None of the Above (NOTA) or against all is a ballot option in some jurisdictions or organizations, designed to allow the voter to indicate disapproval of all of the candidates in a voting system. It is based on the principle that consent requires the ability to withhold consent in an election, just as they can by voting no on ballot questions.
Entities that include "None of the Above" on ballots as standard procedure include Greece (λευκό, white, but unrelated to a political party of the similarly sounding name-however it is symbolic only), the U.S. state of Nevada (None of These Candidates), the Iowa caucuses ("no preference"), Ukraine (Проти всіх), Spain (voto en blanco), Colombia (voto en blanco), the United States Libertarian Party and Green Party and the Florida affiliate of the American Patriot Party.[1] Russia had such an option on its ballots (Против всех) until it was abolished in 2006.[2] Bangladesh introduced this option (না ভোট) in 2008.[3]
When None of the Above is listed on a ballot, there is the possibility of NOTA receiving a majority or plurality of the vote, and so "winning" the election. In such a case, a variety of formal procedures may be invoked, including having the office remain vacant, having the office filled by appointment, re-opening nominations or holding another election (in a body operating under parliamentary procedure).
In Nevada, the candidate with the greatest number of votes assumes office regardless of votes for None of the Above. None of the Above acts as a repository for protest votes.[4]
The Green Party of California included NOTA in its original 1991 bylaws, to offer voters a choice of rejecting all candidates presented. After one round of successful elections in which a candidate in Southern California and all gubernatorial candidates were retired after the primary by NOTA, a lawsuit by the California Secretary of State led to the disallowal of NOTA in Green Party primaries.
In 2000, Michael Moore advocated a write-in candidate Ficus (the plant) for Congress as a unified vote for none of the above in congressional seats where the incumbent was running unopposed.[5]
In 2004, the Oklahoma Green, Libertarian and Constitution parties endorsed a NOTA campaign for president that was organized by Oklahomans for Ballot Access Reform. The campaign called for voters to leave the Presidential ballot line blank in protest of restrictive ballot access laws.
Ralph Nader ran as a NOTA candidate and supports the NOTA option as a method of voters to withhold consent and to initiate a new round of elections.
The South Wales Anarchists group has run a campaign urging people to "Vote Nobody" since 2008[6] and many other Anarchist groups worldwide have promoted similar slogans.
During the run up to the 2008 United States elections, Beltaine's Fire, a celtic hip hop band from California, released a song and a music video in support of such anti-parliamentary campaigns called "None of the Above" [7] urging people to "check other and write none of the above".
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Many students' unions in the British Isles use a similar ballot option called re-open nominations (RON)[8] in IRV (also known as the alternative vote) and single transferable vote (STV) elections. These include the National Union of Students in the UK and UCD Student's Union in the Republic of Ireland. The difference is that RON is a vote against all candidates in FPTP (first-past-the-post) and all subsequent candidates in an IRV or STV election.
There are several ways of dealing with a RON candidate. In a single member constituency or election to a single position RON is treated as a normal candidate. If re-open nominations is deemed elected to any position then at the end of the count that position is declared vacant and nominations must later be re-opened for that position.
In a multi-member constituency there are two approaches. In the first, when a RON candidate is elected, all other candidates below RON are declared not to be elected and the counting process stops, the election is then re-run for that and all other unfilled positions. In the second, RON is elected to a position, then any surplus is transferred to another RON(2) candidate as if such an option had been presented on the ballot paper. If RON(2) is elected, then the process carries on with RON(3), RON(4) candidates and so on until all seats are filled. This is sometimes called the Stack RON method.
RON is not strictly a none of the above candidate in transferable vote elections, as when RON is eliminated during the count its votes are transferred to other candidates if those preferences exist.
NOTA was registered as a political party with the UK Electoral Commission on 2 March 2009.[16] It is the intention of NOTA to field candidates in every UK parliamentary constituency. The respective NOTA candidates will not continue in office should they receive the most votes. It is merely a mechanism to facilitate a means of recording a NOTA vote. This party is registered as "NOTA" and not "None of the above" as the latter is a prohibited expression regarding registration as a party name.[17]
"No Candidate Deserves My Vote!" was registered as a political party with the UK Electoral Commission on 23 November 2000.[18] The No Candidate Deserves My Vote party has one aim, and that is to introduce a bill to Parliament to have a "None of the above" option added to every local and general election ballot paper of the future. They feel this will allow the UK electorate to exercise their democratic right to vote to say that none of the parties currently represents them, which will encourage their democratic responsibility to turn out to vote. If a candidate wins an election it is the intention to stay as an MP until the change in the law is enacted. Only then will the candidate step down and the party be disbanded.
It is the intention of the party that if a NOTA gains the majority vote that it should cause an automatic by-election. The idea being that the majority have given a Vote of No Confidence in the candidates. If the same candidates stand under the same policies then the electorate simply vote NOTA until the candidates change their policies to something that the electorate can vote for.
In 2010, Stephen Phillips of Stevenage ran for the UK General Election on behalf of No Candidate Deserves My Vote.[19] Phillips received 327 votes, or 0.7% of the vote, placing 7th out of 9 candidates.[20]
The Landless Peasant Party, which advocates the ownership of land by those who live on it and the replacement of income tax by a flat land tax,[21] and whose leader Derek Jackson gained publicity for standing against then- Prime Minister Gordon Brown in his home constituency in the 2010 elections,[22] include a pledge to add a "None of the above" option to the ballot in all UK elections.[21]
None Of The Above Zero was a candidate at the 2010 UK General Election in Filton and Bradley Stoke.[23] Previously known as Eric Mutch, he changed his name by deed poll to stand under that name. As candidates are listed by surname first he appeared on the ballot paper as "Zero, None Of The Above,"[24] in effect giving voters a none of the above option since had he been elected he would have resigned immediately.[25] He came last with 172 votes.[26]
Due to the Spanish voting regulations (legislación electoral española), the blank ballot is recognized as None of the above (voto en blanco) but has very little chance to influence the distribution of seats within a democratic election. It is mostly considered as an statistical indicator of candidatures' disapproval. The blank ballots only increase the amount of valid votes, rising up the threshold of votes (3% and 5% depending on the election) which every political party has to overcome to be fully considered. The parties over the threshold get their seats according to the D'Hondt method.
Since 1999, several political parties[27][28][29][30][31] have arosen in order to make visible the None of the above option in the parliaments and force empty seats. Currently, "Blank Seats" runs for the Congress and Senate elections of the 20th November 2011. Its programme is to leave empty the corresponding assigned seats by not taken full possession of their duties as congressperson, senator, etc. According to law, the seat remains assigned to the elected candidate until the possession act takes place, the elected candidate explicitely refuses or new elections are called. In this way, the political party and its candidates stay free from obligations and are not entitled to receive any money from the public funding scheme for politics.
By voting such option at the local elections in May 2011, the citizens of the villages of Gironella (Barcelona) and Foixà (Girona) were able to reduce the amount of politicians in their councils by one and two respectively.[32][33] Overall, citizenship supported Blank Seats at different municipalities, including Barcelona, with 15582 votes (averaging 1,71% of valid votes).
This party aims to give blank ballots the meaning of representing empty seats if the amount of votes dictates so as for any other party, disbanding the party when such law would be approved.
The U.S. manual Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, 10th edition, p. 402 describes various forms of illegal ballots, which are ballots which do not count for any candidate. Blanks are treated as "scrap paper" and are of no effect but "unintelligible ballots or ballots cast for an unidentifiable candidate or a fictional character are treated as illegal votes. "All illegal votes cast by legal voters… are taken into account in determining the number of votes cast for purposes of computing the majority." RRONR always requires a majority for election so casting an illegal ballot or one for a hopeless candidate, whether on the ballot or as a write-in, is equivalent to voting No for all other candidates. "The principle is that a choice has no mandate from the voting body unless approval is expressed by more than half of those entitled to vote and registering any evidence of having some opinion."