Rows of folded white paper ballots stacked in neat bundles on a long trestle table in a sports hall counting room
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.
doodlevotes

HOW THE COUNT WORKS

Does a tick
count?

INTENTION clearly appears

  • Four reasons to reject
  • Intention decides the rest
  • The whole paper is read
  • Process only, no parties or opinions

The ballot paper asks for a cross. Not everyone draws one.

At every UK count, some papers carry ticks, ticks and crosses, words or nothing at all. The law sets out what makes a paper void, and a test for the rest: does the voter's intention clearly appear? This independent guide explains how that works.

Updated

Test a mark

THE SHORT ANSWER

A clear intention
usually counts.

The Parliamentary Elections Rules list what is void.
Then they give a test for unusual marks.

THE RULE

Not only a cross

A paper marked outside the box, otherwise than by a cross, or with more than one mark is not void for that reason if the voter's intention clearly appears.

Test a mark

VOID

Four reasons to reject

No official mark, votes for more than one candidate, writing that could identify the voter, or unmarked or void for uncertainty.

See real numbers

AT THE COUNT

Adjudicated one by one

Doubtful papers go to the returning officer or a deputy. Guidance says the whole paper is considered, case by case.

How it is done

General information only, not legal advice. For advice on your own situation, speak to a qualified lawyer or a free advice service.

TEST A MARK

What happens
to this paper?

Pick a way a ballot paper might be marked to see how the law and counting guidance treat it. The bar shows how likely the paper is to be rejected.

Mark check

Choose a mark
A tick in one boxUsually counted

Not a cross, but the rules say that alone does not void it. Guidance treats a tick as a positive mark that can clearly show the voter's choice.

A cross just outside a boxDepends on clarity

Marking elsewhere than the proper place is not fatal if the intention clearly appears. Officials consider where the mark sits on the whole paper.

Crosses for two candidatesRejected

Where only one vote is allowed, a paper giving votes for more than one candidate is void and not counted.

A signature or name written onRejected

Anything written or marked by which the voter can be identified makes the paper void, apart from the printed number on the back.

Left blankRejected

An unmarked paper is void. It is counted in the 'unmarked or void for uncertainty' total on the official statement.

Sources: Representation of the People Act 1983, Schedule 1, rule 47; Electoral Commission supplementary guidance on doubtful ballot papers (2019); Chief Counting Officer's guide to doubtful ballot papers (2014).

Based on rule 47 of the Parliamentary Elections Rules (Representation of the People Act 1983, Schedule 1) and Electoral Commission and Chief Counting Officer adjudication guidance. Each paper is judged on its own; this is general information, not legal advice.

ONE REAL COUNT

What one count's
figures show.

Returning officers publish how many papers were rejected,
and why. One Scottish declaration from July 2024:

166 of 44,014

Ballot papers rejected

An Aberdeenshire Council declaration for the 4 July 2024 UK Parliamentary election reports 166 rejected papers, against 44,014 votes cast.

ONE CONSTITUENCY · JULY 2024

156 of 166

Unmarked or void for uncertainty

Of the rest, 7 gave votes for more than one candidate, 2 had no official mark and 1 had writing by which the voter could be identified.

SAME COUNT · BY REASON

Rule 47 requires the returning officer to draw up a statement showing the number of papers rejected under each of the four heads. This one count is an illustration, not a national figure.

HOW ADJUDICATION WORKS

Paper by paper,
in the open.

Hands of a counting official holding a single paper up to the light at a table, faces not visible
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

Drawn from the rules and Electoral Commission guidance for counts in Great Britain.

  1. Set doubtful papers aside

    Papers with no official mark, more than one vote, identifying writing, or no clear vote go to the returning officer or an appointed deputy.

  2. Read the whole paper

    Guidance says the whole paper is considered, and each one is decided on its own merits.

  3. Apply the test

    Does the intention to vote for one candidate clearly appear, without the marks identifying the voter?

  4. Endorse and record

    Rejected papers are marked 'rejected', with 'rejection objected to' added if a counting agent objects, and the totals are published.

CASE LAW

Courts have
shaped the test.

Close-up of a pencil resting on a blank printed form with empty boxes, beside a small grey ballot box slot
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

The rules give the test; election cases have shown how to apply it. The 2014 Chief Counting Officer's guide draws on Levers v Morris, which it says supports the idea that a voter can show a choice by exclusion, and stresses giving proper effect to the word 'clearly'.

Electoral Commission guidance from 2019 notes that, following Ruffle v Rogers, a ballot paper on which the name of a candidate or party is written can be allowed for them, while a general slogan may leave the intention unclear.

Questions

Questions people ask

Do I have to use a cross?

The rules expect a cross. But rule 47 says a paper marked otherwise than by a cross is not void for that reason alone, if the voter's intention clearly appears and the mark does not identify the voter.

What makes a ballot paper void?

Rule 47 lists four heads: no official mark, votes for more than one candidate, writing or a mark that could identify the voter (other than the printed number on the back), and unmarked or void for uncertainty.

Who decides on a doubtful paper?

The returning officer, or a deputy appointed to adjudicate. Candidates' counting agents can object, and the paper is then endorsed 'rejection objected to'.

Are spoilt ballots counted anywhere?

They are not counted as votes, but rule 47 requires a statement showing how many papers were rejected under each head. Aberdeenshire Council's July 2024 declaration, for example, lists them by reason.

Is this site linked to the Electoral Commission?

No. doodlevotes is an independent informational guide. It is not an electoral body, party or campaign, and it quotes the law and official guidance with links.

Sources

Where the facts come from

  1. legislation.gov.uk: Representation of the People Act 1983, Schedule 1, rule 47 (rejected ballot papers)
  2. Electoral Commission supplementary guidance: dealing with doubtful ballot papers (2019, via Electoral Management Board for Scotland)
  3. Chief Counting Officer's guide to dealing with doubtful ballot papers (2014, Electoral Management Board for Scotland)
  4. Aberdeenshire Council: declaration of result, UK Parliamentary election 4 July 2024 (rejected papers by reason)

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