The thirst for tactical voting makes the case for changing the electoral system

One voter in three is prepared to cast a vote to try to stop an outcome they dislike. We’re all in favour of people exercising their rights intelligently, but this is no way to run a democracy

Saturday 16 November 2019 19:54 GMT
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Voters may find themselves electing a government with a majority in the Commons but with a minority share of the national vote
Voters may find themselves electing a government with a majority in the Commons but with a minority share of the national vote

The question of tactical voting has been posed more urgently at this election than at any for decades. This is hardly surprising, given the sudden fragmentation of the electorate earlier this year into a four-and-a-half-party system, with the Brexit Party, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party challenging the temporary dominance of Conservatives and Labour which emerged at the 2017 election.

As we report today, one voter in three is prepared to cast a vote to try to stop an outcome they dislike, although most people would still rather vote positively for a party they support. The BMG poll for The Independent suggests that tactical voting really could decide not just the outcome of the election but whether the UK will finally leave the EU.

Some tactical voting has, in effect, happened already, in that Nigel Farage’s decision to stand down Brexit Party candidates in half of constituencies forces their supporters to cast a vote for one of the other parties – or to stay at home. Mr Farage’s decision has been mirrored on the anti-Brexit side of the debate by a limited Remain alliance pact between the Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru and the Greens – and by the efforts of those campaigning for tactical votes to try to secure a Final Say referendum.

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