None of the above
"None of the above", or none for short, also known as "against all" or a "scratch" vote, is a ballot option in some jurisdictions or organizations, designed to allow the voter to indicate disapproval 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. It must be contrasted with "abstention", in which a voter does not cast a ballot.
Entities that include "None of the Above" on ballots as standard procedure include Argentina, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Colombia, France, Greece, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, the Netherlands, North Korea, Norway, Peru, Spain, Uruguay, and the U.S. state of Nevada.
Russia had such an option on its ballots until it was abolished in 2006. Bangladesh introduced this option in 2008. Pakistan introduced this option on ballot papers for the 2013 Pakistan elections, but the Election Commission of Pakistan later rejected it. Beginning with the 2016 presidential election, and 2017 parliamentary one, Bulgaria introduced a 'none of the above' option, which received in the presidential elections 5.59% of the vote in the first round and 4.47% in the run-off. It was also used in the 2019 mayoral election of Sofia. Kazakhstan originally included the option from 1995 to 2004, and from 2021 onwards after reintroducing the option, which notably received 5.8% of the vote in the 2022 presidential election.
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. This possibility is not purely theoretical, as NOTA has indeed won occasionally. 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, or it may have no effect, as in India and the US state of Nevada, where the next highest total wins regardless.
Bangladesh
In 2008, Bangladesh's interim government amended election laws to allow voters to cast "no" votes if they don't approve of any of the candidates.The law also states that if such "no" votes amount to 50% or more of the total votes cast, a bi-election is required to be held.
Bulgaria
Since 2016, voters can votes for the "I do not support anyone" option. These votes are however excluded from the calculation of the electoral threshold.Canada
No electoral jurisdiction in Canada formally lists "none of the above" as a ballot option. However, in some provincial elections it is effectively possible to vote for "none of the above", by attending the polling station and formally "declining to vote". These declined votes are counted and become part of the electoral record.A businessman in Prince George, British Columbia ran in the 1997 federal election in the district of Prince George—Bulkley Valley under the name Zznoneoff, Thea Bove ; since ballots listed candidates alphabetically by surname, he appeared at the bottom. He came sixth of seven candidates with 0.977 percent of votes cast.
A resident of Oshawa, Ontario, formerly known as Sheldon Bergson, had legally changed his name to "Above Znoneofthe", 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. His name order was chosen so that his name would always appear at the bottom of the ballot as "Znoneofthe, Above", although this only works federally as provincial election ballots do not list the candidates in surname order.
The 2020 Green Party leadership election featured a preferential ballot which allowed voters to select "none of the options" as a ranked selection.
In Ontario, the None of the Above Party of Ontario is a registered political party, although its stated mandate is for its candidates to serve in the legislature as independent representatives who reflect the views and interests of their constituents, rather than simply as a "reject all of the candidates" placeholder.
Colombia
In Colombia, a NOTA option in the ballots has been recognized by the Constitutional Court of Colombia by upholding a political reform law, declaring that a None of the Above vote is "a political expression of dissent, abstention or inconformity with political effects" and also adding that "a None of the Above vote constitutes a valuable expression of dissent through which the electorate's will protection can be promoted. As such, the constitution grants it a decisive importance in the election of uni-personal offices and public corporations". The NOTA option has been present in ballots since at least 1991; in fact legislative act 01 of 2009 instructs what should happen if NOTA would "win" an election.In accordance with the aforementioned Act, if an election for a public corporation, Governor, Mayor or the first round of the presidential elections would end with None of the Above as the absolute majority of valid ballots, the election must be repeated a single time with new candidates and for public corporations, the election must be repeated with only the lists which had achieved the threshold for seats. If the blank vote is again the majority in the new election, then the candidate with the most votes is declared elected.
In the regional elections of 2011 for the municipality of Bello, Antioquia, 56.7% of voters picked None of the Above, defeating the uncontested candidate and prompting the election for Mayor to be repeated.
France
In France, the NOTA vote has been recognised since the Revolution. According to the law currently applicable, "Blank ballot papers are counted separately and annexed to the minutes. They are not taken into account for the determination of the votes cast, but they are specially mentioned in the results of the ballot. An envelope containing no ballot paper is considered to be a blank ballot paper."The blank vote is considered as an act of political participation sending the message that "none of the options suits me", for instance in the case of a referendum.
India
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. The People's Union for Civil Liberties, a non-governmental organisation, filed a public-interest litigation statement in support of this.On 27 September 2013, the Supreme Court of India ruled that the right to register a "none of the above" vote in elections should apply and ordered the Election Commission to provide such a button in the electronic voting machines, noting that it would increase participation.
The Election Commission also clarified that even though votes cast as NOTA are counted, they are considered as invalid votes so they will not change the outcome of the election process. They are not taken into account for calculating the total valid votes and will not be considered for determining the forfeiture of deposit.
In the 2014 general election, NOTA polled 1.1% of the votes, counting to over 6,000,000.
The specific symbol for NOTA, a ballot paper with a black cross across it, was introduced on 18 September 2015. The symbol is designed by National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.
Indonesia
The Indonesian Law 10 of 2016 regulates local elections, and includes provisions for elections in which there is only one candidate. In such cases, the candidate contests the election against a NOTA option, and is declared the winner if they manage to secure a majority of the valid votes. Otherwise, the election will be postponed to the next occurrence; the government of Indonesia appoints an acting office holder until the new election, in which the losing candidate is eligible to stand again.There were three uncontested runs in the 2015 local elections, nine in the 2017 local elections, at least 13 in the 2018 local elections, 25 in the 2020 local elections, and 37 in the 2024 local elections.
As of 2024, three second-level local elections have resulted in NOTA "victories". In the 2018 election for mayor of Makassar, the NOTA option received over 300,000 votes, 35,000 more than the sole candidate, forcing a repeat election in 2020. In 2024, the elections for mayor of Pangkalpinang and the regent of Bangka Regency also resulted in NOTA "wins".
Kazakhstan
In Kazakhstan, the "none of the above" option is provided in voting ballots as per Article 37 of the Constitutional Law "On Elections". Initially introduced in the 1991 presidential election, voters could cross out candidate names as means of choosing NOTA. The option was officially included in the election law in 1995 but removed in 2004. Despite its removal, activists protested by casting unofficial NOTA votes and engaging in spoiled voting. 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.During the 2021 legislative election, its absence was a significant issue, leading President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to propose reinstating it, resulting in its reinstatement in June 2021. The NOTA option for the first time was used again during the direct elections of rural äkims in July 2021. In the 2022 presidential election, the NOTA option received 5.8%, making it the second-largest picked option in the vote share. 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.