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Here at Cityam, we've been following the general election campaign closely ahead of July 4th
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And one issue which keeps cropping up is tactical voting. So we thought we'd explain exactly what it is and how it could affect the election results
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First, what is tactical voting? Put simply, voting tactically is when you make your decision on who to vote for
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while keeping in mind what other voters are likely to do. In order to increase your chances of being happy with the outcome
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Let's say you really don't like candidate A. You prefer candidate B, but in your area candidate B is unlikely to win
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However, you can choose to vote for candidate C in the hopes they will be able to secure enough votes to defeat candidate A
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This increases the chance of you being happy with the outcome. And how could it affect the election results
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In this election, a major element has been the public's increasing dissatisfaction with the Conservative government
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which has been in charge for 14 years. Generally speaking, under our first past the post system, most constituencies in the UK tend to elect a Labour or Conservative MP to the House of Commons
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But in some areas which traditionally vote Tory despite the increasing frustration with the party at the party Labour are still unlikely to win This has led to voters opting for the option they think could defeat them and campaigns such as Best for Britain and Stop the Tories are encouraging this In the
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south-west of England and southwest London, the Liberal Democrats are often seen as having
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the best chance of doing so. The voters on the right could also be more likely to vote
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Reform UK over the Conservatives. This could even be as a form of protest vote. While left-wing
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voters might opt for the Greens, in a bid to ensure progressive representation to Parliament
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to hold a Labour government potentially with a large majority to account
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So we know what tactical voting is, but what are some of the issues with it? Some people have criticised this method of voting, including the Electoral Reform Society
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who have called it bizarre. They warn tactical voting, could encourage people to back candidates or parties whose policies
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they might not agree with, or even force voters to second guess who might win or do well in their area
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Other people think it perpetuates cynicism, and a more proportional system would allow voters to use their hearts and not their heads
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when it comes to making a decision. What do you think about tactical voting? Do you think it will influence the election
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Let's know in the comments
