Coordinating spoilt ballots

[Binglebong]

I know there is a thread about have you spoilt your ballot but this is slightly different.

I'm trying to hold my nose and vote for someone but there is not a single potential MP in my constituency who does not disgust me. I don't want to vote Reform or someone as a protest as it might be seen that they have more support than they do. So the liklihood is that I will spoil my vote.

I know spoilt votes only really get looked at if there is a huge number or if the vote is close. But just in case I was wondering if it is worth having the same thing written on all of them to show that it is a massive issue that is losing them votes. What would you suggest (if you think it is a good idea).
Respect my sex if you want my X is a good one but is it the best?

I might put “I vote for JaneFromLondon who knows that women’s rights matter. #LabourLosingWomen”

The deed is done. For the first time, I spoil my ballot. I took a green Sharpie in, and Jeez, it squeaks, it is so noisy! 😀Also it clearly shows through the paper when you fold it and put it in the box, so the teller obviously knows you've spoilt. Not that they care, I suppose.

From the AMA thread it seems that ballot papers are unfolded, counted to check that the number tallies with the paperwork from the polling station and then sorted according to candidate. It's at the candidate sorting stage that any spoiled papers are passed to the Returning Officer for review. If the result is close the candidates' papers and the spoiled papers will be looked at again.
So a spoiled paper will be read at least 3 times in the normal course of events and potentially 4 or 5 times if the result is close.

BTW, did people find they were asked for ID? I took my polling card (but they weren't interested in that, really), and had my driving licence in my pocket, but no-one asked to see it. Just asked my name and address.

I was asked for ID and it was checked

You don’t need the polling card but it helps the polling clerks as them can quickly match it to their list. They should always ask for photo id.

Yes. Three people at the desk, one took my polling card and another one asked for my ID which they took and checked. Someone asked me to confirm my name and address but can't remember who.

I was also asked to show ID and also had to confirm my address.

I do think back to what an earlier poster said about poll workers coming across spoilt ballots with drawings of male genitalia and getting creeped out by the idea of some dodgy guy drawing them.

I'm sure there've always been a fair few cock'n'balls on ballot papers, maybe more this time. I'm sure no-one has a fit of the vapours about it, though.

Has anyone got any tips for the filling in the weirdly obvious extra time it takes to write ‘No Woman Has a Penis’ compared to ‘X’?

Whistling, maybe?

I’ve got a soft nib pen in my pocket to prevent the scritch-scritch sound of a pencil.

I can't see it as particularly creepy or something that's done by 'dodgy' guys. Isn't it just a rather juvenile way of saying the voter thinks the candidate/s is/are dicks/pricks and not worth voting for?

A bit of sniffing and one-handed fiddling about with a tissue blowing one's nose while writing furiously with the other hand should cover it!

I was clearly scribbling away for a while but if anyone noticed, it didn't bother me at all.

Honestly I wouldn't worry about it-I was once there for a good 5 minutes writing all over the card and the officer did make a quip but it was all lighthearted. I have my red pen ready in any case.

Likely counted as a vote for Labour.
Anyone spoiling your ballot its crucial not to mark one box or they will count it.
Mark all the boxes or none

I keep hearing about Jane, but where can I find a clip about her, I'd love to hear what she had to say. Lost my twitter password account so hoping its somewhere else?
cheers

Easily Googled:

x.com/bbc5live/status/1806689012175732756

Well I did it! Had a bit of a wobble earlier so checked some online articles about my candidate and seeing them giving an award at Pink News confirmed it for me. Put 3 stickers on my ballot paper. Felt a bit tearful when I walked out of the polling station tbh. However, its a safe Labour seat so it won't affect the vote, I did it for me.

Well done everyone! X

I am going to vote Labour very begrudgingly, but am going to sticker something on ballot paper as we are v marginal seat - 90 votes in it last time so good chance of everything having to be double checked

Anyone know if I should do an X or a more ambiguous mark - a single line or something - to make them have to look twice or do they have to look twice cos I will have stickered on a comment?

I think if you want your vote to count, you should mark with an X.

I wrote ((2-3 words to a line in the space between candidate name and box)…

‘There is no such thing as a woman with a penis’

and then drew a little cock and balls in the Labour candidate box.

(hopefully they will scrutinise as to whether it counts as a vote or not!)

i thought about Magdelen Berns while I scribbled.

I couldn't think of anything witty, I wrote "Labour, Lib Dems and Greens don't respect women" in big green capitals all over it, and used the pencil to put a long vertical line through all the candidates' boxes, as suggested by a poster upthread.

Agree with the PP about noisy ‘scratching’ of pens! I took a ‘soft nibbed” one in too but those booths must have special amplification properties.

I'm OK with that, as I would also be OK with it being considered spoiled. I couldn't decide. My constituency's so marginal that every contestable paper is likely to be scrutinised.