There’s been a lot of talk about tactical voting in the EU elections.
The method of voting used for European Parliament elections – d’Hondt – means it’s still possible to split the vote.
d’Hondt elections divvy up multiple seats based on parties’ relative performances. But because of the way this is calculated, parties that get markedly more votes will be in with a chance of getting extra seats. Vote totals are divided by 1, 2, 3… etc up to the number of seats up for grabs, and then seats are allocated to the highest totals produced. See below for an example:
| Party | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Seats |
| Adder Party | 37000 | 18500 | 12333 | 9250 | 7400 | 6167 | 3 |
| Whig Party | 28000 | 14000 | 9333 | 7000 | 5600 | 4667 | 2 |
| Rat Catching Party | 15000 | 7500 | 5000 | 3750 | 3000 | 2500 | 1 |
| Yellow Party | 12000 | 6000 | 4000 | 3000 | 2400 | 2000 | 0 |
| Kale Munchers Party | 9000 | 4500 | 3000 | 2250 | 1800 | 1500 | 0 |
| Standing At The Back Party | 9000 | 4500 | 3000 | 2250 | 1800 | 1500 | 0 |
However, if supporters of the Kale Munchers and Standing at the Back Parties vote tactically…
| Party | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Seats |
| Adder Party | 37000 | 18500 | 12333 | 9250 | 7400 | 6167 | 2 |
| Whig Party | 28000 | 14000 | 9333 | 7000 | 5600 | 4667 | 2 |
| Yellow Party | 25000 | 12500 | 8333 | 6250 | 5000 | 4167 | 2 |
| Rat Catching Party | 15000 | 7500 | 5000 | 3750 | 3000 | 2500 | 0 |
| Kale Munchers Party | 4000 | 2000 | 1333 | 1000 | 800 | 667 | 0 |
| Standing At The Back Party | 1000 | 500 | 333 | 250 | 200 | 167 | 0 |
So let’s apply this to a real life scenario. What if another Remain party was to come in and refuse to work constructively with other Remain causes? The resulting vote split could be disastrous. They’d hand EU Parliament seats to Nigel Farage.
So let’s wipe the smile off his face – vote Lib Dem to stop Brexit.
Brexit remains a national embarrassment. The Conservatives are set for a kicking at the ballot box for their incompetent approach to Brexit. Jeremy Corbyn continues to help them push it through. Liberal Democrats demand better.
On the 23rd May, vote for the Liberal Democrats to stop Brexit.
We’re the only party who’ve been fighting to give you the final say since the day after that awful result in 2016. But since then, support for a People’s Vote has shot from just 20% to a majority of the population. We’re winning.
Our 100,000 members have been out in force. We’re the only party rejecting the divisive tactics of modern politics. We’re not afraid to stand up for our values – we’re fighting for one United Kingdom, inside the EU.
We can still secure a People’s Vote – but we have to show the Government how much we want it. There’s only one way to do that. On the 23rd May, vote for the Liberal Democrats to stop Brexit.