The Student Room Group

Creative ways to spoil your ballot

Let's say you get to the ballot box on 7 May and think, "Meh, you know what? I don't want to vote for any of these people."

You could spoil your ballot by scribbling all over it, drawing a smiley face or writing a 3,000 word essay on the inequalities of the current voting system: but where's the creativity? What would you do instead?

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Writing a 3k word essay about the current voting system seems pretty creative to me :holmes:
In my first year when Bradford had the byelection that Galloway won, I spoilt my ballot with pictures of cats around his name, and a few drawings of cocks on the rest of the candidates. Clearly the best method.
Can they actually do anything about it if you draw something obscene on your ballot paper though? Presumeably they have your name on it.
:smile:
Original post by Stiff Little Fingers
In my first year when Bradford had the byelection that Galloway won, I spoilt my ballot with pictures of cats around his name, and a few drawings of cocks on the rest of the candidates. Clearly the best method.

:smile: I have been to several election counts as scrutineer. The accidentally spotlit vote is by far the worse, when there is a X in between 2 candidates; as it means you have to jointly decide on whose line is closest. sharing the vote is not allowed. Some people put circles in and you have to decide was is it enough of mark to constitute an attempts at an X. Council officers and clerks hate any spoilt voting forms. However candidates like them and the more amusing the better, but as the council people are such prats they quickly cover over the spoilt votes as they are genetically boring prats and hate humor. They do know who you are if you spoil a paper, but no action has been taken that i know of. Of course a spoilt ballot paper is also an official secret as regards content; yes i am afraid so. Jokes on papers do not hold up counts but those X's between candidates, if in sufficient quantity could hold counting up for days if there were enough.
Best though it to Vote for the Independent candidate as this encourages some sort of competition, which ain't saying much!:angry:
If I could get to the polling station, I was just going to get a sharpie pen and write "same ****, different ****holes" in big letters across the ballot paper. That's about as creative as I can think of.
Not turn up and not waste my time or the the unfortunate soul that has to waste their time getting rid of it.
Original post by RFowler
If I could get to the polling station, I was just going to get a sharpie pen and write "same ****, different ****holes" in big letters across the ballot paper. That's about as creative as I can think of.

That is a very common example though: You will have to be more imaginative.
Original post by Associativity
Can they actually do anything about it if you draw something obscene on your ballot paper though? Presumeably they have your name on it.

Party candidates would most likely laugh at them, however some idiot from the council electoral department might, but never ever heard of this happening as yet , so go ahead and do it.
Original post by Associativity
Can they actually do anything about it if you draw something obscene on your ballot paper though? Presumeably they have your name on it.


They absolutely do not. It's a secret ballot. Also what do they care?
Get the ballot paper

take it home

photocopy it, but photoshop in a new name/candidate

vote for him
Original post by Stephen BScHon's
Party candidates would most likely laugh at them, however some idiot from the council electoral department might, but never ever heard of this happening as yet , so go ahead and do it.


Secret ballot, your name isn't on it.

It's completely legal to spoil your ballot and you're unlikely to get into any trouble for it.

My idea if I walk in and just decide I can vote for any candidate (unlikely as that is) is to draw a bird ****ting on the candidate boxes and two revolvers point at each of the candidates last name.

In all seriousness if NOTA are standing in your are vote for them, it's much better than spoiling your ballot as it has a direct effect on the election result.
You get horrible choices but I say this to you. If you let the Conservatives win the next election chances are Students & Young people are going to be the next punch bag.

Imagine 16 to 19 year olds having to pay for their A levels? Imagine no free college years?
Imagine being put on workfare because you cannot secure a college place due to poor grades? You might have been bullied all though secondary school.
Imagine a society that treats you like scum?

Well this is where we are heading. You need to use your vote.
Writing David Camoron is a scrounger?
Original post by illegaltobepoor
You get horrible choices but I say this to you. If you let the Conservatives win the next election chances are Students & Young people are going to be the next punch bag.

Imagine 16 to 19 year olds having to pay for their A levels? Imagine no free college years?

Well this is where we are heading. You need to use your vote.



To be fair 'Futher Education' is a choice so it's only fair that those who benefit from it so pay.
Original post by TheOrder1886
To be fair 'Futher Education' is a choice so it's only fair that those who benefit from it so pay.

To be honest, you could say that about primary and secondary school too. In fact, why not just make all those poor little 5 year olds go out to work like we used to, if they wan't a proper education (and hence job) they (or their parents) will just have to pay for it. After all, I'm sure Mr Cameron's parents paid to put him through private school...

What this country really needs is a proper rethink of primary and secondary education (to make it actually decent and worthwhile), and get people to do it (by making it free/cheaper). The government more than get their money back from a levels through the higher amounts of tax the students who take them pay because they're more wealthy, after further study. The labour market has large numbers of lowly skilled workers, but is short of people to take up skilled jobs, the government should do everything they can to encourage hard working students to study.
Original post by RFowler
If I could get to the polling station, I was just going to get a sharpie pen and write "same ****, different ****holes" in big letters across the ballot paper. That's about as creative as I can think of.


With a sharpie you could spoil the voting booths, I don't know if there's even a procedure for that.

Original post by Associativity
Can they actually do anything about it if you draw something obscene on your ballot paper though? Presumeably they have your name on it.


It's possible to trace a paper back to a voter but it requires authorisation from a high court judge to match up the numbers with the records from the polling station... doesn't happen very often tbh unless you live in Tower Hamlets... there's no chance some obscene doodling would trigger an investigation.
Thanks for that, I didn't realise there was any form of traceability, I thought it was completely secret listening to what the others were saying (but then again I've never voted before). I don't quite get the tower hamlets reference you made there, being from out in the west I had to google it to find out even where it was! Could you fill me in?
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Associativity
Thanks for that, I didn't realise there was any form of traceability, I thought it was completely secret listening to what the others were saying (but then again I've never voted before). I don't quite get the tower hamlets reference you made there, being from out in the west I had to google it to find out even where it was! Could you fill me in?


rightly or wrongly it's dogged by allegations of vote fraud.
Original post by TheOrder1886
To be fair 'Futher Education' is a choice so it's only fair that those who benefit from it so pay.


Going to school is also a choice so I guess the Tories will pass laws soon to make us oiks pay.

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