Sunday, May 07, 2017
How will tactical voting play out with Brexit?
There is an interesting article in the Independent in which they report on a poll that reveals one third of people are prepared to vote tactically at next month’s general election in order to prevent a hard Brexit.
The paper says that the survey by ORB found that 46 per cent of people who backed Remain in last year’s EU referendum would consider voting for someone who was not their first choice in order to stop a hard Brexit. They add that this high figure suggests that the country has not united behind Ms May’s version of Brexit outside the single market and customs union:
Overall, 30 per cent of people would consider voting for a different candidate to stop a hard Brexit. They include a majority (51 per cent) of 18-to-24-year-olds – a sign that a campaign to mobilise young people could pay dividends. But the over-45s are heavily against the idea.
Some 44 per cent of Liberal Democrat and 40 per cent of Labour supporters at the 2015 election might vote tactically to prevent a hard Brexit, ORB found. But only 19 per cent of Tory 2015 supporters might. Overall, 50 per cent say they would not consider doing so.
Some anxious Labour candidates who were MPs in the last Parliament now believe that tactical voting, or local pacts with the Greens and Liberal Democrats to ensure a single anti-Tory candidate, offer the best hope of saving their seats following Labour’s crushing defeat on Thursday.
If tactical voting takes place on this scale then it could be a very interesting General Election.
The paper says that the survey by ORB found that 46 per cent of people who backed Remain in last year’s EU referendum would consider voting for someone who was not their first choice in order to stop a hard Brexit. They add that this high figure suggests that the country has not united behind Ms May’s version of Brexit outside the single market and customs union:
Overall, 30 per cent of people would consider voting for a different candidate to stop a hard Brexit. They include a majority (51 per cent) of 18-to-24-year-olds – a sign that a campaign to mobilise young people could pay dividends. But the over-45s are heavily against the idea.
Some 44 per cent of Liberal Democrat and 40 per cent of Labour supporters at the 2015 election might vote tactically to prevent a hard Brexit, ORB found. But only 19 per cent of Tory 2015 supporters might. Overall, 50 per cent say they would not consider doing so.
Some anxious Labour candidates who were MPs in the last Parliament now believe that tactical voting, or local pacts with the Greens and Liberal Democrats to ensure a single anti-Tory candidate, offer the best hope of saving their seats following Labour’s crushing defeat on Thursday.
If tactical voting takes place on this scale then it could be a very interesting General Election.
