why pencil?

[kazza12345]

I have just been to vote.  Why do they make you do it in pencil, as it could easily be altered by being rubbed out, and i might find ive voted for someone else!

[jocasta]

I dont think there is anything sinister here, it's just that a pencil is more reliable than a ball-point...(eg the SAS always take pencils into combat, sharpened at both ends, guarenteed not to 'run out of ink'!)

[brachiopod]

Exactly, jocasta. People tend to have a little scribble first when using a biro, just to make sure it works, or if the ink comes out a bit 'light' - that would probably cause a massive increase in spoilt ballot papers (or 'a massive swing towards the squiggly mark' as Mr. Snow would put it.)

[Loosehead]

Yes, I agree. Further, the Americans spent millions developing a pen that would write in space. The Russians? They took a pencil!

[GuavaHalf]

Sadly loosehead that's an urban myth see http://www.snopes.com/business/genius/spacepen.asp

[Loosehead]

Have you got the big boys book of Urban Myth's open? I know that, it's meant to be a very mild joke, It's Friday after all!

[lilyfrog]

is there a big boys book of Urban Myths?? I really want to read it!

Seriously though, you have just ruined one of my favourite tales of how daft American are! never mins

[dafyd]

Featured in the West Wing, no less... so it must be true ;-)

[Clanad]

Urban Myths aside, if your voting system uses an optical scanner to count the votes, then a soft lead #2 pencil is required to adequately mark the ballot and be read by the scanner.  Most ball point pens with either black or blue ink are not read effectively by such scanners...

[hopalong]

Even erarsed pencil leaves a mark and the ballot paper becomes spoilt

[flaming]

I spoilt my ballot paper once in a local election, and I wonder whether anyone reads spoilers' rants.  Mine was about Council Tax which  it went up the next year (as usual) probably just to spite me.

[bernardo]

The pencils used in polling stations are not ordinary pencils.  They are a special type of indelible pencil which cannot be rubbed out.  Thay were designed specifically for the purpose, in order to prevent the type of fraud you are worried about.

If a voter accidentally makes a mistake about which candidate they are voting for, they are allowed to scribble out the first cross and put a second cross beside the correct candidate - as long as it is clear that the voter is intending to vote for the candidate with the X rather than the one with the scribble.

It doesn't even matter if you make extra marks on the ballot paper, as long as you
(a) don't sign the ballot paper or otherwise identify yourself
(b) don't vote for more than 1 candidate
(c) don't make it so that it is unclear who you want to vote for.
A tick or a smily face would be just as valid as a cross.
A list of "no" beside all the candidates' names would still be OK as a valid vote, as long as there is also a "yes" or a tick or cross for one of them.

There were several examples of all of these types of ballot paper at the count during the night; we spent a long time studying them carefully because the result was extremely close and we had three re-counts.  The main question to ask in each case is "are the intentions of the voter clear?"  If yes, then any squiggly stuff is allowed.

[Artful]

I am a bit perplexed after reading this thread but which I have found very interesting. Am I correct when I  understand that you write (or mark) your ballot slips? I think I voted twice in GB before leaving for France and that was a long time ago. In France if you write on, or mark in any way, your slip the vote becomes null and void. Is it the same in Spain, netibiza?

[kazza12345]

how do you signal your intentions then, if you arent allowed to mark the paper?

[Artful]

Each name has its own slip and you simply put that paper in the envelope.

[kazza12345]

in england, you have all the candidates' names in a list and you mark next to the one you want to win

[Artful]

Certainly saves on paper, over here it goes to make for so much extra litter - the ground is covered.