Snap Election Survival Guide: Tactical Voting

There’s no denying that Theresa May has really got some of us backed into a corner when it comes to this general election. This election will determine the type of Brexit we have which means that people cannot simply vote for their usual party. For example, if you’re usually a Lib Dem voter but you also want the UK to leave the EU, you have no choice but to vote for your second choice party. Similarly, if you usually vote Tory but hope to be able to reverse the Brexit vote, you’ll have to vote for the Conservative Party’s main rivals in your constituency.

Brexit isn’t the only issue we face as voters. The Labour Party has been divided and disorganised for months now because of conflicting opinions on its leader, Jeremy Corbyn. Many people who have only ever voted Labour their entire lives are now in a situation where they either have to vote for a leader that they believe is incompetent or vote for another party. To many people, Jeremy Corbyn is a threat to national security, especially given the fact that he publicly announced that he “would not push the red button” in the event of a worldwide crisis. This more or less paints a huge target on the United Kingdom and people want a leader who would be prepared to do anything to protect the people.

So if you identify with some of these issues and therefore need to cast a strategic vote, try voting for the second largest party in your constituency to try and block the main party. Of course, if you oppose Brexit and live in a Tory area but your second largest party is UKIP for example, you may have to vote for the third or fourth party.

It’s not an ideal situation and it’s a shame that our voting system means that we must resort to tactical voting but to get what you want in terms of Brexit and leadership, it is necessary to be a little crafty.