With a general election looming we want to generate support for a mass ballot spoiling campaign. The media is full of articles and discussion about voter apathy, antipathy, lack of trust, lack of engagement. Turnout at the last election was the lowest ever, including an extraordinary mere 30% of first time voters. The number of people who either don't vote at all or vote negatively (best of a bad bunch; keep the others out; register a protest by going for someone you know is going to lose...) is now massive. Protest and negative voting is one way of showing antipathy for the main two parties and the process involved, but the effect is dissipated across innumerable constituencies and the impact overall, therefore, barely of note and certainly difficult to interpret. Mass spoiling on the other hand could send a shock wave through the political establishment - and it would be apparent since spoiled papers have by law to be counted, recorded and announced. It is a call for a different way of doing business.

This tactic has been successfully followed through in Argentina where between a quarter and a third of the electorate spoiled their papers (see  http://publish.uk.indymedia.org/en/2001/10/14288.html) and virtually everywhere the number of blank and spoilt ballots was greater than that of the votes attracted by the winning party.

Our campaign is small and fledging but our ambition big and mature. Would you support this approach? Would you write about it on your site? Make a link to the site – www.spoilyourvote.co.uk.

Have a look at our developing website  http://www.spoilyourvote.co.uk to see some more of the arguments.


Spoil Your Vote 2005