Blank vote

At the time of a election, the blank vote is the fact of voting for any the candidates, or any the proposals in the case of a Référendum.

The blank vote consists in for a voter depositing in the ballot box a bulletin deprived of any name of candidate (or of any indication in the case of a referendum).

In France

The blank votes are not provided officially. The voters who wish to use them bring them with them. The distribution of blank votes by private individuals is prohibited the day of the poll. The empty envelopes are separately entered blank votes (different code), these two cases of figure being regarded as null in the calculation of the bulletins.

The recent arrival of the electronic machines of vote has in fact introduced the blank vote (but not on all the machines) and removed the null vote.

Calculation of the rate of blank vote

The rate of blank vote is the percentage of people, registered on the electoral rolls, which have blank vote compared to those which are registered on the lists.

Regulations of the public elections

In France, the elections are controls by the Electoral code.

January 30th, 2003 the Sénat adopted in first reading the private bill n° 1459 (2002-2003) tending to the recognition of the blank vote to the elections.

Previously entered like a null vote, the blank vote from now on is deducted separately, but is not entered as a vote cast.

Recall:

the registered are the voters registered on the electoral rolls before the end of the year preceding the elections;
the voters are the registered voters who actually voted (many envelopes in the ballot boxes);
the abstentions are the registered from which one withdraws the voters ;
the votes cast are the voters from which one withdraws the null votes and the blank votes . Only the votes cast determine the result of the election.

Possible interpretations

At the time of the elections in the small communes where everyone knows itself, the blank vote makes it possible to remain neutral while having been to go to vote.
It makes it possible to measure the legitimacy of an elected official: if he is elected with few blank votes, its decisions will be respected perhaps better because he receives the positive approval of the voters. Conversely, in the event of strong abstention or of many blank votes or null, it is probable that the elected official reflects the majority will less accurately and that adhesion with its policy options is less assured.
One of the possible significances of a blank vote is that the voter did not find of candidate or political party who corresponds to his ideas, but that it holds to express his disappointment by a vote, rather than by the Abstention. It then indicates perhaps that it does not call into question the principle of the elections nor their utility.
When the figure of the blank votes is published and that it is considerable, that can be regarded as a call to cause new candidatures for the following elections, to even create new political parties, which would seek to collect the voices of this “reserve of voters”, which is recognized neither in the involved candidates, nor in their program. The percentage of the blank votes is not known in France since they are entered with the null votes. The rate of blank votes and null varies on average between 2 and 5% of the registered voters.
One of the options sometimes considered is to regard the blank vote as vote cast and, if it obtains the majority, to convene new elections with new candidates.
In France, the blank vote is also called by certain organizations: civic abstentionism.

Country or organizations entering the blank votes

August 1st List countries where the blank vote is taken into account at the time of elections:

Sweden
Belgium

References

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