Mexico: Voters Share Their Null Ballots on Twitter
Twitter users in Mexico showed discontent with the political system of the country by participating in the recent Null Vote campaign for the July 5 elections. Following their vote, they took their cellphones and cameras to polling places and photographed their null votes. Opting out of the secrecy of the vote, some Mexican citizens shared their protest ballots through the web.
Although photographing votes is a federal crime to prevent frauds as Mexican newspaper Milenio warned [es], "creative" ballots were shared publicly using the tags #votomx and #anulArte (wordplay on "null" and "art"). However, in Twitcaps -one of the services that helps Twitter to publish photos using microformats for links- is where the mosaic of null votes can be fully appreciated: ballots crossed out, Twitter's icon Failwhale, ballots in support to the satirical campaign of Dr. Mono as promoted by the Bunsen blog [es], several obscene drawings of penises and curse words, and even Shakespeare's allusions scribbled in crayons.
Priscilliana uses the famous Twitter icon Failwhale [es] in her ballot, suggesting what other users call “an Epic fail for the system”:
Image taken from http://twitpic.com/9el5l
Hernandezz voted in favor of Dr. Mono [es], a character from an online comic strip [es] that parodies Mexican political candidates:
Image taken from http://twitpic.com/9f5ww
“Todos con Dr. Mono!!1 (O una prueba de que tengo pésimo pulso)”
Hgsantarriga goes for a straighter message in his ballot, with a figure that resembles a Zapatista rebel:
Image taken from http://twitpic.com/9ekc7
Aquí comienza la revolución.
These null ballots had media coverage in several national newspapers such as Milenio [es], El Universal [es] y Reforma, such as the following published by Jordi of a paper ballot that someone sent to him [es], whose author is unknown yet his message is quickly understood:
Image taken from http://twitpic.com/9ex9j
3 comments
Anular el voto es lo mas estupido que han inventado… ganaron algo? o ganaron solamente ser la nota del dia que se olvidara? va a cambiar algo? claro que no… lo unico que paso fue que ganaron los que nunca deberian volver a ganar. Quieren hacer una diferencia? cuando ya elijan gobernantes, exijanles y si no hacen las cosas protesten afuera del palacio de gobierno, afuera de sus casas, etc. Eso puede hacer una diferencia. Hicieron su chistecito con sus votos y ahora tendran anios con gobernantes pesimos, felicidades.
Casting a null ballot is the most stupid thing that’s been invented… did you win anything with it? or did you just win being the news item for that day that will be forgotten? is anything going to change? of course not… the only thing that happened is that the winners were those who never should’ve won again. You want to make a difference? when you elect your officials, demand action and if they don’t do their job protest outside the government offices, outside their homes, etc. That can make a difference. You made your little prank with your vote and now you’ll have the worst government possible, congratulations.
My last vote was a blank. My government in Denmark asked me to vote for an ammendment to out constitution that would allow a princess to become Queen in our faux monarchy. (Yes we DO have a queen now, but she’s thee on a one-off)
The argument was that we need equal gender rights in our monarchy. Which is bullshit in a country that doesnt allow women to become drafted for the army. Or immigrants under the age of 24 to marry. And since the ballot didnt give me the opportunity to vote for a republic I turned in a blank in the hope a lot of people would do the same.
Danish constiution annuls a vote where teh blank votes amount to 30%.