This petition was submitted during the 2015-2017 parliament
Petition Rather than having to waste a vote, have a box marked ABSTAIN on voting papers .
In an election we have the option to either vote or not. Like the politicians, why not also have the Right to Abstain. This is better than spoiled papers, protest votes or simply not voting because you have to turn up to tick the box; it will be seen as a statement of intent rather than of apathy.
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Over one third of people didn't vote at the last election. 15 million people who didn't voice their opinion at the way the country is run. Give people the Right to Abstain and it shows that they care enough about their country to turn out on polling day; this way we can show our protest and the message is clear. If voters don't turn out it is seen as apathy rather than disgust at the politicians and their excesses. Politicians have the right to abstain in Westminster and so should we.
This petition is closed This petition ran for 6 months
16 signatures
Show on a map the geographical breakdown of signatures by constituency
10,000 signatures required to get a government response