Looking for info about spoiling your ballot? Click Here. Looking for number of spolit ballots in GE2017? Click Here.
On Thursday (23rd May) voters headed to the polls to vote in the European Parliament elections, deciding who would be elected as an MEP to represent their region in the EU. For some however, this was an opportunity to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the parties and their candidates on the ballot paper.
We took a look at the percentage of spoilt ballots for each region to see what they could tell us about this election. We’ve also compared them to the previous European Elections, which took place in 2014.
See the full data
| Region |
Total Number of Votes Cast (2019) |
Number of Spoilt Ballots (2019) |
Spoilt Ballot % 2019 |
Spoilt Ballot % 2014 |
Number of Spoilt Ballots (2014) |
| East Midlands |
1190960 |
7,733 |
0.60% |
0.30% |
3,425 |
| East of England |
1603017 |
9,589 |
0.60% |
0.40% |
6,937 |
| London |
2259078 |
17,397 |
0.80% |
1.10% |
25,207 |
| North East |
623478 |
3,624 |
0.60% |
0.30% |
2,116 |
| Northern Ireland |
577275 |
4649 |
0.80% |
1.60% |
N/A |
| North West |
1744858 |
9,951 |
0.60% |
0.50% |
N/A |
| Scotland |
1568241 |
5,205 |
0.30% |
0.20% |
2,184 |
| South East |
2538945 |
13,648 |
0.50% |
0.40% |
10,118 |
| South West |
1676173 |
9,544 |
0.60% |
0.30% |
N/A |
| Wales |
841850 |
5,655 |
0.70% |
0.30% |
1,999 |
| West Midlands |
1355216 |
8,378 |
0.60% |
0.60% |
8,478 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber |
1296380 |
7,103 |
0.50% |
0.50% |
N/A |
View Sources & Data in Google Docs
Wales saw an increase of 0.4%, while the North East and East Midlands doubled their percentage of spoilt ballots. On the other hand, Northern Ireland saw their percentage half to 0.8%.
Learn more about why ballots are rejected:
Why are ballots rejected?
Ballots are usually rejected because there is something other than an X in one of the boxes. Spoiled ballots may come in the form of totally blank ballot papers or ones with doddles/writing all over them. Usually they fall into one of these categories:
- Voting for more than one candidate
- Voters intention uncertain
- Voter can be identified
All candidates at the count will have the opportunity to review the rejected ballot papers. At this point they are able to argue the case for certain votes to be counted, I.e if a voter has written YES in the box rather than a X. This process is overseen by the returning officer.
Some more info on rejecting ballot papers: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/87701/Doubtful-ballot-placemat.pdf
Why spoil your ballot?
If you are not satisfied with the options available to you, spoiling your ballot is a way of actively demonstrating your apathy.
Staying at home just makes you another statistic, it is presumed you are just uninterested, but by actively going to the polling station and making it clear that none of the candidates represent you, you become a voice for the disengaged.
Blank Votes and Spoiled Ballots are read out at the count, along with the results and are also included in subsequent reports. Your apathy towards the political parties will be heard not just forgotten.
Huge numbers of blank/spoiled ballots can indicate to political parties that change in policy is needed to reconnect with these voters.
There are a number of reasons why rejected ballot numbers might increase, but we’d be interested to hear your and analysis, so please continue the discussion in the comments below.
If this page helped you understand more about elections, or encouraged you to vote, please do let us know.
Why do you think the number of spoilt ballots increased in some areas?
Voting Counts is a volunteer organisation run by young adults, support us by following us on twitter.
At the London count I observed, over 70% of spoilt ballot papers were in the category for voting more than once. A huge number of these were people voting for both a party and an independent.
(London had 10 parties and 11 independents standing, producing an extremely unwieldy ballot paper.)
It may be the case that many of these voters thought they could/had to pick both a party and a person.
Having observed many counts over the last ten years, my instinct is that the single biggest cause of blank/spoilt ballot papers are when more than one election takes place at the same time. A lot of blanks are cast, either by voters who turned out for one contest with no interest in others (the 2014 higher figures for London were probably this effect, particularly in boroughs like Tower Hamlets that had big turnouts for significant local parties in the council elections that did not stand for Europe) or who seem to think they can only make one choice across the whole set they’re given. There can also be a lot of over voting when the different ballot papers use different systems – many spoils seem to be cast by people who’ve only read one set. The Supplementary Vote used for directly-elected mayors and police & crime commissioners brings additional problems because of the two column nature of the paper can confuse many, not helped by very few parties and candidates advocating second preferences let alone issuing How To Vote cards.
“Huge numbers of blank/spoiled ballots can indicate to political parties that change in policy is needed to reconnect with these voters.”
Blank papers don’t really tell anybody anything other than the paper is blank for whatever reason. Also the official category for “Unmarked or wholly void for uncertainty” is a catch-all category that takes in blanks, papers with messages on them, attempts to write-in a candidate not standing and cases where the voter’s intention isn’t clear (crosses wandering across two lines, ticks and crosses and so forth). I’m afraid the current system is not set up for using ballot papers to send messages – not every party is represented at the adjudication, the counting agents are more concerned with saving good votes and identifying where their own voters are messing up and their inclusion in the official results is treated as a formality that goes over a lot of heads.
The reason for spoilt paper this time is purely because both the Media and the government do not clerly understand the electorates vote to leave Europe. The original choice to leave or remain was black or white. There ought to have beenat least 3 options, Remain, Leave with a deal that suits the UK, or Leave with No Deal at all. As business is only interested in its profits naturally it would vote stay, small businesses only complain against the employment laws that cost them, but the public only see that the EU is only interested in making the UK pay, and do not believe that we get anything back at all in exchange. The fact that so many non English are draining the NHS and the jobs market for low paid workers, hate the facts that the EU will not offer a better deal, and that the government keeps on paying our money to the EU. Don’t wait and keep paying out. Leave immediately !, if that upsets Europe then TOUGH !. They can request a new deal if they need British products, services or goods. We can manage quite nicely from other sources. What is the point voting for EU reps and paying for the privilege when we want out. ? The only option is to spoil sufficient ballot papers to bring the message home.