AS the 2019 General Election approaches Brits are already deciding who should secure their vote, with the results possibly determining whether Brexit happens or not.
And some voters are considering a tactical vote. So what is it and how can you prepare for who to vote for?
What is tactical voting?
From November 6, MPs will lose their status and mustcampaign for re-election, if they decide to stand again.
Tactical voting is when someone backs a candidate they wouldn’t normally support, to stop someone else winning.
This often occursin a constituency where two parties are in a tight race and candidates from other parties sit far behind.
If a voter believes their candidate sits too far behind in the race to stand a chance at winning they may choose to vote for their favourite of the two who are in with a chance.
In this general election, voting tactically could help MPs who share voters’ views on Brexit win more seats.
How many people will be tactical voting?
The Electoral Reform Society campaign group asked polling company BMG Research to find out how many Brits would lodge a tactical vote.
Of 1,500 voters questioned, 24 per cent said they planned to vote tactically to keep out a candidate they dislike, the BBC reported.
That compares with 66 per cent who said they would vote for their first preference – regardless of how likely they were to win. The remaining 10 per cent said they didn’t know.
Stephen Fisher, professor of political sociology at the University of Oxford, said: “[Tactical voting] played a big role in delivering a landslide for Labour’s Tony Blair in 1997 and it’s been a staple of elections since then”.
How could tactical voting influence Brexit?
Some believe that by using tactical voting, Brexit could be stopped.
The website tactical.vote promises to show voters how they can stop the Tories by entering their postcode.
The website reads: “The UK uses an election system called first-past-the-post, where the candidate who gets the most votes in each constituency wins.
“This makes it possible for candidates and a government to get elected without winning the support of anywhere near a majority of the voters, if the opposition is split across multiple parties.
“To overcome this problem, you can look at the results of the previous election in your constituency, and then vote for a party that might not be your first choice, but is the one that has the best chance of beating the Conservatives where you live.”
Why did Boris Johnson call an election?
The Prime Ministerhadvowed to push for an electionif the EU granted a three-month extension for hisBrexitbill.
Mr Johnson sent a letter to the EUrequesting a delay until January 31 after he was compelled to do so whenthe Benn Act was passed MPs on October 19.
On October 28,the EU granted the UK’s requestfor a “flextension” until January 31, 2020.
The UK can leave before that date if Mr Johnson’s deal is passed in Parliament.
Parliament will shut down from November 6.
When this happens every seat in the House of Commons becomes vacant with those wishing to remain as MPs having to stand in the forthcoming election.
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