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Why would someone deliberately, or even decide in advance, to spoil their ballot?

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  • 07-09-2009 3:01pm
    #1
    hatrickpatrick
    Registered Users Posts: 17,797 ✭✭✭✭


    I notice in most of the poll topics here there are actually three options for how you might vote: Yes, No, or Spoilt Ballot Paper.

    Why would you decide in advance to spoil your ballot paper? I mean a spoilt ballot is just a non vote which will be discarded, so surely if that's what you want to happen would it not be easier to just not vote at all? It's effectively the same thing... Isn't it? :confused:

    I always assumed when they talk about "Spoilt ballot papers" during election counts, that the ballot papers were clearly spoiled by accident, by someone who wanted to vote but somehow messed it up.

    I know they will spoil your paper if you ask them to, because you ticked the wrong box and want to correct this mistake (therefore they spoil that one and give you a new one) but that surely doesn't count as a choice since you subsequently submit a new vote with the correct box chosen, or numbered or whatever it might be...?


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    #2
    Het-Field
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,350 ✭✭✭Het-Field


    It means that the state has to take notice of a voice of indifference. If you dont show up, the state wont care, in fact its to their advantage.


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    #3
    RandomName2
    Registered Users Posts: 5,570 ✭✭✭RandomName2


    Last vote had an unusual number of spolied votes.

    People who are pissed off but don't believe that their individual 'no' votes will make any difference and hope to get their voices heard another way, were the majority of those who seemed to spoil their vote.

    RTE news showed a good few of them... so maybe they were right up to a point.

    Of course, it is a bit disspiriting to be opposed by every political party and the media. Remember that PaddyPower agreed to pay out those who bet on a yes vote even before the referendum was over :D

    Some people will also attempt to invalidate the Lisbon II vote with spolied votes... which could never, ever work.


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    #4
    nesf
    Registered Users Posts: 27,645 ✭✭✭✭nesf


    RandomName2 wrote: »
    Last vote had an unusual number of spolied votes.

    People who are pissed off but don't believe that their individual 'no' votes will make any difference and hope to get their voices heard another way, were the majority of those who seemed to spoil their vote.

    Or people who don't believe voting no is a good way to protest. You know, sensible people... ;)


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    #5
    dresden8
    Registered Users Posts: 3,290 ✭✭✭dresden8


    Het-Field wrote: »
    It means that the state has to take notice of a voice of indifference.

    No it doesn't.


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    #6
    MikeC101
    Registered Users Posts: 1,707 ✭✭✭MikeC101


    Het-Field wrote: »
    It means that the state has to take notice of a voice of indifference.

    I'd like to think that was the case, but as far as I'm aware, there's no distinction made whether a vote looked like it was deliberately spoiled or if it was done so accidentally in the tallies. But then, there couldn't really be.

    I'd suppose a large amount of spoiled votes could indicate general dissatisfaction with the political system or whatever, but it could also just mean the voters didn't understand how to do it (dumb as that may sound), and it'll just be spun whatever way they want by the various political parties.

    I would only do it if voting was made mandatory, other than that I'd just not turn up if I didn't care about the issue.


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    #7
    Stark
    Registered Users Posts: 20,995 ✭✭✭✭Stark


    In an election, people will do it to indicate they don't agree with the policies of any of the candidates. Say for instance that every candidate was campaigning under a pro-life banner and you were a pro-choice supporter. In that instance, you would spoil your vote.


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    #8
    gizmo555
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,948 ✭✭✭gizmo555


    hatrickpatrick wrote: »
    Why would you decide in advance to spoil your ballot paper? I mean a spoilt ballot is just a non vote which will be discarded, so surely if that's what you want to happen would it not be easier to just not vote at all?

    Another reason might be if someone was being pressurised to vote in a way they didn't want to. Let's say I can't decide what way to vote and would prefer to abstain, but am under pressure from a family member to vote one way or the other. I can go to the polling station, go through the motions of casting a blank ballot and the peace is kept while my desire to abstain is met.

    This may sound far fetched, but when the British brought in large scale postal voting in recent years to increase turnout, there were many allegations of electoral fraud including widespread voter coercion.

    This was another nail in the coffin of the e-voting machines here - by design you couldn't spoil your vote secretly. The polling official operating the machine had to reset it if a ballot wasn't cast, so he or she would always know exactly who abstained.


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