Have you/will you spoil your ballot?

[CervixSampler]

Today I have for the first time ever. I know I'll be flamed by some but the available choices don't know what a woman is. I had fun with my pencil but it sits uneasy with me.

No I won't be spoiling my ballot paper. I'll be voting Tory in the constituency and the list.

I went with the good old Woman=Adult human female.

A big increase in spoiled ballots says a lot about the state of politics in a region; they are not wasted. They show that someone made an effort to protest, rather than just not bothering to do anything. It will be interesting to see how many there are this time.

I will never disrespect the women of the past who fought for the right to vote, or those women all over the world who still aren't able to freely vote, by not turning out. But I will also not disrespect the women of today by voting for any candidate or party which doesn't know (or pretends not to know) what a woman is, and why that matters. Therefore the only option I see is to spoil my ballot and write why on it. Whether anyone reads it or cares, that's the only choice I see open to me today.

I spoiled my constituency ballot but voted in the list. I’ve never spoiled a ballot before but I couldn’t vote for any of the options available. I hope it will be seen but even if it isn’t I couldn’t bring myself to vote for any of the options available to me. I emailed them to ask their opinions to see if they held views that differed from the party line and none replied.

Great post, nothingcomestonothing

Fellow spoilers, what have you written on the paper? I haven't been to the polling station yet.

I also spoiled my constituency ballot and voted on the list & mayoral ballots. Well I may have spoiled my ballot. I put a female (Venus) symbol in the least-worse candidate’s box and then wrote “No self respecting woman should work or wish for the success of a party that ignores her sex” - Susan B Anthony next to all the candidates names. At the bottom I wrote #labourlosingwomen #adulthumanfemale.

So it may be counted as a spoilt ballot, or the least-worst candidate may get my vote, if they look at it and contest it. Figured it had the most chance of being seen by at least a few candidates/agents by doing it that way, making it arguable that I had voted for someone.

I read that the London ballots are computer counted? So do unclear ones get spat out of the computer and manually checked, does anyone know?

@nothingcomestonothing

I will never disrespect the women of the past who fought for the right to vote, or those women all over the world who still aren't able to freely vote, by not turning out. But I will also not disrespect the women of today by voting for any candidate or party which doesn't know (or pretends not to know) what a woman is, and why that matters. Therefore the only option I see is to spoil my ballot and write why on it. Whether anyone reads it or cares, that's the only choice I see open to me today.

Same, I haven't gone yet cos I'm lazy and it's a half hour walk there and same back, but I plan to go about 7pm. Still not decided what to put, but I'm bordering on women wont wheesht. And or woman adult human female. Not one candidate believes women need the very few spaces without men. So I cant vote for any of them. The least worst (which is how I normally vote) is not an option this time. I believe women matter and I won't just throw us under the bus for least worst out of a terrible bunch.

I put ‘if you don’t respect my sex you don’t get my X’ and put a ? Next to one candidate’s name.

Nope. I voted tory.

where I live there is a blank paper you can use to register your lack of interest in voting for any party or Candidate.

I voted. I didnt have a huge range of options but essentially whilst i care a lot about women and understand the importance of this issue, there are other more important things to me. when it comes to the LA who deliver all the services that affect my disabled son and support me as a carer- his disability needs mean i have to vote for a candidate who i believe will assist people with disabilities and carers most.

The vote in my area is only for the police and crime commissioner so I’m unsure whether to spoil my ballot still or to vote based on the policing aspects alone.

Yes, I spoiled my council ballot.

I'm sure I'll now have it BallotSplained to me why I was wrong as a woman to do this.

@EdwinPootsLovesArchaeology

Yes, I spoiled my council ballot.

I'm sure I'll now have it BallotSplained to me why I was wrong as a woman to do this.

I bet if I go on pistonheads i wont find all this hand wringing over mens voting/not voting/spoiling ballots shit. Cos its men innit!

I’m in a Tory/SNP marginal, so voted Tory to try and stop the SNP claiming a mandate for another bloody independence referendum.

So a member of the WEP was handing out leaflets outside my polling station. I asked her "Does the WEP know what a woman is?" and she gave a tight smile and said they accept anyone who feels like a woman or some crap (I zoned out as a rage blackout came on).

On the way out I told her the WEP was losing so many women because being a woman isn't a "feeling" or a "mindset". No one in the history of humanity has ever changed sex - having surgery or hormones still doesn't change your sex - and women are abused and raped every day because of our sex not a "feeling".

She told me to have a nice day 😡

The WEP is an absolute disgrace.

I voted for Count Binface among my two votes.

I spoiled my three ballot paper with red thumbprints and scrawled
'Sex Matters' and 'if you won't respect my sex you can't expect my X' .
I am so upset - I feel like I have committed treason , but I would do the same again .

I voted after all. I’m sorry for all of us that it’s this hard and that so many have chosen to spoil their ballots. I didn’t know what I would do until I was in the booth. I’m not happy with my choice. This is shit.

I put "don't respect my sex, don't expect my X" next to the labour and lib dem's names (the other parties would never get my vote) and "sex matters" across the top. I did cast 1 vote for the PCC - they are an independent with a good proposal and were on the gc voting list as a possible option.

I wrote sex not gender under every candidates' name. After the Ann Sinnot result, it seems very timely.

I don’t understand why you would waste your vote
Things will never change if
you don’t vote
Don’t vote - don’t complain

My 16 year old can vote in Scotland for
the first time and she has taken the time to read and understand party manifestos - it puts some adults to shame

My 16 year old can vote in Scotland for
the first time and she has taken the time to read and understand party manifestos - it puts some adults to shame

It's great that your daughter is already taking such an interest.
I've never not voted but, having read all the manifestos carefully myself, and talked at the door with candidates from the different parties, my conclusion was that I couldn't give any of them my vote. So rather than not bothering, I went along and made my protest in the way I democratically saw fit.

Just been. I voted for the local councillor as I know them personally and they do a good job and wouldn't go in for this sort of crap.

However, the police commissioner one had it with both barrels. "Woman = adult human female" each word down the list of candidates. Then there was space next to the Labour name so "if you don't respect my sex don't expect my x" got put there. Nowhere near the boxes I might add!

Then I did a couple of hashtags on the edges that I stood with Maya Forstater, and also Ann Sinnott because I was so bloody angry at that decision.

I've never ever spolit a ballot before, but the police one I could have honestly closed my eyes wiggled my finger and pointed at to vote, and more importantly, buggered if I'm voting for a police commissioner that may one day tell me standing up for mine, and my daughters, sex based rights is a bloody hate crime.

People spoiling your ballots, were there no other issues you felt it was worth taking a stand on?