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

Every fucking election we have had the same exact stuff said.

WE DONT CARE, WE WILL STILL SPOIL OUR BALLOT IF WE WANTBTO.
christ on a bike just quit with the nagging women to do as you say.

If only you women would do as you're told @malachitegreen wouldn't have to nag. You know it's ALWAYS the woman's fault! In this case 4th rule of misogyny: women's opinions are violence against men.

I wrote this quote.

I'm in a Labour super-safe seat in Inner London. I wrote none of the above on my postal vote with a X next to it.

No, a vote for another party will give them more votes and eventually, years down the line, they may win the election. A spoiled ballot ensures it stays between Tories and labour because those smaller parties don't even get a look in. Why not vote for a smaller party? Womens party, Greens, whoever. But a spoiled ballot is a waste.

Why not vote for a smaller party?

That's a good idea! I'm sure people planning to spoil their ballots hadn't thought of that! 🙄

I’ve stuck an AHF sticker on my ballot previously when spoiling. I think it’s very graphic and better than using a biro.

Women's party, Greens

It’s a shame that both WEP and Green’s are TWAW because I would definitely support either of them if they weren’t.

Thats why we wont ever get that option.

Maybe all the parties should think on that and try running the country instead of fumbling around. Possibly even having policies that some of us could vote for.
Maybe even just listening to a few womens groups. Taking notes, remembering that women vote too, for now.

I will do on 4th

No

I've voted Labour.

Ousting the SNP is more important

Spoiling ballots is a total waste of time.

spoil your ballot papers if you want to. Go ahead. I am not telling you not to.

I am telling you is is deceitful to try and influence others to do so on the pretence that it is in anyway a protest that will be counted, recorded, logged, or noticed in any way what so ever.

that quote is ridiculous. no one will EVER read it - even the counter picking it up.

If you want to be read - large thick coloured pen, two words max. Then the person counting might read it. And it might be read by anyone confirming at the showing that the paper is spoilt.

but that is as far as it goes.

I suggest you volunteer for the count, then you will see for yourselves.

Yes, it really is- which is up to you - just do it, but stop trying to persuade others to do it by giving them misinformation about people reading it, etc.

SDP and Communist are both reasonable on protecting women’s rights from erosion by policies intended for trans.

I’m still undecided but have no one in my area that makes me want to vote for them.

I might choose to spoil my ballot as is my right. No matter how many bossyboots tell me not to!

I will try this again, although I realise it is pointless because of the glare from the shiny haloes.

I have spoiled my ballot for me: whether it is because I am a daft mare, or an evil wrongthinker, or because I have carefully investigated the candidates and their party manifestos and feel that I cannot choose any of them, is up to the reader to decide.

I do not expect anybody to read what I have written.

I do not expect anybody to give a shit.

The one thing that I wish to register (and it will, because the number of spoilt ballots is amongst the information provided after the count) is: That I am not a disengaged voter, and that I did bother to turn out to vote.

The right thing to do in a democracy is to use your vote exactly as you wish, surely? Vote, spoil it or abstain. They are all 'right'. No party or principle is entitled to our votes.

I plan to cover my ballot paper with Adult Human Female stickers. There is genuinely NO-ONE I can in all good conscience vote for. A dreadful state of affairs.

I will in all likelihood be spoiling my ballot (still just over a week to go, may be a miracle). As well as reading the manifestos, with a particular interest in the parties I was most likely to vote for, I have also emailed every candidate in my area and asked for their position on a range of issues around single-sex services. None of them have answered. I think I have probably engaged more actively with the electoral process than the vast majority who will be voting for X, Y or Z because 'small boats' or 'NHS' or 'insert personal hobby horse', so if they want to chide people for spoiling then they can carry on, but I'm not sure they should smugly believe they are doing it from sort of moral or politically more informed high ground.

I spoiled my paper last time and it hurt to do it, though I genuinely didn't feel I had an alternative. Since then, as events have unfolded at Westminster, I have been glad that I followed my gut and my heart and didn't vote for any of the liars, cheats, sneaks or tricksters that make up the shit government or the shit opposition.

I recently attended the local hustings as I really would like to vote proactively this time for someone I believe will represent me, my family and my community well. It's one of the most marginal seats in the country, so every vote really does count (though it was pretty obvious from the audience responses that Labour will take it.) As we all know, there is no good choice of party for GC women and the hustings made it clear there is also no good local candidate here. I can't vote FOR any of them so I'm in the shit position of having to vote AGAINST them. Again.

Spoiling my paper is an option I haven't ruled out, however there is an alternative, in my consitutency at least.

I give you THE MONSTER RAVING LOONY PARTY.

Some exerts from their manifesto:

Cost of Living…To help with the cost of Living and to raise money for the Treasury we will Convert Numbers 10 and 11 Downing Street into a Hair salon, Which we will call ‘Government CutZ’

Rwanda…We will send all MPs who misbehave to Rwanda.

Immigration..We will replace employees of the Border Force with GP receptionists. This will dramatically reduce the number of people getting in.

I mean, it's a fairly rubbish joke, but is it any more silly than the magic piece of paper that turns men into women? The belief in a rainbow spell that keeps women safe from predatory men in their spaces?

This is also from the front page of their website, from one of their candidates (Lily the Pink):

I don’t wish to steal anyone else’s votes, stop anyone voting if they have someone to vote for, or to stop anyone who wants to vote tactically doing so.
If you have lost faith, lost interest, don’t see the point, want to protest, need ‘a none of the above’ option then vote for Lily the Pink on the 4th of July

Last time I really hoped that the number of spoiled papers would warrant a mention at least on the news, but I suspect it's deliberately kept out of the headlines so it doesn't become a recognised choice. But if the ridiculous, cringey MRL party are actually attracting a chunk of votes surely that will be newsworthy, and send a clear message to Westminster? I've got to say, it's the only party I'm currently seriously considering. And that is a hideous position I never imagined being in.

My son's quite pissed off he can't vote for Count Binface

Nobody is being bossy and nobody is telling you not to. We are telling you the reality of what it means, that is all

This is a selection of the stickers I'm going to cover my ballot paper in.

I think I’ve got some sort of condition where the more someone badgers or shames me for taking a certain course of action the more I am determined to do that thing anyway even if it harms me. 😂