Longtime Hugo Administrator Kevin Sandlee explained this to me.
Anything you rank below No Award *cannot* help that thing win over anything you rank above No Award, because the final step of the vote counting is comparison of Thing X to No Award on all ballots, and at that stage, being below No Award on your ballot counts as one vote against Thing X--and failing that vote means No Award is given.
What ranking things below No Award *does* do, is help "meh" win over "OMG Who Let THAT in here?" if everything you ranked above No Award, *and* No Award, are off the table no matter what.
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Date: 2015-04-05 02:12 pm (UTC)Anything you rank below No Award *cannot* help that thing win over anything you rank above No Award, because the final step of the vote counting is comparison of Thing X to No Award on all ballots, and at that stage, being below No Award on your ballot counts as one vote against Thing X--and failing that vote means No Award is given.
What ranking things below No Award *does* do, is help "meh" win over "OMG Who Let THAT in here?" if everything you ranked above No Award, *and* No Award, are off the table no matter what.