The Rallying Cry For a More Democratic Future: 'Votez Nul!'

So what's the best place to start a radical blog on rethinking democracy? If you said, "the fetishized act of voting (or casting a ballot)," then you're absolutely right! Indeed, voting is a central and inalienable part of the preprogrammed set of beliefs that are conjured up by our brains when we hear the word 'democracy'! And, for better or worse, rightly so. But have you ever stopped to think what happened before we got to actually physically casting our vote? Who decided what candidates would appear on the ballot? Our knee-jerk response would be that the democratic process or system came up with the candidates. But do we know enough about this system and the actors and/or agents within that system to allow a bunch of people we hardly know to narrow our choices regarding who should rule our nations and make decisions that affect our lives and livelihoods?

Essentially, when we go to vote, we're given a piece of paper (a ballot) and we're instructed to select one name from each category of a predetermined list of candidates. This is not much different from going to an all-you-can-eat buffet, like many Americans like to do, and filling up our plates with our favorite foods. The problem is, the range of dishes we'll be eating has been decided for us beforehand! We've had absolutely no input in deciding the dishes that will be served up on this particular night for us to choose from. We just hope that whoever made the choices chose right and was able to appeal to a wide enough swath of tastes. On the surface, it appears as though we have lots of choice in a buffet, but in reality, if you think about it, the range of choices has actually been dramatically curtailed. In the case of the buffet, someone with prior training or expertise (invariably someone representing their own interests -- i.e., some 'manager' or 'expert' entrusted with the task) has limited our choices for us a priori. Similarly, in electoral politics, each set of party insiders or delegates, who are 'experts' in interpreting their party's platform, get together and choose a candidate whose name will appear on the ballot. What's offered up to us is no different than the low quality, mass-produced garbage we find at an all-you-can-eat buffet! So what can we do in this situation? Statistics show that a lot of voters have just opted out of the system altogether. However, opting out is tantamount to letting others decide the outcome of an election for you. Unfortunately, in a society where we're trained to defer decisions to 'those who know best,' it seems we are more and more likely to happily abdicate our right to vote. Have you ever considered that 'those who know best' may not actually be the ones who know best at all! They may be the ones who stand to gain the most! If anything, the elections of 2000 and 2004 in the United States clearly testify to this.

Those who can’t be bothered to go out and vote on election day or think their vote won’t make a difference not only miss the point but also miss a prime opportunity to voice their dissatisfaction. In the Western world, we preach and proselytize the gospel of democracy and even try to force it on other countries (whether they like it or not), providing expertise and money to set up a framework for democratic elections. We wage economic and physical wars with countries where democracy is abused to skew the results. Over history, people across the world have died (or put their lives in danger) in order to win the right to vote because they believed in the promises held out by democratic elections. The US was founded upon the ideals of freedom from a colonial oppressor and the ability to exercise one’s democratic right to vote for self-determination of taxes and policies affecting Americans. Sadly, these days, it seems the only thing that stimulates the masses to vote in the US is their favorite dance star or pop idol! And it’s a pattern that has been replicated across the globe. While votes cast for reality-TV show candidates continue to skyrocket, voter turnouts in real elections -- to select those who will determine the policies that truly impact our lives -- have been in dismal decline. The election of Barack Obama last year was an exception to this... A momentary counter-trend brought on by a confluence of factors. In fact, voter turnout for all other levels of government continue their downward spiral.

Apathy and laziness are no excuses for not exercising your democratic right to vote. Whether you find elections ’boring,’ you think none of the candidates represent your views, or you feel that all candidates are basically the same and your vote will not make a difference, there is something you can do to have your dissenting voice heard loud and clear: You can spoil your ballot! The good news is that this is both fun and easy to accomplish! All you have to do draw a large ’X’ on your ballot. That's it. Or, if you’re gifted with the ability to draw (or otherwise artistically-inclined), you can make the returning officer's day with a well crafted cartoon covering the ballot or, for example, try bringing some cutouts and a stick of glue with you into the voting booth and create a beautiful collage on your ballot — the sky is the limit when it comes to creativity, so by all means, be creative! Regardless of whether it’s a municipal, state, or federal level election, if you think your vote won’t matter, it’s up to you to be innovative and exercise your democratic right to vote while voicing your disenchantment with the candidates or the entire system! An innovative and creative campaign called "Votez Nul!" to spread the word about this option has recently been hatched in Europe and not a moment too soon.

Such acts of defiance have to be backed up by active attempts to get governments to recognize the spoiled ballot or null vote for what it is. In many countries, a spoiled ballot or null vote is counted as a ‘no vote.’ However, a ‘no-vote’ is not the same as a null vote. A no-vote is simply a vote that isn’t counted. It doesn’t express political intent or carry any weight. Technically, a null vote is not a 'protest vote' either. A 'protest vote' is a vote in favor of a minority or fringe candidate or opposing party that is unlikely to win the election intended to send a message to the majority or incumbent parties. Okay, now we know what a null vote ISN’T; so then what exactly is a null vote? Quite simply, a null vote is a spoiled ballot and it expresses dissatisfaction with the system as a whole in the absence of fair, accountable representation. We should always remember that defacing a ballot indicates dissent while not showing up to vote indicates apathy. This is why the "Votez Nul!" campaign is so important. Show your support by checking out "Votez Nul!" and when the next election rolls around, get your creative juices flowing and create a masterpiece.

Go to: http://voteznul.blogspot.com/ to hook up with others who are advocating for the null vote. You can also follow information and updates (in French) about the exciting campaign in Europe... And don't forget to spread the word to friends and family about the truly democratic alternative to express your dissatisfaction that is available to every single voter!