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An unfunny joke — 9 Comments

  1. Every spoilt ballot counts more than a ballot not made…  

    Which is exactly what I sent in for our local elections last week.

    • If there is an election and if I happen to be near the polling station I might do that.  I had better start practising my drawing of a phallus?

  2.  Phallus not mandatory, but merely only one of the recommended alternatives to the simple X. 

    On mine I had sufficient space to write 'None of the above' between the name of the four candidates (Con, Lab, Lib, Green) and the series of boxes (tick only one )for my 'approval' of one of said candidates, all 4 of which I scribbled through.

    My point being, spoilt votes are actually counted (in UK at least) and are available as part of the official count. They simply aren't that public.

     

    Not submitting a (spoilt) vote could be, and is, rendered as lethargy, or as contempt upon the system, or indicision. Or any number of 'we needn't concern ourselves with the silent majority. '

    A spoilt vote is demonstrably contempt. And recorded seperately.

     

     

     

    • Absolutely right.

      A couple of years ago in a local election, I defaced my ballot-paper with a single word – a week later, writing in the local paper, one of the candidates made specific reference to my defacing comment.   By that act, my 'spoilt' paper had far more impact than any correctly-completed one (and certainly more than any abstention, whether lazy or deliberate).

      It's sad that we have to do it but, until our political classes start listening, we've got to shout by whatever methods we can, so get out there and make your mark, an X or otherwise.

  3. It might not apply in Ireland, but in England your ballot paper is fully traceable to you.  So spoil it, but try to avoid anything too offensive.

  4. Many years ago I was involved in doing the count for local elections. I don't remember the spoilt papers being counted at all – they were just put in a pile.

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