To be pissed off my vote doesn't count

[WhenSheWasBadSheWasHorrid]

Just that really. I live in a Tory stronghold, it's been Tory since approximately forever.

I keep reading political threads with interest but I'm fully aware it doesn't matter who I vote for. Where I live the Torys are guaranteed to win.

And there are other seats that are Whig/Labour through and through. And some people live in the 'opposite'

But your vote does matter. Parties do pay attention to size of majority. And it might take a while to turn a safe seat into a less safe seat, into a target seat, into a highly marginal seat, into a seat that changes hands.

But that only happens when there is momentum. And that won't happen at all if the majority stays bigger than it could be because of lack of turn out.

Are you me? Same Tory MP has been in here for 25 years, since well before I was old enough to vote! Huge margin. Doesn't feel like my vote will make any difference whatsoever

I always think that's an odd way to think about it. Another party in your area is more popular. But your vote still counts, it's just not the way the majority of people feel where you are. Tory voters must feel the same in labour strongholds. And libdems more or less everywhere might feel the same. It's always touch and go for them.

It's why we should have proportional representation.

It's why we should have proportional representation.

Me too. Nothing I can do about it either.

I feel your pain.

Fuckers!

Whig!?
What century do you live in Lizard!?

It's why we should have proportional representation.

Your vote counts same as everyone else.

I always think that's an odd way to think about it. Another party in your area is more popular. But your vote still counts

Yes I guess it sends a message, even if it doesn't actually have any real impact.

I think I prefer zampas plan for proportional representation

Your vote counts same as everyone else

Totally disagree with you beautiful in this country all votes are most certainly not equal.
All the focus is on the marginal seats, pisses me off.

I live in a Conservative stronghold so strong that they barely bother to campaign but the largest group by far are those that don't vote at all. If those people voted then the political landscape could really change. People whinge on our local social media pages about our MP and local Conservative councillors but when people say well vote him out, you get sweeping statements like they are all corrupt or they are all the same. Until voting apathy is addressed then nothing will change.

Your vote does count. The result may not be what you wanted for, but in a democracy the person with most votes wins. Maybe the reason why the Tory candidate won, was because all the non-Tories thought the same as you, so didn't bother to vote.

yup PR is the solution to this. but what we will get instead is gerrymandering by the conservatives to ensure that the level of non-representativeness of the parliament is maximized.

In the last GE 25% of the voters, voted for parties that made up 1.5% of the seats.
Tories got 36 % of the vote and ended up with a majority of the seats.

Labours vote share went up and they lost a lot of seats.

It is a truly unfair system.

Until the last GE i lived in an area that was Labour, for years. Everyone thought it eoikd akeays be Labour.

But now its tory. You vote does count.

Does ANYBODY have an argument against PR that isn't 'my party will lose its current unfair advantage'?

Where I live has always been Tory and always will. Our MP barely turned up during the last GE, is physically and mentally unwell, has embarrassed himself on a national stage and done fuck all for his constituents. But he has a pulse, and that got him elected again.
FPTP needs to go.

I went old-fashioned as Horrid is looking at issues that endure over years, generations, nay centuries...

If you don't chip away at it, there will never be change.

Even when the MP's supporters get complacent and their turnout goes down.

I live(d) in an SNP stronghold has been SNP for the last 13 years ive lived here. I never used to bother voting, however i and many others have been motivated to vote over the last few years im pleased to say the Conservatives had 8 Councillors elected yesterday all first choice candidates and the Conservatives took the majority of the vote in all if the wards ! So political change can happen in an area it just requires people to get off their arses and to vote !

If you don't vote at ALL though, it won't count will it?

If everyone thought that way, no-one would ever vote!

I used to live in an area where one party had a strong foothold (and had had for 2 decades,) and another one won in the last election. Shocked everyone!

Still vote anyway.

I look on it as an opportunity to explore options with my vote. If I lived in a marginal constituency, I might feel I had to vote a particular way, to try to keep one party out. Because it's always been one party, I can look carefully at the minority ones, knowing that I'm not going to be responsible for someone I disapprove of getting in.

If you don't vote at ALL though, it won't count will it

I ALWAYS vote, just annoyed it makes fuck all difference

In my area there were 9 candidates and we each had two votes. Six of the candidates were Tory, UKIP or extreme right-wing independents. Two were Labour and one was Lib-Dem.

Not only didn't it matter who I voted for, but there weren't even candidates representing how I wanted to vote (there have been in previous years). So I voted, but not for the parties I wanted and not in the way I wanted. As I had got as far as standing in the booth with my paper in my hand, I did go ahead and vote. But I deeply regret it, it wasn't representative of my own opinions or how I want my area to be run. I should have walked out without voting rather than participate in the charade.

The same here. Tory stronghold. Local Labour and Lib Dems send out newsletters throughout the year and campaign leaflets around elections, whereas I don't think I've ever received anything from the Conservatives because they know they will win whatever they do.

Huge Tory stronghold here. However, you never know what might happen. The candidate might be found to be ineligible on the day. The Tory voters might not turn out for one reason or another. The candidate might drop out on the day. In a neighbouring Tory stronghold a few years ago, our Labour PCC candidate hadn't filled the form in correctly so was deemed ineligible at the last minute.

Always worth turning out.