General Election 2015 - Will Your Vote Count?

[Sergey]

Mine won't. Whoever I've voted for in my many years of voting has been a wasted vote, as all have been a shoo-in for the holding party. Nothing will change come Thursday as I'm in another stronghold.

I can't have a vote that counts - it'll merely be a vote against the current dolt who resides.

Why bother? Really?

[Hibbyradge]

I've voted tactically in GEs for years. This time, I'm voting for my first choice. My vote will count.

I've always voted for who I really wanted in the Scottish elections and those votes have all counted.

Labour will need to do something radical if they're going to claw back any of the ground they've lost in Scotland.

Championing PR might be the way to do it.

What have they got to lose now?

[Sir David Gray]

My constituency is now a battleground between Labour and the SNP.

Labour has held the seat comfortably for years although their majority was halved in 2010 and I wouldn't be surprised if they lost out to the SNP on Thursday.

To answer your question, I think your vote always counts. I believe in voting for the party which best represents your views, even if that party has no chance of being elected in your constituency. At least when the votes are counted, you can see how many votes your preferred candidate received and you can be honest with yourself, safe in the knowledge that you voted for the person and the party that you can identify with the most.

My vote certainly won't change the outcome of the vote in my constituency but at least I can come out of the polling booth and be confident in the decision that I have chosen.

[Moulin Yarns]

My constituency is now a battleground between Labour and the SNP.

Labour has held the seat comfortably for years although their majority was halved in 2010 and I wouldn't be surprised if they lost out to the SNP on Thursday.

To answer your question, I think your vote always counts. I believe in voting for the party which best represents your views, even if that party has no chance of being elected in your constituency. At least when the votes are counted, you can see how many votes your preferred candidate received and you can be honest with yourself, safe in the knowledge that you voted for the person and the party that you can identify with the most.

My vote certainly won't change the outcome of the vote in my constituency but at least I can come out of the polling booth and be confident in the decision that I have chosen.

I know my candidate wont win in my constituency, 5th place will be a good result, but I have switch from the sitting MP so my vote switch may well have an impact on who gets in. :worried:

[Green Man]

For smaller parties, getting enough votes to get their deposit back can make a big difference, both in terms of finance and morale. £500 a seat is a lot of money when you're on a tight budget.

[Pretty Boy]

I always argue that every vote counts because it allows the democratic process to happen. If everybody stopped voting because they felt their vote was a waste then the process would collapse.

In reality though there is only a handful of seats where 1 individual vote makes a difference, South Fermanagh in NI being the most obvious where Sinn Fein had a majority of 4 last time out.

[Stranraer]

I think it's a case of which party/PM would be the lesser of two evils... that's just the way British politics is. American politics is far more exciting and voters there probably thought Obama would bring major change in 2008.

[heretoday]

My vote won't count in Edin West where it's close between Clegg and Ms Selfie. I was thinking of voting for the sitting MP, who is a good chap, until a card came through the door with Malcolm Rifkind on it urging me to vote Lib Dem. So it's Labour again although Ed's no Harold Wilson.

[James.]

For the first time ever my vote will hopefully count.

We have the absolutely horrendous, homophobic, right wing, pro-war dinosaur that is Brian H Donohoe as our MP for the past 23 years.

Hopefully he will soon be replaced by our resident champion for the NHS, Dr. Philippa Whitford - a breast cancer surgeon from Northern Ireland now living in Troon .She made a good name for herself during the referendum and is a gem of a person! :aok:

[JohnStephens91]

Every vote counts. It is counted as part of the democratic process - as long as you mark the ballot correctly. Even though the candidate I am voting for is unlikely to win, I am looking forward to be voting for him and his political party as they are the one that I believe in and have the most in common with ideologically. My vote certainly will not be wasted.

[Keith_M]

An alternative question for the Conspiracy Theorists among us...


Will they count your vote?


:wink:

[Future17]

Every vote counts as, even if it is cast for a party that stands no chance of being elected this time around, it may be an important part of their journey to being elected the next time or the time after that.

As Green Man has said, for the smaller parties, votes can make a big financial difference and, for the candidate, could be the difference between whether they choose to stand again or not.

[Haymaker]

I am in a Tory stronghold with I believe has a 16,800+ majority. So I doubt my vote will mean **** other than a statistic.

[lord bunberry]

I've just cast my vote, in previous years my constituency was a safe labour seat, but the SNP is well ahead in the polls.

[Moulin Yarns]

I am a polling agent in Perth and North Perthshire andit is looking like a turnout not far off the referendum. already past 40% by 15:00 in 2 polling stations.

Met 3 different candidates, but not expecting to see the other 4.