Feelings about spoiling your ballot?

[OccasionalKite]

So as not to derail this current thread, which is interesting in its own right:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3771598-over-100k-ballots-spoiled

I know that spoiling my ballot was the appropriate thing for me to do in this GE, because there were no good alternatives for women, and the rights of women and girls.

I wonder, how do other Spoilers feel?

I am so pleased I did. It made no difference in my constituency but I feel I acted honourably and did not vote for a party which I could not support.

I get it, I really do. But I could never do it. I don’t think it actually makes a statement at all. They’re in the bin before midnight. Shame because it should be known how many people (women) feel this way. I just don’t think it is enough.

But for me it wasn’t about a statement nor about wanting people to know why I did it. Though if people did read what I wrote then that’s good. I couldn’t vote my usual Labour vote, not Lib Dem or Green. Clearly not Brexit. For weeks I thought I might vote Tory but in the end couldn’t bring myself to. I am so glad I didn’t vote Tory as I read the papers now. So for me, spoiled was the right vote.

In confident in my decision, it was right for me.
I don't trust Labour to follow through with their promises.
I won't vote Lib Dem for the same reason as many in this board.
I am usually a Conservative voter but couldn't get behind my candidate.
No other parties tried to win my vote, neither dh or I recieved any campaign literiture from anyone.

I truly believe that if enough people did that rather than abstaining, the government would take notice.

I'm a bit frustrated that all the results for my area only include valid votes for a candidate in the "turn out." I turned up but there's no way my vote could've been construed as being supportive of any candidate. I'm not bothered that it's not "big news" but I'm a bit upset that my effort to go out in the pouring rain, with all my kids in tow, isn't even worth being included in the "people who cared enough to be there" category!

I had hoped that the Labour candidate would win because I think she'd be a decent MP, but I still couldn't bring myself to vote for the party. My one vote wouldn't have helped her anyway - Tories had way too big a majority.

I didn't like doing it, but I could not, in good conscience, vote for any of the parties. And it was not an easy decision for me either. I've never done anything like it before.

I am so pleased I did. It made no difference in my constituency but I feel I acted honourably and did not vote for a party which I could not support.

Exactly this. I hated doing it but there was no other option I was morally comfortable with.

And seeing the Corbynites' response to defeat, I'm head I did nothing to prop them up any longer. Change MUST come.

Exactly as above - there were no good choices in my constituency (which went conservative by an absolutely huge margin) - believe me, I combed through the candidates looking for any rays of light.

They’re in the bin before midnight.

Having been classified according to how they were spoiled, counted, and recorded.

I'm the sort of voter who the local LDs ring up to make sure I've voted. I thought about spoiling, but ended up voting labour (in a safe LD seat where con is the only challenger), and writing to my MP to say why. I figure that ended up with similar effect.

Yes, pleased I spoiled. Safe Labour seat but could not bear to vote for any of them, but think voting is important. Women’s voices Are important and the parties need to hear us.

Glad I did it and glad that Labour got the stuffing they so richly deserved.

I did the only possible thing I could do, given my thoughts and feelings about what was on offer. No regrets. That would imply I hadn't thought it through. On the contraryI had given it plenty of thought. And I'll do it again, if needs be.

I'm more than happy with my decision. I live in a safer-than-safe seat, so no vote I cast would have affected the outcome. By spoiling my ballot, I ensured that party scrutineers had to read the message I wrote. A tiny blow for women, but less tiny than actually voting would have been. Representatives of four political parties had to read what I wrote.

I'm frustrated that in one of the most important elections in my lifetime, there was no one I could vote for. I had no alternative but to spoil my ballot.
I live in a safe seat so no Tories were elected as a result of of my spoiled ballot.

same as you, Kite.

How do I feel? Sad that I had to do it. Confident that I made the right choice. Sick of the whole bloody shower of them.

Does anyone know how I'd go about finding out how many spoiled votes there were in my area? I've googled but can't find it. Would a FOI be the way to go? No idea who I'd direct it to, or even how to go about it but I've got a bee in my bonnet & I need answers!

My friend lives in a neighbouring constituency and her friend is a green party candidate. He was shocked that several people had drawn penises on their ballot paper and returned that.

So which ones did?

I'm glad I did it. A pp said 'It's not enough' which is blindingly obvious which is why it's not all I am doing.

AGnu it should be on your council website.

I'm aghast that in 2019 no political party can even define what a woman is without tying themselves up in knots.

I'm confident that I made the right decision.

Not all constituencies have published the number of spoilt papers though, mine included.