spoil your ballot paper

[steveo]

Strictly hypothetically of course, what are the legalities of taking a camera into a poll booth, spoiling your vote, photographing (or filming it) and banging the result up online?

[SeanMacGabhann]

Oh I dunno, if you are already behaving like a spoilt teenager why not just go the whole hog and publish and be damned

[Brendan]

ooooh, get you.;-)

[giggirl]

I drew a purple flower on my ballot paper once. It still got counted.

[Loz]

How do you know?

[Jah Lush]

Why bother?

[*Bob*]

I'm going to soil mine.

If there's room for two in a booth, someone else is welcome to film it. Offers?

[edcam]

Seriously though - if you don't feel that there's anyone you wnat to vote for, you should spoil your paper as this gets counted. Much more worthwhile than not bothering to turn up.

[KidKruger]

There really should be a 'no confidence in any of the above' option on the ballot paper, I think it would be useful feedback, especially at a time like we have now.

[Magpie]

I agree with Edcam - a spoilt ballet paper is counted, and hence does count as "none of the above", if you hate the lot of them then at least do that. People who don't vote shouldn't moan.

[woofmarkthedog]

Then what..?

Sit & watch it, patting yourself on the back

Ooooooo & maybe smoke a "spliff" whilst strumming a protest song, wake up late Monday morning & go to work in an un-ironed shirt

Jeezus H.....

W**F

[Loz]

Actually, it can be politically significant. In Oz, where voting is compulsory, the number of spoilt papers always counted and declared. For instance, the referendum for a hydroelectric dam in Tasmania back in the 80's offered two choices, neither of which the environmentalists liked. So, many people wrote 'No Dams' across the ballot instead. 45% of votes were 'spoilt' papers.

Unfortunately, in the UK where is not compulsory to vote, you just end up looking a bit dim and unable to follow simple instructions...

[steveo]

What became of the protest vote?

[MissM]

You can do whatever you like with your vote, as it's your vote. But why would you want to film / photo it?!

[giggirl]

Because we are "You Tube" nation MissM. If it's not on You Tube it doesn't count.

[RosieH]

Can't imagine steveo on Youtube.

I see no difference between taking a picture of this and taking a picture of oneself engaging in some dullard hobby like snowboarding.

If it brings you pleasure steve, then do it.

[giggirl]

But post a link, right?

[woofmarkthedog]

Yeah...

Then I'll review it...

"It's the must see of the year"

Nuts magazine

"This makes a mockery of the system"

Zimbabwe Security Journal

"Nice tits"

Ornithology Quarterly

W**F

[Huguenot]

Spoiling your vote to make statement is just childish.

Politicians aren't like mummy and dadddy. If you fold your arms and stick your bottom lip out because you don't like something they won't go down to the shops and buy you a special treat.

Politicians only need to be elected. You 'train' politicians like you train a dog. If they cooperate you put them in power, if they don't you elect someone else.

A spoiled ballot effectively means you've stopped 'training' because you're in a sulk. As a result our politicians/dogs do exactly what they were doing in the first place.

This is so blindingly obvious that spoiling ballot papers is mostly the preserve of first year students and cross-eyed antipodeans.

[Michael Palaeologus]

I dont agree. To not participate at all is childish - its taking your ball home with you and sulking. By not participating you have no right to complain about the outcome.

Getting off your backside and going to the polls or posting your ballot paper is participating and subsequently gives you a right to moan and bitch to your hearts content.

A vote is a statement of belief in one of the options and a "spoilt" ballot paper is a statement of a lack of belief in any of the buggers; but it is still a statement and is a demonstration that you have fulfilled your civic duty to the wider polis.

The fact that your purple flower party didnt get in is unfortunate but at least you can throw brick-bats at those that did.

[SteveT]

If you feel strongly about something spoiling your vote seems a bit of a fart arse way of achieving anything.

Take your complaint somewhere it can be heard and maybe acted upon in an adult fashion.

[Jah Lush]

Soiled and spoiled. Wipe your arse on it. Job done.

[giggirl]

Loz Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> How do you know?

Because I put a great big bloody tick in the box of the person I was voting for so why wouldn't it be counted? Unless the returning officer had a dislike of purple flowers.

[JohnL]

Mrs Duffy is not going to participate in the process .. and I think it hasn't helped Gord. Her reasons are she supports Labour but finds Brown rather rude I think.

She seems to be refusing to sell her story too.

[steveo]

To paraphrase my post in the Drawing Room

Putting a cross against a candidate's name means I approve of the party and I don't. None of them.

Voting for the least bad candidate is like buying the least rotten fruit. Voting for any of this lot says that I condone theft, lies, wars and mediocrity. I don't want to be represented by any party that has members who in any other walk of life would be in prison.

Not voting is a vote for none of them. Creative destruction of the ballot paper given publicity might help spark the revolution man.