Vote ‘Screw This’ Campaign

Last week Mr Miles posted about the upcoming referendum. We’ve had a while to think about the issue and get our heads straight. And you won’t hear this very often, but we think he was wrong. After careful consideration and three casks of wine, we think the only answer in this referendum is to spoil your ballot.

We call this the Vote ‘Screw This’ Campaign. It ensures your voice will still be heard in the “spoiled ballots” category when the electoral commission releases final results. It also means that the people counting the ballots may have an enjoyable time.

A spoiled ballot is the only option better than not voting. If you think, like us, that we as a country should be beyond asking puerile questions such as the one put to us, then deface your ballot. If you don’t want to vote yes because you, like us, think the question is flawed, then deface your ballot.

Now we wouldn’t be much of a blog if we didn’t put some effort into balance and try to address the arguments against spoiling ones vote.

Kiwipolitico provide an excellent discussion of game theory applied to the referendum. However, as with all arguments, it all hinges on the presuppositions —and in our case the relevant one is:

Given that there are a hard core of people who are strongly motivated to vote “no” in this referendum, the adoption of this strategy {ballot spoiling / not voting} will send the (incorrect) message that the bulk of the electorate doesn’t care either way, ceding the field to the “no” voters

It’s this that we disagree on. A spoiled ballot is a pretty definitive protest against the referendum, in our minds at least, while an absent vote (not as clear) has the beautiful side effect of being unquantifiable, and therefore arguably as large as you like (given that non-voters will be prominent, even in the absence of a concerted don’t-vote campaign).

There certainly are a hard core of people who will be voting no, and there is one and only one way to make them go away, and that is to refuse to play their game. Refuse to enage in their dialogue on their terms. A large vote either yes or no will only protract the issue.

Here is an example of what we expect. This is the ballot paper Jackson stole when he was up in Mt Albert. Absolute Genius hopes Mr John Smith of Mt Albert Road doesn’t mind that we used his paper for artistic purposes rather than democratic ones (click image to see full size).

Here is another example of how to deface a ballot which we found blowing through the streets of Mt Albert. Detritus from the aftermath of a mind boggling by-election. Please note: parental supervision is advised when you click this link.

Holy shitfuck a prize!

In order to kick off the Vote ‘Screw This’ Campaign, we’re offering a prize for the best defacement of a ballot paper.

How to enter

Simply do your best doodle.
Take a photo or scan the ballot.
Email it to Jackson.
We will compile the best ballots in a post and give the winner a special prize!

The prize

One paid lunch with the authors of Absolute Genius at Gotham Cafe in Wellington*.

We are totally serious about this. We want you to tick both boxes. We want you to draw on the ballot. We want you to have some fun with democracy and use it to send a message.

When you get that awful, horrible question in the mail, vote ‘Screw This’ and you’ll be sending a message to everyone that this referendum is a waste of time and money, and we’ve all got much better things to deal with. You’ll be sending a message to the media that nobody cares about this referendum, that we refuse to be drawn into an argument over this. You’ll be standing up against the forces of ambiguous questioning and doing what’s right—drawing potentially rude pictures on an important official document.

*Please note, the prize is non-transferable to any other city or any other authors. The authors of Absolute Genius retain the right to eat lunch for the winner. The value of the winner’s lunch shall not exceed $NZ50. Polite civilized conversation not guaranteed.