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Spoiled ballots typically do not count toward any result in a popular referendum. They are usually counted for the sake of calculating turnout and then rejected.

However, in some jurisdictions, spoiled votes can help to change the outcome of a referendum. In many countries, a referendum is only valid if a certain number of people - usually 40% of the electorate or more - turn out to vote.


Because of this requirement, spoiled votes can help turn an unsuccessful referendum into a successful one. Suppose for example, 100 people are voting in a referendum and turnout must be 50% for it be successful.


If 22 people vote Yes and 18 people vote no, 55% of participants are in favour of the referendum but it fails because only 40% of voters turned out. However if another 11 people spoil their ballots then the turnout rises to 51% and the referendum is successful. It is thus theoretically possible for spoiled ballots to help a referendum succeed where it would otherwise fail.


Similarly, spoiled ballots can help to defeat a referendum. In some countries a successful referendum needs to have the support of certain portion of the entire electorate (usually more than 50%), regardless of how many of them turnout to vote. In that situation, in a Yes or No referendum, even though spoiled ballots are not recorded as "No" votes, they actually help to reject the referendum, as only "Yes" votes count towards crossing the minimum threshold for success.


As such, all though they do not count towards the official result, spoiled votes can help to change the outcome of a referendum. In this sense they are much more powerful than they are in normal elections. However this is only true of certain jurisdictions where these limitations exist - in a country like the United Kingdom, where a referendum counts regardless of how many people turn out to vote, spoiled ballots remain powerless.

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Q: Are spoiled votes counted in referendum?
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