Blank Ballots: Does anybody give a shit?

Claire MacKay 29
th
Sept 2014
So there's been a week of collapse in the Yes camp. isbelief! t"rnin# fast into b"yin# almost
e$ery piece of conspiracy foota#e faster than the final tickets of the %las#ow &ir$ana #i# that ne$er
happene'. (s well as a silent stron#hol' #"ar'in# the roots
of consoli'ation an' keepin# the painstakin#ly sewn see's of a
bea"tif"lly c"lti$ate' campai#n from #erminatin# into a chaotic
riot of b"''in# conspiracy theories 'estine' ne$er to come to
fr"ition.
)hat a calibre of 're' fla#s' there has been too. SKY *+ foota#e
of Yes $otes stacke' "p on a '&o' table. Can't #et more
con$incin# than that. ,o"l!play 'oc"mente' "nwittin#ly from
-"pert M"r'och's me'ia mo"thpiece! that's s"rely #ot to co"nt
for somethin#.
/nless0 as we are tol' by "n'ee Co"ncil0 these ha' not been
co"nte'0 b"t merely sorte' into b"n'les prior to co"ntin#! an'
place' where the &o's wo"l' finally rest. SKY NEWS Response
*hen there's the photo of ballot bo1es bein# b"n'le' onto a b"s!
some apparently in carrier ba#s0 the $i'eo foota#e from a pollin#
station0 we are le' to belie$e is in Scotlan'0 e$ac"ate' '"rin# a fire!alarm0 while 2 officials remain
behin'! s"spicio"sly mo$in# papers between tables 2Watch Here30 a male en"merator sittin# at his
co"ntin# 'esk0 apparently fillin# in ballots himself0 a female en"merator p"llin# ballots from her
han'ba#0 an' the latest! a home!ma'e $i'eo from a man who claims to ha$e recei$e' an
anonymo"s tip-off abo"t the whereabo"ts of a ba# of 'iscar'e' Yes ballots in %las#ow0 who empties
them o"t one by one an' ass"res $iewers he is #oin# to 'report this to the police'. !y Reports
Discarded Yes "otes #o!nd By Roadside
4ats off to these folks. *r"e or not0 in 5"st a week this lot has ca"se' s"ch a stir of sensationalism
it's har' to think it mi#ht not ha$e been preme'itate'.
(ll the same0 the plethora of potential electoral fra"' acco"nts on social me'ia hasn't been eno"#h
to 'isco"ra#e mainstream me'ia from pickin# "p on more serio"s acco"nts of a breach in election
re#"lations. )ith the hea' of the Scottish Conser$ati$es bein# s"b5ect to a police in$esti#ation for
openly a'mittin# on 6i$e tele$ision that she ha' been pri$y to res"lts of postal $ote samplin# in
a'$ance of the official co"nt. BB$ Story Here ( criminal offence in accor'ance with the Scottish
-eferen'"m (ct 2017. 8t seems she wasn't the only one bra##in# "pfront abo"t the &o s"ccess of
the postal $otes sample'. ,ormer irector of 9perations to *ony :lair an' a'$isor to %or'on
:rown was inter$iewe' by ::C on September 14
th
so"n'in# tri"mphant tr"mpets of s"ccess for the
&9 campai#n on acco"nt of the postal $ote samplin#s. "ideo Here
-"ssian official obser$ers were also ;"ick to call fo"l play of the co"ntin# proce'"res on the 19
th

!ardian Story% )hile it is clear to see why not many wo"l' want to to"ch a Kremlin affiliate'
'eclaration of fra"'"lent acti$ity with a bar#e pole0 8n$esti#ati$e political reporter Nao&i Wol'
maintains that the -"ssian obser$ers were operatin# for &%9s not affiliate' with <"tin's
a'ministration an' ha$e also pre$io"sly playe' the role of election obser$ers in /S elections.
(s a s"pporter of the Yes campai#n in the r"n "p to the referen'"m0 )olf has hit the news in the last
week with the S!nday Herald pickin# "p on her in$esti#ation into the h"n're's of acco"nts bein#
reporte' aro"n' the co"ntry an' online of ballots with no i'entifyin# barco'e or "ni;"e 8. n"mber
=/8&> printe' on the back.
(t first hearin# abo"t this claim0 8 was certain it was '#oin# nowhere'0 like the 'o?ens of ro#"e
conspiracy cries ca"#ht in a self limitin# $iral $orte1 of social me'ia for"ms. )ith e$en a 'no
$otin#' family member sayin# they are certain their ballot was blank on the back0 8 hel' my breath
in e1pectation of the clarifyin# official speech! which hasn't come.
8nstea' what has ens"e'0 is the bi##est #arble of conflictin# statements an' misinformation since0
oh 8 'on't know! the :etter *o#ether campai#n la"nche' their last min"te '+ow' in $iolation of the
@'inb"r#h (#reement.
*here seems to be a labyrinth of p"blic statements bein# ma'e on all
official fronts. 8n the official han'book 2see pic opposite3 for pollin# staff0
we can see that a /8& is re;"ire' on the back of ballots0 an' if it is missin#
the presi'in# officer is then prompte' to Anotify the referen'"m office
imme'iately.B
-enfrewshire Co"ncil confirme' to one online ,acebook "ser that all
ballots in that re#ion re;"ire' barco'es to be le#al.
(ber'een Co"ncil CC9 has been ;"ote' on recor' #i$in# conflictin#
statements0 on the one han' statin# that it was impossible that ballots
witho"t /8& or barco'es were iss"e'0 an' that these are not le#al $otes0 yet
ass"rin# $oters that in the "nlikely e$ent that their $ote was blank0 it wo"l'
ha$e been co"nte'. *his apparently contra'icts electoral law.
*he @lectoral Commission a'$ise' that $otes wo"l' not ha$e been iss"e'
witho"t an 8 mark on the back an' when presse' for information by
&aomi )olf on how $oters who insist this is in fact the case for them co"l'
take action0 they offere' the a'$ice that the only means for in$esti#ation
wo"l' be to la"nch a 5"'icial re$iew. *his is somethin# that any $oter can
'o "ntil 9ctober 71
st
! C weeks after the referen'"m res"lts0 by law.
8n response to the h"n're's of complaints the <olice ha$e been recei$in#0 %las#ow <olice iss"e' an
in$esti#ation email for f"rther reports. Re'erend!& (nvestigation )olice E&ail
8t seems from acco"nts online howe$er0 *Here+ their response is simply to rea' a letter from the
@lectoral Commission statin# that the electoral co"nt was con'"cte' normally0 e1plainin# how the
co"nt took place an' that it is "nlikely a blank ballot was iss"e'.
*he S&< ha$e now iss"e' a statement to ,acebook %ro"p ,berdeen -nite: Hope .ver #ear
a'$isin# that anyone with complaints of blank ballots sho"l' contact their local constit"ency S&<
office to report them. *his is somewhat concernin#0 as it contra'icts the a'$ice of the electoral
commission an' no political party has the power to la"nch an in$esti#ation into this matter0 as it
wo"l' $iolate the @'inb"r#h (#reement.
6ater a'$ice from (ber'een ep"ty Co"ntin# 9fficer howe$er0 was that all reports of blank ballots
sho"l' be ma'e at first instance to the police.
)e'$e also #ot the Chief Co"ntin# 9fficer for Scotlan' reportin# 2Here3 no ob5ections ha$e been
raise' re#ar'in# the electoral process0 in spite of the p"blic alle#ations ma'e by the -"ssian
obser$ers ;"estionin# the inte#rity of the co"nt0 an' 'irect contact from &aomi )olf as well as
h"n're's 'irecte' by her to report acco"nts of blank ballot papers to the CC9.
*here ha$e been those ;"ick to 5"mp on the case too0 a website calle' Beyondthe/0 claims to ha$e
a 6on'on base' h"man ri#hts lawyer on the case to lo'#e a 5"'icial re$iew0 b"t warns of hi#h costs
in$ol$e' an' claims to be settin# "p a tr"st f"n' for 'onations. ( DC 2Eohnathon Mitchell3 for
6awyers ,or Yes0 reportin# to be a le#al a'$iser for the Yes campai#n is commentin# on this site0
warnin# members that an @n#lish lawyer can't con'"ct this re$iew an' no lawyer in Scotlan' wo"l'
want to as it is in his opinion Aco"nter!pro'"cti$eB. 4e can also be fo"n' commentin# on &aomi
)olf's pa#e! warnin# that all acco"nts of blank ballots are nonsense an' not #ro"n's for a 5"'icial
re$iew.
*here are some statin# that they ha$e be#an the process for 5"'icial re$iew alrea'y0 with forms
'eli$ere' to them online from the Crown Co"rt. Some say it can be 'one free of char#e with a fee!
wai$er cla"se0 while others warn it is likely to cost F100'000 in le#al fees.
9ne thin# is for s"re0 with the rele$ant a"thorities now makin# their own p"blic 'eclarations an'
statements towar's this0 an' a DC representin# the '6awyers ,or Yes' le#al team commentin# on
,acebook threa's re#ar'in# the 5"'icial re$iew proposal ! this has ;"ite clearly t"rne' into a
tan#ible iss"e.
8'$e #ot to be honest howe$er0 8 look aro"n' to my most passionate Yesfriends an' many are
remainin# p"blicly scht"m with re#ar's to the 'iss"e of the blank ballots'. @$en 2 of them who ha$e
a'mitte' to their own ballot ha$in# a blank back are rel"ctant to p"blicly a'mit to it. 8n pri$ate
con$ersation a reso"n'in# messa#e is clear from them. 'Yeah, we think something isn't right, but
for the first time in our lifetime we've watched our generation wake up to engage with politics. We
don't want to be portrayed as politically naive for falling into some politically biased conspiracy
trap that sets us up to look like sore losers.'
8 'on't blame them. 8 too am one of the pre$io"sly politically 'isen#a#e' of my #eneration0 who
tho"#ht that any en#a#ement in a system that seems constr"cte' not to hear my $oice was pointless.
8 too ha$e wakene' to en#a#e for the first time. 8 am so inspire' by the tho"san's flockin# to
chan#e an' political reform an' wo"l' hate to watch it fa'e away or fi??le o"t. *hat's why 8 wo"l'
ar#"e that it is of "ltimate importance to s"pport an in$esti#ation into this. &ot to b"ry it.
*here is no answer at this moment to how all the blank ballots e;"ates to a ri##e' $otin# system or
electoral fra"'0 perhaps it 'oesn't. *here is no e$i'ence to show that these blank ballots were
le#ally 'iscar'e' on acco"nt of not ha$in# an 8 mark on the back0 in fact we know that there were
none reporte' as 'iscar'e' for that reason. *here is nothin# to say that the co"nts were not within
the law an' appropriately con'"cte'.
*hat is the problem. *here is nothing con$incin# eno"#h0 or official eno"#h to lay any of this to
rest.
*he response of the a"thorities has been to firstly 'eno"nce the e1istence of blank ballots0 an'
secon'ly to assert that in the "nlikely e$ent of $otes bein# ma'e on blank ballots0 they will ha$e
been co"nte'. *his contra'icts official pollin# staff #"i'elines an' fails to acknowle'#e the reports
of h"n're's who ha$e come forwar' to lo'#e official complaints an' re;"est an e1planation.
8f we lea$e this han#in#0 the messa#e is that we ha$e i#nore' a section of o"r electorate who
belie$e in #oo' faith0 that some in5"stice has perhaps been 'one. )e tell them that either they are
liars0 or are s"b5ect to mass hall"cination! b"t we i#nore them.
*o 'o this0 is not to protect the new!fo"n' inspiration of a pre$io"sly politically n"mb #eneration!
to me this lea$es "ncertainty in o"r 'emocratic election process that will only come back to ha"nt
those who were at one time 'isenchante' with the system.
:y s"pportin# this in$esti#ation0 we are askin# for a transparent system of politics that is open an'
acco"ntable to its electorate. *hat hol's the hi#hest $al"e o$er all $otes. &o harm can come from
this 5"'icial re$iew process which is the le#al ri#ht of all $oters0 ( e$en in the e$ent that the re$iew
shows a totally 5"st res"lt from a perfectly con'"cte' electoral process0 the o"tcome will be a
s"ccess all ro"n'0 'emonstratin# a transparent an' f"nctionin# system that we can ha$e faith in.
,ction:
8f yo" want to report that yo"r ballot was not marke' on the back by a /8& ="ni;"e 8'entification
&"mber>0 :arco'e or cross!reference' by a pollin# staff member before placin# in the ballot bo1.
Yo" can 'o the followin#G
Contact the police by email or by callin# 101
Re'erend!& (nvestigation )olice E&ail
(ll complaints m"st be formally s"bmitte' before an en;"iry can take place.
Contact yo"r local @lection 9fficer within yo"r re#ional co"ncil offices.
Contact &aomi )olf on #acebook or e&ail! she is also compilin# an archi$e of blank ballot
reports an' has $owe' to #i$e anyone who places a 5"'icial re$iew copies of these.
(pply for a E"'icial -e$iew
1!dicial Revie2 #or&
#ollow what others are 'oin# onlineG
Rally #or , Revote
Blank Ballot )apers3 Scottish Re'erend!&
,berdeen -nite: Hope .ver #ear
)etition