How To Spoil Your Ballot Paper For The General Election

Some People Get Really Creative Spoiling Their Ballot Papers
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We’ve been treated to countless political promises, speeches and media appearances but what if, despite all this, you still don’t want to vote for any of the candidates in this General Election?

Some voters take the drastic option of spoiling their ballot papers.

This means putting any sort of mark anywhere other than in a single box against a candidate’s name.

Voters may choose to scribble things, cross out names, draw on their papers or write on their ballot forms.

A spoilt ballot with a stark message in Tilgate & Furnace Green #wsccelectionspic.twitter.com/ormwwDVVHw

— Crawley Observer (@Crawley_Obby) May 3, 2013

Some even take things to the next level, getting artistic with pictures - although admittedly many of the spoilt papers are a little on the x-rated side.

Vote Or Vote None is a campaign to encourage voters to spoil their papers by writing ‘none’ across them.

They say: “Like all democratic votes, protest votes will be included in news reports and national results only if the numbers make them significant and newsworthy.

“In the 2010 General Election, the UK total of protest and 'spoilt' votes was around 295,000. That is a large number, but it represents only 1% of voters. So it was not news.

“Meanwhile, 34% of registered voters (16m) just didn't vote.

“If just some of the unheard 34% vote for what they believe in, the results of the election can change.”

We take a look at some of the more creative ways people have spoilt their ballot papers in the past…