Thursday 5 May 2011

Voting

I've just visited my local polling station and for the first time ever I've voted for myself (for District Council)- a slightly surreal experience.

Regarding the AV referendum, I was in two minds right up until the last minute of whether to refuse the ballot paper or spoil it with an EU referendum message. I decided on the former - mainly because any messages on spoiled papers will get ignored; a lower turnout sends a better message. The chap at the polling station got a little irritated by my request, he tried to insist that I had to take it (no I don't).

Anyway the upshot is that I haven't partaken in the referendum.

Update: If I had chosen to spoil my ballot paper as indicated above, I was going to take a picture and post it on here. However I find, courtesy of Douglas Carswell, that such actions would have been illegal:

NB. Out of interest, I checked with the Electoral Commission before posting a photo of my ballot paper on line. Apparently, it is legal to do so if you vote by post. But not if you vote in a polling booth. It's unlawful to publish information about what happens in a polling booth.

2 comments:

  1. I just voted in the referendum by spoiling the ballot paper.It's counted three or four times,maybe more,but,I felt good about it.

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  2. It'll be interesting to see what the final spoiled ballot paper percentage total is, if they give it.

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