Three ways Westminster’s voting system has skewed the election – before a single vote is cast Though we are still a couple of days away from knowing the outcome of the general election, the campaign has already exposed the worst flaws of the First Past the Post (FPTP) voting system. In... Posted 10 Dec 2019
Is this the ‘hold your nose’ election? Record-breaking numbers set to vote tactically Polling from BMG research for the Electoral Reform Society has revealed that a record-breaking 30% of the public plan to vote ‘tactically’ in the next General Election. Tactical voting occurs when voters choose the best-positioned... Posted 04 Dec 2019
We should be scrutinising candidates and policies. Instead the talk is of tactics and pacts Judging by the first week of the general election campaign, it seems likely that the remaining month will see a lot of focus on ‘tactical’ issues. We’ve already seen electoral pacts, or parties standing down... Posted 13 Nov 2019
What is tactical voting and why is it bad for democracy? In a Westminster election, tactical voting takes place when a voter chooses a candidate whom they wouldn’t normally support, in order to prevent another candidate from winning. For example, if you want to vote for... Posted 12 Nov 2019
‘Strong and stable’? Westminster’s voting system is anything but Voters won’t be bossed about – perhaps that’s the first lesson we should take from the election. From voting for a parliament where no party got more than half the seats in an election hinged... Posted 15 Jun 2017
First Past the Post’s Third Strike We’ve heard it time and time again in different forms: First Past the Post is ‘strong and stable’. It seems that myth has been well and truly bust. This is the third election in a... Posted 12 Jun 2017
The scourge of tactical voting A fifth of voters feel unable to back the party they most support this election, according to polling for the ERS. It’s more than twice the number as in 2015. This is a situation foisted... Posted 07 Jun 2017
‘Progressive alliances’ shouldn’t be necessary: they’re product of a broken voting system There’s a lot of talk about June 8th being the ‘tactical voting’ election. This past couple of weeks we’ve seen the latest symptom: parties doing the tactical voting on behalf of the electorate – weeks before... Posted 08 May 2017