I read with interest yesterday, reports of anti-Putin Russian voters being urged to repurpose their votes in an attempt to impose some meaning on an election that one would struggle to call a democratic event. Supporters of the late Alexei Navalny, once Putin’s most potent political enemy, were asking voters who would not otherwise have bothered voting to turn out and either vote for anyone but Putin or spoil their ballots. I was immediately struck by the similarity to the #RepurposeYourVote campaign.
We have no way of knowing how successful the Navalny supporters’ initiative was as detailed information about voting in the Russian presidential election tends not to get beyond the Kremlin’s walls. We do know that following their call to action, queues at polling places swelled. But it is unlikely that we’ll ever get a reliable tally of spoiled – or repurposed -ballots.
I probably should mention that Putin won another 6-year term. You’d probably guessed that much.
Regardless of how effective the Russian vote repurposing was, the basic idea was sound. Perhaps had the call gone out earlier, more people would have participated. But I didn’t see anybody dismissing or denouncing the idea as some have our call for people to #RepurposeYourVote in the 2024 Westminster election by writing #EndTheUnion across the ballot papers. Apparently, it’s a great tactic if Russian voters are doing it, but a really bad idea for Scotland’s voters. Go figure!
In fact, our repurposing effort must be more effective than the Russian one for at least two reasons. We started well before the election – which, as I write, hasn’t even been called yet. And our repurposed votes will be counted, recorded and reported.
Until the Navalny supporters asked people to repurpose their votes, a lot of Russians simply weren’t going to bother going to the polling place. They knew the election was a meaningless exercise and that the result was a foreground conclusion. Voting was pointless. Non-Putin votes could have no effect. For us here in Scotland, the 2024 UK general election is much the same. The oiutcome is a foregone conclusion in that we know we’re getting a British nationalist government regardless of how we vote. And there is no way our votes can have any effect if they are given to any of the parties standing candidates. None of them is standing on a #ManifestoForIndependence. And the result will be decided in England, in any case.
In a sense, the Navalny-supporters’ campaign serves as a test run for #RepurposeYourVote. It has demonstrated that people do respond to such calls to action. Regardless of effectiveness, people get to feel they are actually doing something. They are taking action. They get to feel empowered. That’s no bad thing. It could catch on.
Peter A Bell 
Our Grandparents and Great Grandparents fought for the right to vote. Writing comments on the ballot paper will only result in the papers being recorded as “spoilt” with no reason given. Rather than spoiling your paper, give your vote to one of the small parties or independent candidates. If everyone agrees as to who should be that candidate, we make a stronger statement than spoiling the papers.
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It’s not about “spoiling” your ballot paper! It’s about adapting it for a purpose, as explained in the article and the link provided to the #RepurposeYourVote campaign. (The clue is actually in the descriptor).
The repurposed votes will be counted and will be shown to the candidates – they will see how many votes they could have had and the message will be delivered.
Unless a candidate is standing with a credible plan and route map such as the #ManifestoForIndependence there is no point in voting for them … unless you wish to endorse the whole rotten British political system rather than rejecting it utterly.
#EndTheUnion
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You are, of course, wrong about what happens to repurposed ballots. They are counted, recorded and reported. The Returning Officer publishes a report which goes to the media. An exceptional number of ballots ‘spoilt’ in the same way would be a massive story, and the kind of thing that’s catnip to the media.
Try thinking through what happens if you vote for a candidate from any party. Try this thought exercise. Imagine you hold in your hand all the votes in Scotland. You can cast those votes in any way you please. You can give them all to one party – 100% of the vote on a 100% turnout. Or you can distribute the votes among parties in whatever way you want.
Now, tell us what you reckon would be the most effective way to cast those votes – in terms of Scotland’s cause – and describe in some detail the effect you suppose it would have.
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No offence to yourself , David , but the ” our grandparents and great grandparents for the right to vote ” * argument * , whilst true , has seen ” us ” end-up with worthless ciphers like Trump , Biden , Sturgeon , Johnson , TRUSS FFS ! Sarwar , Ross et al – hardly a ringing endorsement for ( what passes for ) * Democracy * – that 4/5 yearly Ugly Pageant , where whichever bad actors are elected proceed to ignore the wishes of the people who elected them and do exactly what THEY ( the Politicians ) want ; rather , do what their paymasters want . I have some sympathy for the recommendation to vote for ” small parties or independent candidates ” , but only at a Holyrood Election . I’m totally done with W.M and couldn’t care less what happens in that clown show . Though I will repurpose my vote to #EndTheUnion .
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…” fought for ….”
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There had already recently been a demonstration of the power of #RepurposingYourVote in the United States of Americas ‘Democratic’ primary ballot held in the state of Michigan.
More than 100,000 voters chose to go to the polling places and select ‘Uncommitted’ rather than give their vote to ‘Genocide Joe’ Biden.
This has made a massive publicity impact, not just in the USA but around the (english speaking at least) world.
see International news agencies e.g.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68427304
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/28/groundbreaking-michigans-uncommitted-vote-for-gaza-should-worry-biden
With 2 massive internationally renowned proof-of-concept demonstrations in as many months, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise for surely they must either be profoundly ignorant and lacking in any imagination or disengenous outright liars!
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I somehow managed to miss that.
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It is somewhat gratifying to learn Sarah Smith is still able to comfortably sandwich in time whereby she can frequent wine bars in pursuit of editorial copy. Smith in future might well lay claim her forays throughout Michigan and the reporting thereof inspired Peter A Bell to build the campaign to; ‘repurpose your vote’.
#End The Union!
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