Straw poll: Are you voting tactically?

[Hereismyreply]

To explain what I mean by "tactical voting": imagine that you were the only voter in your constituency and therefore whichever candidate you voted for would become your MP. Which candidate would you vote for? Then think about which candidate you actually plan to vote for in real life. Are the two the same? If not, you are clearly voting tactically. It seems to me there are the following possible scenarios:

A. Yes, I'm voting tactically.

B. No, I don't need to vote tactically because the candidate I like best (a) does stand a decent chance of winning, or (b) is the candidate with the best chance of beating the person I really don't want as my MP.

C. No, I'm not voting tactically. The candidate I'm voting for stands no chance of winning, but I live in such a safe seat for one party that I might as well vote with my heart.

D. No, I'm not voting tactically. Even though it's not obvious who will win in my constituency, I am voting for a candidate who has no hope of winning. I'm doing that because as a matter of principle I want to support my preferred candidate/don't feel able to support any of the candidates who do stand a chance.

Think I've thought of all scenarios (assuming you are actually voting)! Which one are you? (I'm B.)

Unfortunately I am also a C. Very frustrating.

A - marginal seat, so voting with head rather than heart 🤞

A

A

A. Wasn't happy about it so I've also swapped my vote. Which is slightly silly but makes me feel better about the tactical vote.

A. And it chokes because im a Remainer and I'll be voting for a Leave party.

C.
I cannot discuss politics in the office or with neighbours.

E. I don’t agree with tactical voting.

A

B

dione oh my kind is in a twirl working your situation out. Bloody hell this election is exhausting and frightening !

D

A

I’m in a safe seat as I posted before but the next one to me as a sort of safe Tory seat according to the 2017 elections but much less so if you look on 2010 and 2015 so a friend who lives there still held some hope. He will vote tactically. It’s worth to look beyond the very last elections.

B

Currently confused between A and C

A

Of course. Why on earth would I vote any other way? I want Boris out.

I'm torn between A and C

Don't know whether to vote for the second party in the vain hope others join me and it is enough to make a difference or whether to vote with my heart so that at least in post election analysis my views are clear.

A - but not a hard choice as I've no objections to the party I'm voting for.

(I think the candidate for the other party is particularly strong, but am happy enough that the tactical choice would make a good constituency MP even if she won't set the world on fire)

Don't need to.
Tory held here and am a Tory voter anyway.

A anyone but the Tories

lexi I get that difficulty. I think everyone is so aware that there will be a huge amount of tactical voting going on that the analysis of smaller parties will take that into account. You need your say and have it said whether stopping something is just as important way of saying something. Good luck with decision.

C, sadly. Round here you could stick a blue rosette on a monkey and it would get voted in.

I wish I lived in a marginal seat - I'd happily vote tactically (ie not my first choice of party) to have a chance of evicting a Tory MP.

A.
My constituency is regarded as a Tory safe seat but the Tory candidate has excelled himself in odiousness recently (Johnson fine to call gay men “tank-topped bum boys”, cancer patients don’t mind longer waiting times, etc) - so he’s not as safe as he thinks.

C

I can't see a time when this won't be a Tory seat. There are too many 'I'm alright Jack' types for it to be anything else.