John Dolan: Calm down, I only spoiled my vote, I didn’t shoot my granny!
All I did, yesterday week, was to pitch up at my local primary school, take a ballot paper, and make it crystal clear that I didn’t wish to vote for either of the candidates to be the next president.
I mean, at least I made it to the booth, which was more than most of you could manage! A turn-out of 45.83% really is pathetic, lads.
But for the past week, those no-shows, the refuseniks, and the plain absent-minded who couldn’t bother their heads exercising their democratic right have gotten away with their inertia scot-free.
No, all the anger and bile since the election has been directed at the spoiled vote brigade instead.
Lookit, I threatened on this page two weeks ago that I was minded to spoil my vote on October 25. I ended up doing just that because I didn’t want either of the candidates to be the next president - and I didn’t feel sufficiently opposed to one to vote for the other.
Notwithstanding that, I still wanted to use the opportunity to register my objection to the government parties, and indeed to the opposition parties, as well as to the independents and county councillors, and send them the message that the process of selection was wholly unsatisfactory and voters should have had more choice.
I believe they received that message forcefully.
I certainly had no intention of not voting - that, for me, is simply beyond the pale. I like to engage with our political system, I think it’s healthy and good for our democracy.
So, I marked an X in all three boxes on polling day and, in case, there was any doubt at the count centres, I wrote in large capital latters ‘THIS IS A SPOILT VOTE’.
My word, I had no idea of the wave of insults that were about to come my way.
On social media, indirectly, I was accused, as a spoiled voter, of being far-right, of being anti-abortion, of being a fan boy of Maria Steen or Conor McGregor or one of a host of other failed candidates, of facilitating a far-left candidate, of facilitating a right-wing candidate...
I was selfish, a fool, a sheep... my word, the insults grew and grew as the week wore on.
I’m surprised that I, and the thousands who joined me in spoiling their vote, weren’t blamed for the whole Saipan fiasco, and for Ireland failing to win the World Cup in 2002.
I mean, I only spoiled my vote, I didn’t shoot my own granny.
The insults even continued into midweek, long after the coronation of Catherine Connolly, when I was subjected to the daftest jibe yet.
It emerged that a Fine Gael councillor in Laois had said he believed people like me who spoiled their vote shouldn’t be entitled to State benefits.
What the what now?
That’s right. Cllr John King reportedly stated: “I am disappointed with the spoiled votes because our forefathers fought to get those votes.
“If you vote against the State, you shouldn’t be entitled to benefits.”
Crikey. That’s a tad of an over-reaction, isn’t it?
Does Cllr King not know how mad my wife will get if the child benefit suddenly stops in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, all because of me and my protest ‘vote’?
Let’s be clear here. A spoiled vote beats a no-show in the booths every time if we’re talking about democracy - and Cllr King might be better served trying to convince the majority of the electorate who didn’t vote at all last week that they need to make more of an effort next time.
My spoiled vote was hardly subversive, or a vote against the State - more a vote against a system that had badly let the country down.
I have given my reasons for doing it - and, no, I can’t imagine any scenario where I would have voted for Maria Steen, never mind Conor McGregor.
There were a whopping 213,738 invalid or ‘spoiled’ votes on election day - 12.9% of the overall vote - a record for a modern-day Irish election.
All of those people had myriad reasons for their actions, many of which I do not share, but I would argue a lack of choice was high up on the list for all spoiled voters.
We’ve since been told our spoiled votes will be taken to heart by politicians and their parties going forward, and if that means the next presidential election has a wider field of runners or that the system changes, then job done as far as I’m concerned.
I certainly don’t intend making a habit of being a spoiled voter - it was my first time doing so in 38 years of voting in the UK and Ireland. Even if we have started a trend, better a spoiled voter than a no-voter every day of the week.
There is frustration and anger at every election, but this particular one was unique in the way it united so many people.
Of course, there can be no defence for some of the disgusting comments scrawled on some spoiled ballot papers, and the person who submitted a card smeared with excrement in Cork really should face severe consequences if they are ever caught.
They say you can judge a man by the company he keeps - but to suggest any spoiled voter belongs in the same category as an extremist of your choice, just because they voted the same way, is simply wrong.
All that being said, I congratulate Catherine Connolly on her excellent campaign, and hope and presume she will make an excellent president for us all in the next seven years.
She is as much my president as she is for all the many who voted for her.
And, after all, a bit of national unity wouldn’t go amiss now, would it?
App?
