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

Sorry @NoWordForFluffy I've accidentally quoted you in my previous post.

I will be spoiling my ballot for the first time, and perhaps adding "women won't wheesht" at the bottom.

This

I get server error from that link. I always thought we had first past the post voting although there has been many discussions over the years of many groups wanting it different. I thought I had missed something HUGE.

*puts that poster in the same mental category as starmer

The breakdown is in the full data

https://www-electoralcommission-org-uk.webpkgcache.com/doc/-/s/www.electoralcommission.org.uk/sites/default/files/2020-05/UKPGE%202019-%20Electoral%20Data-Website.xlsx

It's quite amazing isn't it, the bare-bollocked confident scolding certainty of the Righteous Warriors.

So the breakdown is into the following categories:
No official mark
Voting for more candidates
Writing or mark by which the voter could be identified
Unmarked

My constituency is similar in recording but the D category says:unmarked/marked or wholly void for uncertainty.
So there may be slight variations.
But there is a total for number of spoiled/void votes.

Last election our constituency number of void votes was around 120. Each one of those papers will have been read, checked and double checked by election staff and politician representatives in the room.

No one is claiming there will be a category E for those writing JKR is right for example.

But if there is an unusually higher number of void votes in the total compared to the last election, that doesn't stay a secret in the counting hall, it's published and in the public domain by law. Press always look at these things.

If you vote for a party you don't like so as not to waste a vote, as people are urging, it just looks like that party picked up more votes because people liked their policies.

If people don't vote then it brings the turnout total down. No doubt a subject for discussion in the media.

But if my constituency void votes go up in any substantial unusual number because of spoiled papers then it will be picked up by the media John Curtice types and subject to wider discussion as to why this phenonema should be.

So even twenty more people in my constituency of around 80,0000 spoiling their ballot would move the void number from 120 to 140 which pushes up the void total a fair bit from last election. Multiply that happening across all constituencies and that trend would be noticed.

Apols for typos, not too good today.

@BackToLurk

What? We have first past the post. If you live in a safe seat and vote for anyone other than the incumbent your vote is 'wasted'. Your vote has no impact on the result. You may as well not bother.

Apologies - I was confusing this was another type of election (within the HOC). I'm a dual citizen too and where I live we do have a a preferential voting system. I don't think this is necessarily is a better thing, though.

@Bodeganights

So we seem to have ploppers coming to spout shite when they havent even researched our voting system?

I'm not a plopper, thanks, and my thoughts are just as valid as yours even if this time they were incorrect. I've apologised for this.

@RantyRantington

To the pp who picked me up re my vote, I'd assumed you to be a Brit abroad when answering you earlier.

You don't understand our voting system at all it now seems, so your knowledge of how the ballot count goes, isn't based on what happens in England Wales Scotland and Northern Ireland.

I don't think I'd ever feel it my place to interrupt a discussion on or offline tell the women of another country, how they should be voting, even within these isles.

I'm a dual citizen. I have never told anyone how to vote or who to vote for - simply that they should actually vote.

I don't know how you can confuse an entire countries voting system and then gave the audacity to tell us to vote.

Not your business, not a soul on here will believe a word you say now. You've proved you know nothing but like scolding.

I’ve just emailed my local Labour councillor, depending on his response I may spoil my ballot.

From the language used re voting I'm thinking that poster is in New Zealand.
'Nuff said.

I was thinking of lending my vote my local Labour candidate whom I know personally and actually like as a person.

But after Keir Starmer's revolting performance on radio today (toward 'Jane from London') I'll be spoiling my ballot and telling him why.

Only heard a snippet of Jane from London on the tv news.
Thank you Jane.
Didn't hear what old flannel Keir came back with, but thanks @AutumnCrow confirming that not much changed, even to a super direct question .

I've been trying to find out the best way to clearly spoil my ballot- if I do decide to do that. I was looking up protest voting, to make it clear it would be a protest vote and not misread and found this site.
Just in case it's helpful for anyone else considering this option:

www.votenone.org.uk/protest_votes_count.html

@RantyRantington

From the language used re voting I'm thinking that poster is in New Zealand.
'Nuff said.

😂 No. Are you also making assumptions? Along with silly ones about New Zealand?

I think I am going to have to. Starmer and Rayner have made it quite clear their intentions and the party line. I think Streeting gets it now.

I don't think Streeting is enough to hold all the others back, sadly. Plus I'm not sure that he's totally on board either.

Quick question, are you allowed to take a photo of your spoiled ballot paper and put it online? I think you're probably not but I'm not sure! Does anyone know?

@Appalonia

I don’t know for sure but I think almost definitely not before the election. And probably not afterwards.

I looked this up a couple of weeks ago. You are not allowed to take any photos inside polling stations, but I couldn’t find any direct prohibition on images of postal ballots.

I wonder what I’ve missed!

I think inside a polling station is totally confidential, so you can't have photos being taken. Your kitchen table, not so much!

I put a selection of stickers on mine. It looked good! Didn't take a photo though.

Ok thanks. I'm definitely putting a load of stickers on mine!