Those whose votes don’t influence their seat...

[GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat]

Do you feel less motivated to vote than you wish you did?

To clarify, I will be voting, there’s no chance I won’t. But I do feel a bit flat about the whole thing. I live in a very (understatement!) safe Tory (though this is irrelevant, there must be super safe Labour or other party seats too) seat and I know my vote will never ever make a difference. I know that before walking in there.

How do you find peace with this?

I used to vote Green, or for a local candidate standing on a specific local issue I agreed with. At least I'd be helping them get their deposit back.

Now I'm in a very safe Tory seat, (20k plus majority) however.... it's one LibDems are seriously targeting and there's a slim chance the Tory candidate will lose. Very slim, but you never know....

Although there isn't really a party I'm entirely comfortable voting for tbh (GC feminist here) although I'm politically left leaning.

I vote for the independent to help them get their deposit back.

We can make our constituencies election twins. Ours is one of the safest Labour seats in the country.

They at least cancel each other out.

I just kind of have to do it - also in a true blue seat, but cannot with any conscience vote for them. So I will cast my vote knowing it will make little if any difference, but at least I can say "I didnt vote for them". And maybe, just maybe, enough others will feel the same and it might make a difference.

Even if you don’t vote for the winner your vote can influence how much money opposition parties are given to help them hold the government to account in Parliament en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_Money

I'm in an extreme labour seat (same candidate for 35 years - but she has stood down) - 61%, I've voted for her before - and liked her

I'm considering voting Plaid who tend to come third - but if the Tories won the seat I'd feel awful - so a little torn

I feel exactly the same OP. I’m in a safe Labour seat. Until recently I was a party member. One of the reasons I left was the selection process for our new candidate (current MP not standing). Can’t bring myself to vote for him, will vote LD to hopefully make the point of reducing the majority. If it was a marginal I’d hold my nose and vote for him but the current state of centre-left politics makes me want to weep.

What do they have to reach to not lose their deposit? Just looked at our 2017 breakdown and it says the Green candidate lost their deposit.

Any chance I get I argue in favour of PR. Our electoral system is utter shit.

5% I think. Suspect minority parties will be less likely to lose deposits this time. My husband (current Lab member) is protest voting Green in our constituency.

I’m also in a long-standing Tory seat and really feel like it’s pointless voting! I will vote because people fought for my right to vote, but something needs to change otherwise I think fewer and fewer people are going to vote.
I’m also right on the edge of my constituency and most of my life happens in the town my village is attached to, which happens to be in the neighbouring constituency. Nobody ever comes to my area to canvass and they don’t care about representing us at all.

Info on deposits:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30790012

Vote for the individual or party you believe in most.

If people do bother to turn out, then bit by bit the seemingly unassailable majority can be eroded.

Honestly, not here it won’t. It’s been Tory for 150 years and they still hold 40% majority. Great for some, not for me.

Our MP was one of the Tories who switched to Lib Dem. So I've enjoyed living in a Lib Dem constituency for a few weeks but I'm sure it will revert to the Tories. But I will sleep easy at night knowing I voted the right way (for me) even if it makes sod-all difference.

I'm in the "People's Republic of South Yorkshire" so there's almost no point in voting but in all truth it's made the decision easier as I think both main parties are awful and knowing my vote won't make any difference takes the pressure off.
There's no way I wouldn't vote, my mother (many years dead) would never forgive me.

I wonder if I live in the same place OP, ours is apparently the longest held Conservative seat - and nothing is going to change.
I'm still undecided tbh but I know I won't vote Tory

I'm not particularly private about my life on MN (and can always namechange anyway...) I live in Devizes constituency, it's an uber safe Tory Seat, and because Claire Perry (Friend Of George Osborne) has resigned this time round Conservative Central Office has parachuted in someone called Danny Kruger. Apparently his claim to fame is that his mum is Prue Leith the Celebrity Cook. And he's Friends With Boris. So, local Conservatives had found several local candidates who would have probably done a perfectly good job - but Central Office have insisted that they adopt Friend Of Boris. Our local conservative party chairman then resigned, and interestingly none of the local landowners who normally pepper the roadsides with Vote Blue signs have done it this time.

If people do bother to turn out, then bit by bit the seemingly unassailable majority can be eroded.

Yes - I voted Labour in what appears to be a safe Tory seat. But gradually each election Labour gets more, and Tories get less, and if we keep on going in this direction it will soon no longer be a safe seat.

I've been voting Labour in that area since I was 18 and am now 50 and living in another country but still voting there.

Where I live in the US we now have ranked choice voting so it does feel a bit more worthwhile voting.

not only is ours ultraconservative but the current individual is a well known minister who is known to switch his opinion like the proverbial weathercock - but I shall vote against him as will dh but maybe not the same party -who knows? We both have a free choice. I have voted for every election whether nationwide or local since I could - people died to get our vote - I think we should.

I live in a very safe conservative seat.
But ... you never know!
I'll prob vote green as a vote for the environment. I've done this before just to show people are interested in this issue and I don't think I can vote for any of the others anyway.

I will vote, but at the moment I really don't know who for. It won't make the slightest difference to the result (35k majority to Labour in last election, seat has been Labour for decades). I was interested to read the other day about an unknown voter who wrote 'wank' against all the candidates but one and against that one wrote 'not wank'. Apparently after careful scrutiny by the Returning Officer and the candidates it was accepted as a vote for the 'not wank' candidate. It's an idea ...

I was hoping for the Monster Raving Loony Party to turn up, but no joy. We have an independent who seems to be running from a confused desire to bring the world together in peace and perfect harmony and also to increase recycling of plastics. We have the Green Socialist Alliance (it's those three words anyway, but possibly in a different order) about whom I know little. We also have Brexit Party, Tory, LibDems, Green and Labour. For various reasons I don't want to vote for any of those parties. I was pleased to learn, however, that the Green candidate is a gender critical woman (bucking the trend for the Greens). Twelve days to decide.

I’m one of the political homeless who lives in a very safe Tory Seat. Every single rational voting website says that there is absolutely no chance they will loose their seat. I have thought about not voting but to me that is even worse. I want my voice to be heard but no-one is likely to hear it. I’ve also considered spoiling my ballot paper but I’m not quite there.

My postal vote is sat on the side. I don’t think there are any independents (I need to look), but I am going to find it hard to vote for any of the big parties.

Bloody frustrating

Major safe conservative seat here. I usually vote green but I'm voting labour this time.

I'll always vote but this is a safe Tory seat by about 25k votes 😩

My vote only matters in local elections as the town I live in is Green- it's just the wider constituency that's rural and Conservative.

I have to vote though. It's important to me!