An alternative to not voting or spoiling your ballot in a general election

[esme]

I've seen a number of people posting that they don't see the point in voting as it won't make a difference or they intend to spoil their ballots deliberately as some form of protest

 

these measures will have absolutely no effect

 

spoilt ballots are counted, kept for a year and then binned, abstentions aren't even counted

 

you want to change the system ? you want politicians to sit up and take some notice of you ? you want your vote to actually mean something ?

 

here is how you do it

 

you stand at the next general election as a parliamentary candidate

 

your party will be called the "None of the above" party or the "I don't think any of the other candidates are worth voting for" party or some other variation

 

your manifesto will be that on election you will immediately call for another general election, stand down as an MP and undertake to stand in any subsequent election until all parties agree to introduce true proportional representation and give constituencies the right to recall and dismiss MP's who are not reflecting the views of the constituency

 

that's just two suggestions for demands, you may have better ones

 

your party will only need one candidate per constituency, you won't need to canvas opinions, in fact you won't need to leave your home and your deposit will be safe providing all the other people who would otherwise spoil their ballot or not bother voting actually vote for you, in fact if these people turn out you will win by a landslide

 

you can organise candidates for each constituency by using an internet chatroom, free ones are available and dead easy to set up

 

don't worry about publicity, if this happens it will be all over the news, twitter, facebook, you name it, people will hear

 

essentially you will be holding the political process to ransom by preventing it's operation until it works the way you want, the only problem will be whether you accept the word of the political parties when they tell you they agree to your demands

 

ok thats one idea, there are probably many more and better ideas out there

 

but I don't want to hear one more person saying they aren't going to vote or they are going to spoil their ballots

 

you can change the system by using the system so stop whining about it and do something

 

and if you can't be bothered to make a proper protest that will have some effect then I don't want to hear from you, I know who I'm going to vote for but you never know if a "None of the above" candidate were presented I might just change my mind

[Caucus]

I've seen a number of people posting that they don't see the point in voting as it won't make a difference or they intend to spoil their ballots deliberately as some form of protest

 

these measures will have absolutely no effect

 

spoilt ballots are counted, kept for a year and then binned, abstentions aren't even counted

 

you want to change the system ? you want politicians to sit up and take some notice of you ? you want your vote to actually mean something ?

 

here is how you do it

 

you stand at the next general election as a parliamentary candidate

 

your party will be called the "None of the above" party or the "I don't think any of the other candidates are worth voting for" party or some other variation

 

your manifesto will be that on election you will immediately call for another general election, stand down as an MP and undertake to stand in any subsequent election until all parties agree to introduce true proportional representation and give constituencies the right to recall and dismiss MP's who are not reflecting the views of the constituency

 

that's just two suggestions for demands, you may have better ones

 

your party will only need one candidate per constituency, you won't need to canvas opinions, in fact you won't need to leave your home and your deposit will be safe providing all the other people who would otherwise spoil their ballot or not bother voting actually vote for you, in fact if these people turn out you will win by a landslide

 

you can organise candidates for each constituency by using an internet chatroom, free ones are available and dead easy to set up

 

don't worry about publicity, if this happens it will be all over the news, twitter, facebook, you name it, people will hear

 

essentially you will be holding the political process to ransom by preventing it's operation until it works the way you want, the only problem will be whether you accept the word of the political parties when they tell you they agree to your demands

 

ok thats one idea, there are probably many more and better ideas out there

 

but I don't want to hear one more person saying they aren't going to vote or they are going to spoil their ballots

 

you can change the system by using the system so stop whining about it and do something

 

and if you can't be bothered to make a proper protest that will have some effect then I don't want to hear from you, I know who I'm going to vote for but you never know if a "None of the above" candidate were presented I might just change my mind

 

Hmmmmm....person on a mission!....GOOD LUCK!

HEY.......maybe if your mission is heartfelt enough, you will be able to take the corruption out of politics! ....I WISH SOMEONE COULD!......YES....I mean it!

[samstar999]

Esme - I like your thinking - where do you live? Are you going to do it?

[foxy lady]

I've seen a number of people posting that they don't see the point in voting as it won't make a difference or they intend to spoil their ballots deliberately as some form of protest

 

these measures will have absolutely no effect

 

spoilt ballots are counted, kept for a year and then binned, abstentions aren't even counted

 

you want to change the system ? you want politicians to sit up and take some notice of you ? you want your vote to actually mean something ?

 

here is how you do it

 

you stand at the next general election as a parliamentary candidate

 

your party will be called the "None of the above" party or the "I don't think any of the other candidates are worth voting for" party or some other variation

 

your manifesto will be that on election you will immediately call for another general election, stand down as an MP and undertake to stand in any subsequent election until all parties agree to introduce true proportional representation and give constituencies the right to recall and dismiss MP's who are not reflecting the views of the constituency

 

that's just two suggestions for demands, you may have better ones

 

your party will only need one candidate per constituency, you won't need to canvas opinions, in fact you won't need to leave your home and your deposit will be safe providing all the other people who would otherwise spoil their ballot or not bother voting actually vote for you, in fact if these people turn out you will win by a landslide

 

you can organise candidates for each constituency by using an internet chatroom, free ones are available and dead easy to set up

 

don't worry about publicity, if this happens it will be all over the news, twitter, facebook, you name it, people will hear

 

essentially you will be holding the political process to ransom by preventing it's operation until it works the way you want, the only problem will be whether you accept the word of the political parties when they tell you they agree to your demands

 

ok thats one idea, there are probably many more and better ideas out there

 

but I don't want to hear one more person saying they aren't going to vote or they are going to spoil their ballots

 

you can change the system by using the system so stop whining about it and do something

 

and if you can't be bothered to make a proper protest that will have some effect then I don't want to hear from you, I know who I'm going to vote for but you never know if a "None of the above" candidate were presented I might just change my mind

 

I don't want to rain on your parade here, but there is a little mater of a £500 deposit that will be lost.

[Caucus]

I don't want to rain on your parade here, but there is a little mater of a £500 deposit that will be lost.

 

So....what is your point in saying that?

[esme]

Esme - I like your thinking - where do you live? Are you going to do it?

I have to admit I'm tempted, I live in the labour safe seat of Sheffield Attercliffe, my MP is Clive Betts and I would dearly love to see him unseated or even just unsettled as he is a staunch party man and jumps when the whip tells him to but is a lot slower to act when it's his constituents doing the asking

 

I don't want to rain on your parade here, but there is a little mater of a £500 deposit that will be lost.

you'd only lose your £500 deposit if you get less than 5% of the total votes for the constituency

source - https://extranet.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/electoral_commission_pdf_file/0007/79540/UKPGE-nominations-factsheet-FINAL.pdf

however you would be dealing with people who have a history of not bothering to vote so it would be a risk

 

of somewhat more concern is the timetable which all this would have to be organised by

source - https://extranet.electoralcommission.org.uk/guidance/resources-for-those-we-regulate/candidates-and-agents

Local government election - 6 May 2010

Key dates for the local government election are:

 

Deadline to apply to register a new party to contest election - 5 March 2010

Close of nominations - 8 April 2010

 

so the party you want to stand for has to be registered by 5th March and candidates nominated by 8th April

 

the clock is ticking but it can still be done

 

you still have no excuse for spoiling a ballot or not voting

[esme]

actually that's wrong, that's local elections not a general election so you have even longer to get things sorted out

[esme]

apparently the government have banned the name "None of the above" as a political party name so you'll have to use something else

source - http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2005/20050147.htm

 

in fact it's the only name you can't have

 

looks like politicians really don't want the phrase "None of the above" appearing on a ballot paper ... I wonder why? it's almost as if they are worried people will put their cross in the box next to it and force another election with more suitable candidates or something

[plekhanov]

If you want PR all you need do is vote Lib Dem.

[redrobbo]

If you want PR all you need do is vote Lib Dem.

 

Whilst I acknowledge that PR has been Lib Dem policy for a very long time, there are some members of the Labour Party who also campaign for electoral reform (me being one of them) and even in the Conservative Party.

 

The recent pledge by the Prime Minister to hold a referendum on the alternative vote system shows that the number of folk within the Labour Party who are convinced of the need to change our ridiculous voting system is growing. Even Roy Hattersley appears to have now been persuaded of the merits of abandoning the first past the post voting system.