FAQs

Q. What’s the point of spoiling my vote?
A. By repurposing your vote into a political statement, you, along with thousands of others, can send a message to all Scotland’s political parties and to the British State that you want to end the union and restore our independence.

Q. Aren’t spoiled votes just discarded?
A. No. Invalid votes need to be counted, tabulated and shown to all candidates.

Q. Who’s going to see my repurposed vote?
A. All the candidates at your election count, as well as all the party observers and any media people at the count.

Q. Is there a point or a plan to this repurposing exercise?
A. Absolutely. In fact, there are two main points.
(1) The more people who join in and repurpose their vote the bigger the impact it will have on Scottish politics. At the big counts, such as the ones in cities, there will be an excitement around the count that thousands of people chose to repurpose their vote into an #EndTheUnion message.
(2) The second point is that Scottish politicians will see that the people of Scotland no longer see sending representatives to Westminster as a way to end the union, to restoring our independence

Q. Has this happened before?
A. Plenty of people spoil their ballots but we believe this is the first campaign to coordinate the message that people write on their spoiled ballots.

Q. Why shouldn’t I just write anything I want on my ballot paper? Why do I have to write #EndTheUnion?
A. You can of course. But imagine how much more powerful it would be if people who intend to spoil their vote all sent the same message that the union is doomed and that they want it to end? Moreover, they do not see a role for the British State in restoring our independence. We believe that there are many messages implied in that simple statement, #EndTheUnion

Q. I dunno. I was brought up to always vote. Isn’t this just a stunt that gets me out of my civic responsibility?
A. Think of it this way. You’re not staying at home, you’re making your way to a Polling Place to send a message that no politicians on the ballot nor any political party nor the UK parliament will ever give me what I want: the restoration of my country’s independence.

Q. Will it really have an impact?
A. That’s a little like asking if your vote will have an impact. As an individual vote, no it won’t. But as part of thousands of votes, it will. It’s the same for our campaign. The more people who write #EndTheUnion on their ballot paper, the bigger impact it will have.

Q. Will this campaign carry on to the Holyrood election in 2026?
A. No. We believe that we will need people at Holyrood who believe in ending the union and will finally do something to make it happen. But that’s a campaign for after the UK election.

Q. What is the plan for voting in the Holyrood election in 2026? Will there be a similar campaign to repurpose your vote for that election too?
A. No, absolutely not. The Scottish General Election in 2026 will be one of the most important elections ever for Scotland. More and more people are realising that in order to restore our independence we need to do it ourselves, rather than ask the UK government for permission. This will be the core of a new campaign for 2026.

Q, Is this something that’s been done before?
A. Yes. And very recently, just this year, the same year as the UK’s general election. In Russia, supporters of Alexei Navalny repurposed their ballot papers, by writing “Alexei Navalny” across their voting slip. In the USA, in the Michigan state primary election, more than 100,000 voters chose to go to their polling place and select ‘Uncommitted’ rather than give their vote to President Biden. Repurposing your vote is a legitimate protest and, in Scotland, can send a powerful message to independence-supporting parties that they must rethink their approach to the constitutional issue. And the more of us who do, the bigger impact it will make.