This page was originally set up during the 2024 general election to help people vote tactically. While that election has passed, we’re still seeing traffic here — so we’re now offering some general advice for making a tactical choice in any future elections - whether local, regional or national.
3 tips for deciding who to vote for in your area
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Check who can win – Use recent election results (available on your council’s website), sites like Who Can I Vote For or Election Maps, or local news and polling to see which parties are competitive in your area. Wikipedia also always has lots of historic data for every parliamentary constituency and council seat.
If you want to block Reform UK and/or the Conservatives, look for the candidate with the best chance of beating them - often Labour, the Lib Dems, or Greens depending on the constituency
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Think about impact – Tactical voting can be frustrating, but in close races, it can help stop a candidate you strongly oppose. Vote for the candidate most likely to make a positive difference where you live.
- Know what they stand for – it is always worth reading the leaflets, visiting websites/social media, or even attending a hustings to see what each candidate cares about. Even when voting tactically, it’s worth knowing who you’re backing.
A fairer voting system - the end of tactical voting?
While we have encouraged tactical voting, and continue to do so under our current voting system, we actually believe people shouldn’t have to vote tactically just to make their voices heard.
That’s why we support switching to a version of proportional representation (PR) – just as they have in place all over Europe. PR is a fairer voting system where every vote counts equally, and there is much less need to vote tactically.
(Fun fact - the only European nation with the same voting system as the UK is Belarus!).