'None of the Above' (NOTA) is a proposed addition on UK ballot papers so that voters may indicate their disapproval of all candidates. It is based on the important democratic principle that public support for elected candidates is only meaningful if voters have the option to reject all on offer.
The current absence of 'None of the Above' option on UK ballot papers diminishes democracy dramatically. Either we do not participate or we are forced to choose, even when no candidate may be considered acceptable. This is no small part explains voter apathy and low turnout figures. Elected candidates and governments that win under such circumstances in truth lack legitimacy, especially when they refuse to address the inadequacies of our electoral system.
Only when voters deliver significant numbers of acknowledged protest votes will a UK government be forced to recognise the democratic case for NOTA.
So how can you vote 'None of the Above' in the UK now, and make the democratic case for NOTA on the ballot?
Protest votes must be clear beyond dispute:
As there is no 'None of the Above' box on the ballot in UK elections: write NONE across your ballot paper, and put a single line through all the boxes.
To make it indefensible for the Electoral Commission to dismiss your vote as 'voter intention uncertain' or 'spoilt', do not put a cross anywhere, and don't write anything more.
Protest votes will count when the number increases significantly such that they can no longer be ignored.
Challenge every non-voter who feels disenfranchised to take part in elections on this basis. There is no reason to be silent.
Voting NONE is a democratic rejection of all the candidates that is clear even when 'None of the Above' is not on the ballot paper.
If you want a better democracy and politics in the UK, vote for a candidate you trust and want to represent you, or vote 'NONE'.
