Throw the bums out

Ulyanovsk, Russia

A Russian city this week failed for the second time to elect a representative to the national legislature when the option “None of the above” took the most votes. In the first try at picking a Duma representative, during the parliamentary election in December, 20 percent of voters in Ulyanovsk checked “None of the above,” the box at the bottom of the ballot. That was more than double the support given to any of the 14 actual candidates, including the incumbent. In a repeat election this week, “None of the above” increased its following to 21.5 percent, while the leading human contender took only 12 percent. “At a minimum,” said voter Aleksei Budovky, “this should sound like a warning to someone.”

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up