Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
AS PAPERS POURED out of ballot boxes around the country yesterday following the Presidential election and blasphemy referendum, there was plenty of talk about spoiled votes.
Rather than mark their Presidential preferences, some citizens took this opportunity to scrawl political messages or the names of alternative candidates on the ballot paper, thus discounting their vote.
‘A WASTE OF TAXPAYER MONEY’, ‘DUSTIN THE TURKEY’ and ‘NO TO ABORTION’ were just some of the sentiments expressed.
‘May God forgive you’
At the Convention Centre yesterday, TheJournal.ie spoke with a number of people counting votes throughout the day.
Voting got under way shortly after 9am. By 11:30am, a handful of anti-abortion messages had been reported as had one ‘Bobby Sands’. There were also some tastefully drawn male body parts.
‘Dustin the Turkey’ was a firm favourite on ballot papers, one counter told us. Another counter said that 20 votes had been cast in Terenure for journalist Gemma O’Doherty.
O’Doherty had hoped to gain enough local authority support to make it onto the ballot herself. She did receive one nomination from Laois County Council but was unsuccessful in securing enough nominations.
Before announcing constituency results, each returning officer at the count must adjudicate on invalid or spoiled votes.
It’s part of formalities throughout the count, Dublin City Sheriff James Barry told TheJournal.ie.
Sorting through ballot papers believed to be invalid in the Dublin North West constituency, returning officers yesterday discarded several ‘NONE OF THE ABOVE’ messages as well as a ‘CHRIST IS KING’ message.
‘Prefer Bertie’
That same sentiment was also expressed in the Cavan/Monaghan district.
In Dublin North West, ‘STOP THE SIEGE OF GAZA’ was spotted written across one ballot paper.
As we await the results for Dublin Central at the Convention Centre here are the spoiled votes from Dublin North West - plenty of anti-abortion messages in there. pic.twitter.com/h7zjRwzs6f
— Cónal Thomas (@ConalThomas) October 27, 2018
‘TROTSKY, LEON’ featured too, while one spoiled voter asked the country ‘WOULD PREFER BERTIE 2025?’
In the final tally for the Dublin South Central constituency, there were more spoiled votes (1.75%) than there were valid votes for candidate Gavin Duffy (1.7%).
This campaign saw Duffy and four other candidates take on incumbent President Michael D Higgins, who was re-elected to the Áras for another seven years.
Once the counting of spoiled votes is witnessed and complete, returning officers stamp ‘INVALID’ across the ballot paper and proceed with the tally.
In one instance, a voter wrote ‘R-E-P-E-N-T’ – a letter in each box marked beside the Presidential candidates.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Our country would look like less of a joke with Dustin the turkey at the helm
@pat mustard: It’s a bank holiday. Give it a rest Pat. You’ll have plenty of time next week to mown on the internet
@Tweety McTweeter: *moan
@pat mustard: Another moany post?
@Tweety McTweeter: good that reply was somewhat literate keep doing your best glad to see your learning
@pat mustard: you’re.
@pat mustard: it is you’re – irony.
@William Ryan: @Ed Quigley: no it’s *your. His effort is his collective possession. You wouldn’t say “keep doing you are best”. Idiots the two of you go back to class or get a hobby to fill up your sundays and get off the journal
@pat mustard: big fat Pat custard scuttery pants
@pat mustard: But you would say “you are learning”. Try keep up.
@pat mustard: Did you even bother to get up off your behind to go and vote?
@pat mustard Capital g on good needed, comma after the “good” and after the “literate”, you’re learning not your and a full stop at the end my boy.
At least we got a Hobbit and not a dragon as president…
either way, we get shafted.
Spoiled my own vote in protest of the farcical selection system in place.At the very least write-in votes should be allowed.
@The Risen: bet you’re proud of yourself. For all your political talk in the comments you’ve made a show of yourself by spoiling your vote
@The Risen:
Ditto.
@The Risen: what waste of energy. Your protest is meaningless.
@Anto Curran: here here
@The Risen: 18,000 spoilt votes for gemma.
@Sean Conway: lol. Nope!
@Anto Curran: My choice was as follows…
(a) Vote despite finding none of the candidates worthy of my support
(b) Spoil my vote in protest at the system which gave us such a poor field to choose from in the first place
(c) Not bother voting
I’m quite comfortable to have chosen (b)
@Sean Conway: source?
@Sean Conway: can you please provide a source for that?
@The Risen: Did you “protest” by writing Gemma O’Doherty on your ballot? That’ll learn ‘em!
@Clifford Brennan: No intention of ‘learning’ anyone. The right to vote includes the right to spoil your vote. I’m satisfied that the abysmal turnout yesterday alludes to how poor the choice of candidate was.
@The Risen: Do you still reckon Gemma should be President?
@The Risen: the amount of people that moan and moan about the government but don’t bother to even vote, atleast you got up, went out and voted, albeit a spoilt vote.
@Clifford Brennan: Still? Good one.
Gemma never got the chance to be part of the debates alongside the other candidates. I would have decided at that stage whether to vote for her or not. I spoiled my vote at the fact that her name was blocked from being on that ballot in the first place.
Don’t worry, I know nuance isn’t your forte,.
@The Risen: No, you already stated you would vote for her when she announced her intention to seek a nomination for the presidency. Or is this a different “the risen”?
The Risen
Aug 19th 2018, 9:15 PM
Right so. Thats my vote decided. Fearless, dogged, determined. Had we a dozen more journalists like her the country wouldn’t be in the mess its in…
@Shaun Gallagher: it’s hear hear
@Clifford Brennan: So, just to clarify, you reckon that I shouldn’t be allowed to change my mind before polling day if I decide I can no longer support a candidate? You do realise that changing poll numbers indicate citizens change their minds all the time about who to support, yes?
@The Risen: But DID you change your mind?
@Unconvertible Rebel: I didn’t get a chance to either way, thanks to a system I then protested by spoiling my ballot.
@The Risen: Regardless. You’re allowed to change your vote as well as spoil it.
@The Risen: you were critical of Higgins when he changed his mind about seeking re-election
@The Risen: I suppose we can agree that an anti-vaxxer, who threatens litigation when asked to defend her statements, wouldn’t necessarily be a great choice for president? For me, her twitter account showed precisely why she wasn’t nominated to run, and reflects very well on the selection process. The profound limitations of the role suggest she should run for election to the Dáil. It struck me as strange that she won’t.
@Dermot Lane: So, politicians should be allowed change their minds about election pledges they make on national TV because the voter can change their mind about who to vote for?
Labour supporters literally stand for nothing, don’t you?
@The Risen: You did the right thing in this case.
@Unconvertible Rebel: except I’m not a labour supporter
@Dermot Lane: And who will you be voting for in the upcoming election?
Inspired by one of the best scenes from father Ted “flight into terror”
“I think I should be president because I’m great.. in fact I think I should be president twice incase I get it wrong the first time”
Beaten by Dana and now spoiled votes. I think his PR company might take a hit.
The election was of no surprise except there were less voters voting this time than last but no one will say a word about that as many thought that there was no real candidate to vote for?
@TamuMassif2019: That has been reported on quite extensively
@Ed Quig I don;t see the sense in taking time to travel to a polling station to spoil a vote.
@Frank McGlynn:
Well I suppose it means that your vote can’t be hijacked by someone else.
@Frank McGlynn: to express your dissatisfaction with candidates and system, maybe.
Spoiling votes is moronic. Either vote, or don’t bother. Spoiling them changes nothing.
@Martin Meyler: It shows engagement with the political process but dissatisfaction with the candidates on offer as opposed to not turning up which would indicate you’re not bothered in the process.
@Rochelle: maybe. Still has no impact. A work colleague is pushing the idea of including ‘none of the above’ as an option on future ballots. Infinitely preferable and could be useful, too.
Does anyone really care ?
The value of your vote is equal to the value of your opinion
@Frank Martin: That’s either very deep or completely meaningless.
It is *you’re* Pat. Ironic that.
The only joy I got was voting YES and spoiling my vote in the ridiculous circus that was the presidential election. There was no suitable candidate so I had fun with my ballot paper. Casey got a Hitler moustache and swastika on his forehead, bigot in the box. The others got “Slay all Dragons” , “Iona groupie”, “establishment lackey”, and “Who?” . Just glad O’Doherty wasn’t on it or I would have needed another page.
I couldn’t bring myself to do a “Best of a bad lot” vote.Yb
@: so edgy!
S-E-R-P-E-N-T
I democratically spoil my vote as an expression of dissatisfaction and opposition to the political system and it’s rules. It would be hypocritical of me to complain about housing, homelessness, the health service crisis and yet endorse the political system that protects politicians once elected. They are unaccountable and untouchable and that’s not good for society. Do you know at both Citizen Assembles (2012 + 2018) the people voted in favour of giving real power to the Irish people using Citizen Initiatives/Direct Democracy? No of course not… It’s the best secret in Ireland. The Government do not what you to know.
have your say