalling, anti-women's rights policies.

They can fuck right off.

There is no perfect vote or strong leader but there is a very likely chance that we will get a misogynist, racist, intolerant PM

Sorry, which of the main party leaders isn't misogynist, racist or intolerant? If there was a half palatable candidate with a chance of winning sufficient seats to form a government, nobody would be spoiling their ballots.

Save yourselves a trip, not voting and spoiling amounts to the same thing

Now who is spreading disinformation? They are not the same thing at all. Spoiled ballots are counted. A significant increase in spoiled ballots will result in questions being asked: this could be a question about whether the ballot paper was too confusing, resulting in people inadvertently spoiling their ballots; or it could raise questions where an incumbent's majority is slashed to a significant extent, without a corresponding increase in the number people voting for the other candidates or a corresponding decrease in voter turn out. In that situation, any election agent worth their wages will be looking at the spoiled ballots to work out what the issue was.

I have to admit, my first reaction on reading this was “aaarrrggh why!” In this election, let’s be honest, we’re are not going to end up with a Labour or libdem majority. It just doesn’t look possible. So all we can hope to do is lessen the effect of the worst of the Tories via a hung parliament/coalition/some other wobbly bollocks. Women’s rights are so SO important, but if neither Labour or libdems are actually in power to enforce their bills, it’s not as pressing as it could be at another time. I hope that makes some kind of sense.

Well of course the reasons behind spoilt ballots will be analysed - along with all other information available - after the election. It's data. They have data analysts. Those people don't just go 'ah, spoilt ballots don't count so we ignore their existence'

Women’s rights are so SO important, but if neither Labour or libdems are actually in power to enforce their bills, it’s not as pressing as it could be at another time.

Nope. Totally pressing for me. I held my nose last time. I won't do it again.

"it's evident that some people are very invested in talking people out of this, which makes me curious"

It's not curious. It's the wish to make sure that people realise that they will not be 'sending a message' if they spoil their vote.

They will be counted, to ensure that the total number of votes tallies. They will be scrutinised to see if there is any way that the marks on the paper could be interpreted as a valid vote for a single candidate (and that can be checked by candidates and their agents if they wish). But there will be no attention paid to how it is spoiled, just whether or not it is. No record is made other than the total, and there is nothing in the results to indicate whether it is a deliberate spoil (for whatever reason) or just confusion, incompetence, leaving blank or whatever).

So if people still want to spoil, even knowing it won't make any difference and their 'message' will be unread and disregarded, then of course that is fine. But people may want to reconsider what they do if they have based their decision to spoil based on incomplete or erroneous information on what happens to ballot papers.

And photography is not banned per se in polling stations, but anything which could erode the secrecy of the vote is potentially a crime. If an election official tells you not to (even if you think then wrong) then you must not do so. Making an image (or any other record) which includes the unique reference number of the ballot paper is specifically banned.

Well I've done it.

Written "None" across the top, then 'woman =adult human female'.
And
'I'll vote for you when you can tell me what a woman is'.

"People who count the votes just chuck spoiled papers in the bin."
Having been one of those counters I can assure you DarrellMakepeace that you're talking bollocks.

Any vote which does not have one cross in one box is passed to the ?adjudicator? who will assess the voting intention. Often it's obvious (e.g. a cross beside the name and not on the box). Anything un-obvious is scrutinised by the party agents hoping to find a reason why it should count for them.

You know, so much effort is being made by so many posters here to pooh-pooh the intention to spoil a ballot, one could almost think spoiling a ballot paper MATTERED.

SheDressed and others -
Can I ask a question? It’s a genuine question not a goady one as I have a lot of respect for your position.

If you think Labour or libdems won’t get a majority government, why is it so pressing now? Is it that if enough people spoil their ballot paper for that reason, policy will change? And if the Tories stay in power because people don’t vote for the alternatives, can we trust them to protect women’s rights, given that the latest changes have happened under their government?

And this is absolutely not attacking anyone who has spoiled or will spoil their ballot papers. You’re fighting a good fight

Looks like I’ll be spoiling. I’ve contacted the candidates and asked them their opinions on Self ID.

No response.

And to those giving advice on whether spoiled ballots will be noticed. There are plenty of journalists and others who read these boards. I’d be surprised if large numbers of women turning out to spoil their ballots isn’t reported somewhere.

And despite all the bluster, it's evident that some people are very invested in talking people out of this, which makes me curious. Cos if they care as little as they say, why keep posting?

Oh gosh you got me bang to rights- I'm a TRA trying to make sure gender critical women don't protest by spoiling their votes.

Or alternatively as EdithWeston put it

It's not curious. It's the wish to make sure that people realise that they will not be 'sending a message' if they spoil their vote

There has been some absolute bollocks talked about this subject.

There have always been spoiled ballots. They are a minute proportion of the votes cast. In 2017 election they were actually less than 2015 despite those links trying to make out this was a remarkable phenomenon of that election.

Maybe read up on learned helplessness and stop blaming the people who did not create the situation but will be forced to live with the consequences.

getlighthouse.com/blog/learned-helplessness-employee-engagement-politics/

So if people still want to spoil, even knowing it won't make any difference and their 'message' will be unread and disregarded, then of course that is fine. But people may want to reconsider what they do if they have based their decision to spoil based on incomplete or erroneous information on what happens to ballot papers.

I refer you to the extensive national coverage of spoiled ballots in the most recent elections held in this country.

Stop telling people that their issue will be ignored. It's not fucking true.

If you think Labour or libdems won’t get a majority government, why is it so pressing now?

Because coalition.

If the LibDems enter a coalition with the Tories, they may drive this through as the quid pro quo for their votes in the Commons. The Tories are likely to take the most seats, even if they don't get a majority. The Tories don't give a fuck about women, but I doubt that the likes of Rees Mogg and Boris will have much truck with the gender lobby if they have outright power (yes, the GRA reform discussions started under the Tories, but not this lot). They may throw women under the bus to appease the LibDems.

A LibDem/Labour coalition would be the coalition of woke. The very thought gives me the chills.

The protection of women and children and our rights is never not urgent. This policy and Stonewall's, Mermaids' et al grip on all areas of society has been done while most people were napping (but thankfully, not the amazing women on here who opened my eyes). They are not going to stop pushing their agenda, they have no other reason to exist. We should not stop pushing back at them, no matter what else is going on in politics.

To all those saying don't spoil your ballot, for whom should we be voting? Who do you want to win, and why? What do you think your desired party will do regarding GRC reform? Instead of just patronising our intelligence, why not try selling voting to us?