Spoiled Votes

Officer Giggles · 26-02-2011 7:17pm #1

Do you have to do something outrageous to spoil your vote or what counts as a spoiled vote, every constituency always has hundreds, I'm in Dublin south and there was 459, they surely couldn't all be protest votes

johnmcdnl · 26-02-2011 7:19pm

if you make a mistake writing in the numbers you spoil your vote - ie giving 2 candidates a no3 vote by accident..

putting any markings bar the numbers on the card can spoil the vote even if it's just a pencil mark to see is the pencil working...

most spoilled votes are probably errors rather than a political statement

blubloblu · 26-02-2011 7:21pm

A spoiled vote is a ballot without a clear first preference or with a mark that could identify the voter.

I think they should publish what they've counted as spoiled votes.

nommm · 26-02-2011 7:34pm

I was working at the polling centres yesterday and you'd be shocked by the number of people who didn't seem to know how to vote. I had several people ask me if they just had to put an x in the box of the candidate they wanted vote for. :rolleyes:

A spoiled vote can be anything from putting the same number down twice, putting an x in a box or the voting card not being stamped properly by the person giving out the voting cards.

Officer Giggles · 26-02-2011 7:34pm

THey should explain what they regard as spoiled just so people know, I wonder how many votes dustin got

Ian_K · 26-02-2011 8:23pm

I wrote my number one in the wrong place at first (in an independent candidate's blank where the party logos are) but then scribbled it out and put it in the correct place
Do you think it would be counted as spoiled or not?

Sponge Bob · 26-02-2011 8:28pm

No, the rule is that it must be examined to see if there is a 'clear' preference ....which there is. A spoiled vote is an unclear preference.

I remember once seeing a vote counted because the spoiler wrote 'cnut' beside a single candidate and nothing beside any other.

blubloblu · 26-02-2011 8:50pm

nommm wrote: »

I was working at the polling centres yesterday and you'd be shocked by the number of people who didn't seem to know how to vote. I had several people ask me if they just had to put an x in the box of the candidate they wanted vote for. :rolleyes:

A spoiled vote can be anything from putting the same number down twice, putting an x in a box or the voting card not being stamped properly by the person giving out the voting cards.

An x in one box and nothing else counts as a valid vote.

blubloblu · 26-02-2011 8:52pm

Officer Giggles wrote: »

THey should explain what they regard as spoiled just so people know, I wonder how many votes dustin got

What's the harm in scanning and publishing all votes considered spoilt? Secrecy shouldn't come into it as I doubt people are paid to spoil their vote.

Spoiled Votes

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