An election reminder. If you can't vote for the candidate you want because they won't get enough support to win then vote against the one you don't want by voting for the candidate best placed to beat them. You don't have to like them personally, just want to take a step along the road.
#GE24 #GE2024 #VoteTactically

@AlisonW this is such utter garbage. Not your post, but the fact that what you’re saying, while entirely ridiculous on its face, is the only “reasonable” way to “vote.”

“If your candidate won’t get enough votes to win…” is exactly anti-democratic.

We have to have more serious conversations about how voting and campaigning, while they sometimes happen to work to stave off some certainly horrible things, are part and parcel of the general, overarching horror

@seanwithwords
Yup, horrible isn't it. We are only allowed to 'choose' from those the parties select and who stump up the fee to stand. Then the election method - FPTP - makes it way more difficult. Choosing the 'right' lizard (HHGTTG ref) is far more difficult than it could be.

@AlisonW @seanwithwords
I think we mostly agree, but FPTP is not just making things worse. It is the main problem.

I dont think there exists a well functioning democracy with FPTP. And I am having difficulties imagining one.

@asbjornn @seanwithwords
Indeed. It forces the existing Parties to be broad churches and to welcome everyone they can. Ideally they'd all split to provide better representation for the differing opinions they currently try - and fail - to organise under. But FPTP is a difficult wall to climb for new groupings generally.

I hope we eventually move to multimember 'constituencies'. The theoretical 'local connection' of MPs disappeared years ago and few people know who their MP is.

@AlisonW @seanwithwords
I am far from an expert in election systems, but I think that the one we use i Denmark is perhaps the least bad in the world.

If you know even better one, please let me know.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_Denmark?wprov=sfti1#

Elections in Denmark - Wikipedia

@asbjornn @seanwithwords
The UK used d'Hondt for its EU elections and while some people like it others complain it puts too much power in the hands of the Party leaders as they select and order the candidate list.
Ideally voters could select from the list not just in the order printed. Then there's what about write-ins?
tl;dr - Every balloting and counting method has its problems. 😢

@AlisonW
“Every method has its problems.”

Exactly. Thats why I wrote least bad. The Danish system allows parties to choose the priority ( also to not have one). So, some parties allow voters to select from the list.

I do not know what write-ins is.

@asbjornn
Some countries allow voters to add a name to the list of candidates on the ballot paper (USA for example) so reducing the power of Party machines to control who can be a candidate.

@AlisonW
Thank you for explaining. This is not an option in Denmark. You have to announce, that you are a candidate to get on the list.

The need to reduce the power of party machines is significantly reduced, when you have 11 or 13 of them running for seats in the parlament.

@asbjornn
If a voter can select from the list that's great. If - as happened in the UK when it was used - you get candidates only elected in the order they appear on the list that's not so good.