None of the above
Entities that include "None of the Above" on ballots as standard procedure include Argentina, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria („Не подкрепям никого“, "I don't support anyone"), Canada, Colombia (voto en blanco), France (vote blanc, "blank vote"), Greece (λευκό, blank), India ("None of the above"), Indonesia (kotak kosong, "empty box"), Kazakhstan, Mongolia, the Netherlands, North Korea, Norway, Peru, Spain (voto en blanco, "blank vote"), Uruguay, and the U.S. state of Nevada (None of These Candidates).
[7] 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 position remain vacant, having the position filled by appointment, re-opening nominations, or holding another election (in a body operating under parliamentary procedure), or it may have no effect, as in India and the US state of Nevada, where the next highest total wins regardless.
A businessman in Prince George, British Columbia ran in the 1997 federal election in the district of Prince George—Bulkley Valley[9] under the name Zznoneoff, Thea Bove (Thea Bove Zznoneoff); since ballots listed candidates alphabetically by surname, he appeared at the bottom.
A resident of Oshawa, Ontario, formerly known as Sheldon Bergson, had legally changed his name to "Above Znoneofthe",[10] and had registered under that name as a candidate in several provincial and federal elections, most recently challenging the sitting prime minister's riding of Papineau in the 2021 Canadian federal election as the Rhinoceros Party candidate.
According to the law currently (May 2023) applicable, "Blank ballot papers are counted separately and annexed to the minutes.
The Election Commission of India told the Supreme Court in 2009 that it wished to offer the voter a "none of the above" option on ballots, which the government had generally opposed.
[14] The People's Union for Civil Liberties, a non-governmental organisation, filed a public-interest litigation statement in support of this.
In such cases, the candidate contests the election against a NOTA option (commonly referred to as kotak kosong/empty box), and is declared the winner if they manage to secure a majority of the valid votes.
[37] In Kazakhstan, the "none of the above" (Бәріне қарсымын, "against all") option is provided in voting ballots as per Article 37(1) of the Constitutional Law "On Elections".
[38] Initially introduced in the 1991 presidential election, voters could cross out candidate names as means of choosing NOTA.
[42] In 2016, Astana lawyer Anton Fabry unsuccessfully sought a complaint to the Supreme Court, alleging that the Central Election Commission had completely neglected the interests of NOTA voters by excluding the voting option from the ballots as an "deliberate deception" to manipulate voter turnout.
[47] However, Minister of Justice Qanat Musin clarified that NOTA votes would only be considered as evidence of voter turnout, not as a determining factor due to a lack of legislation on the matter, emphasizing its role as an exercise of the right to participate in elections.
[49][50] More than 100 incumbents representing the Communist Party of the Soviet Union were defeated in the run-off, leading Boris Yeltsin to later say the "none of the above" option "helped convince the people they had real power even in a rigged election, and [it] played a role in building true democracy.
Since 1999, several political parties[51][52][53][54][55] have arisen in order to make visible the 'none of the above' option in the parliaments and force empty seats.
Its programme is to leave empty the corresponding assigned seats by not taking full possession of their duties as congressperson, senator, etc.
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 number of politicians in their councils by one and two respectively.
This in turn has led to increased support for and awareness of NOTA UK's campaign and its founder, recording artist and music producer Jamie Stanley (known as Mailman), being asked to give a number of media interviews.
[62] No public consultation materialised as the incoming Conservative majority government scrapped the PCRC, effectively disregarding all of its recommendations.
[75] The No Candidate Deserves My Vote party's single objective 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.
In 2010, Stephen Phillips of Stevenage stood in the UK general election on behalf of No Candidate Deserves My Vote.
[79] A subsequent attempt to re-register the NOTA party in 2014 was blocked by the Electoral Commission[80] on the grounds that the acronym 'NOTA' is as good as the phrase 'None of the Above', the logic being that it would confuse voters into thinking it is possible to cast a formal vote for 'None of the Above' when they would in fact just be voting for another party, albeit one standing on a single issue NOTA platform.
As candidates are listed by surname first he appeared on the ballot paper as "Zero, None Of The Above",[82] in effect giving voters a "none of the above" option since had he been elected he would have resigned immediately.
BBC News reported that, while the Registration of Political Parties (Prohibited Words and Expressions) (Amendment) Order 2005 stipulates that no political party can be registered in the UK under the name "None of the Above", there is no legislation against a person changing their name by deed poll and appearing on the ballot paper as "None Of the Above".
"None of the above" is also permitted in the bylaws of the Libertarian Party, with NOTA winning the 2024 presidential primaries in North Carolina and Massachusetts.
[93] Were it to be passed by the voters, it was meant to require this new ballot option for all state and federal elective offices, exempting only local judicial races; in determining official election results, the "none of the above" voter tally would be discarded in favor of the candidate with the greatest number of votes.
[49] As a result, voters defeated the sitting prime minister and dozens of leading Communists because they failed to get the required majority.
[49] Many students' unions in Britain, Ireland, and others[103] use a similar ballot option called 're-open nominations' (RON)[104] in IRV and single transferable vote (STV) elections.
