Have you spoilt your ballot? A thread to indicate numbers

[Chrysanthemum5]

Hi all
I've just posted my vote. I live in a constituency where the incumbent has a big majority, and will win again. He is the only one people have posters up for, the only one really sending out leaflets etc everyone else has given up. He is Labour, and full on TWAW, insists there is no conflict with women's rights and refused to talk to me about this issue. The other candidates are the usual mix of Tory and Greens with a sprinkling of independents and Reform.

Politically speaking I am Labour, and always have been. But their attitude towards the rights of women is shocking. To be fair I grew up in a family heavily involved in unions so I always knew the unions were misogynistic but Labour seemed ok. Not any more.

If you have spoilt your ballot it would be interesting to know so that we can see (and maybe politicians can see) what women are thinking

No. Conservatives are far more dangerous.

I am about to for the first time, 7 options and I can't bring myself to even vote for the independent candidate.

Yes @Wengwin I checked out the manifesto for each independent candidate and couldn't vote for any of them.

@MrsSkylerWhite the tories are appalling and I'm not voting for them but equally I'm not giving Labour my vote. So I've chosen to use my democratic right to protest

Lying about scientific fact and biological reality is dangerous. The denial of the truth by Labour is getting us into Orwellian territory.

Also, I have no one to vote for, same as you OP. Haven't posted it yet (I'm a postal vote). I'm still waiting for replies from them all. Labour are likely to win in my constituency too. Up here the Conservatives in my constituency are basically the orange walk folk so they are always a bit mental. SNP are out for me (for obvious reasons, as are the Scottish Greens and Lib Dems). Only other ones listed are Reform (big nope), UKIP (definitely nope) and a Family party (anti abortion and homophobic so also a nope). I may just spoil my ballot, although I've never done that in my life. Or vote Labour. I'm waiting to hear back from our Labour candidate. If she's the same as yours then it's a ballot spoil. So depressing.

Waiting to hear back from my Labour candidate

I'll be spoiling my ballot on July 4th. I have specially made stickers which declare Transwomen are Men' Women require single sex spaces, services and sports for their dignity, privacy and safety'

I live in a safe Labour seat and there are no other candidates I feel I can vote for.

No. I voted Labour

but you haven't though. You have voted for the "spoilt ballot" pile. The most meaningless, and inconsequential of all the piles in the count.

Why didn't you vote Green, or something? At least that shows up as a voter who cares about the environment. Spoilt ballots don't show up as caring about anything at all

@malachitegreen I would have voted Green if I hadn't seen what an absolute mess they had made of their chance in Scotland.

A spoilt vote is my choice because I couldn't bring myself to vote for any of them. And I've never felt that before

Than what?

A country where children in distress are immediately affirmed rather than the reasons for their distress explored?

A country where parents of children in distress are criminalised for seeking to understand the reasons why their child is having trouble?

A country where gay minors are set on irreversible pathways? Who grow up without mature, functioning sex organs, unable to ever orgasm and have a sex life?

A country where men say they're women and are counted as women in the rape and sexual assault statistics?

A country where men's desires to be placed in female prisons is elevated over and above the needs of women?

A country where children are told you can be born in the wrong body?

Enlighten us.

No-one in their right mind who can't vote Labour because of their policies on women's rights is going to vote Green. Have you SEEN the kind of shit they get up to?

The greens are as bad or worse on these issues as any other party. They've long since given up any environmental perspectives.

Spoiled ballots are considered by all the parties as a source of information on voter thinking. If a voter takes the trouble to go to the polling station and spoil the ballot that is a sign to all parties that they are not reaching voters and it therefore carries some weight.

This!!!

I feel for the spoilers. I've been there. It's a gut wrenching feeling. I won't need to do this again but when I did do it before, I made damn sure my reasons for spoiling were eminently clear on the paper.

I actually felt relieved. Not voting Labour "because I always had" and they "might be different once they're in" was the right decision.

It felt like leaving a bad relationship.

I promise you they are NOT. I have been to enough counts to know. They are just tallied up as spoilt. Many have rude diagrams or single swear words on them. The only people to see them clearly will be the counter who puts them in the spoilt pile. They will later be held up for anyone who wants to to confirm they are spoilt, but the not all parties will bother to send a rep, and those that do won't be able to see what is on them, and even if they do, they will not be recording anything.

Another postal vote spoiler here. I'm quite pleased I'd already completed my ballot at the weekend, as I probably would have gone full green biro after the attempts at clarification of Labour's policy on Monday.

I think I will join you with that message.
Family have always voted Labour and some of them very politically active within the party. My ward is a Labour stronghold.
As a biological woman I can't vote for them this time and may as well let them know why.

clear to whom? Clear to the counter who puts it in the spoilt ballet pile - or to the official that holds it up for a second later. Not clear to anyone else

such as what? It doesn't matter anyway, as they are locally based, but voting for the greens indicates to other parties that you care about the environment

@malachitegreen

Spoilt ballots don't show up as caring about anything at all

This is incorrect. Questionable and spoiled ballots get scrutinised by all candidates or their representatives at the count. It's a way to get a very precise message through to all parties.

And because of the effort required to spoil a ballot (vs just not vote), if there are a more than a couple spoiled for the same reason parties tend to listen at least a bit.

Also: any vote except the single deciding vote in each constituency is in one sense wasted apart from signalling. So why not signal very directly.

vote how you like, it is entirely your choice - but don't go thinking a spoilt vote counts for anything at all, or is seen or read or recorded in any way

It is also anti democratic to convince other people that this is a way of being seen or heard, when it isn't.

It is a choice, but it is not a choice that leads to your opinions in any way being counted. A proper vote is counted

clear to whom? Clear to the counter who puts it in the spoilt ballet pile - or to the official that holds it up for a second later. Not clear to anyone else

I know for a fact that the spoiled ballots were held up and that candidates looked at them when I did this.

I'm not saying that would happen everywhere. And I may have "got lucky" as it were. But I know it happened in my count.

You cant have a proper vote anyway in a relentlessly red ward.
So what the hell.

This thread has experiences from people actually involved in counts. Various opinions on whether this is worth doing, how many people see a message, etc.
However, it's clear that spoiled ballots are seen by candidate representatives.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/general-election-2024/5091430-spoilt-ballot-papers-the-truth

And a view Voting Counts (though it doesn't mention writing messages specifically):

votingcounts.org.uk/spoilt-ballot

I have voted in every election since I was old enough; including as a student and when living abroad. I have always been on the electoral register, despite many different addresses during my years of renting in London. I consider it my civic duty to make the effort to vote.

What I will no longer do, however, is vote for the least worst option. It feels actively dishonest to me now. I will only vote "for" a candidate if it's a positive decision.

So I have had to spoil my ballot in recent general and local elections. I was a dutiful girly swot at school, and it felt very naughty. But ultimately less morally wrong to me than putting an X next to a name just for the sake of it being a "proper vote".

I realise others may disagree. Others may hold their nose and vote tactically. Others may prefer the least worst option. Others may go for a solid constituency MP over party politics. I respect all of these difficult decisions.