Man goes to court to have "none of the above" listed as one of the options on ballot paper

November 12, 2021 3:20 PM

Have you ever had a situation where none of the candidates on a ballot paper deserves your vote? That is what compelled a man to head to the court to fight for a space for “none of the above” on the ballot paper.

Man goes to court to have "none of the above" listed as one of the options on ballot paper

Boniface Mwai, from Kenya, has filed a petition at the Nakuru High court seeking to compel the electoral agency, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to create an option for voters who might not be satisfied with any of the candidates on the ballot sheet.

According to him, it is voters’ democratic right to indicate through the use of the thumb that they do not believe any of the candidates contesting a given election deserves to win.

“That option (none of the above) allows voters who do not have confidence in the listed candidates to exercise their democratic right by indicating that none of the aspirants has won them over,” Boniface said as quoted by Tuko.co.ke.

It appears the petitioner has no confidence in any of the politicians who are aspiring to contest the country’s 2022 general elections.

As part of his petition, he wants the court to order the implementation of his proposal in the upcoming elections if it finds it worthy.

Boniface might be fighting a good cause on behalf of many silent electorates who decide to spoil their votes due to lack of any other choice apart from the candidates listed on the ballot sheet.