The voter's quandary.

[lethargic_man]

Now do I vote for party A, as my conscience would have me, but which will likely count for nothing in a first-past-the-post system; or party B, who won last time in my constituency, in order to keep party C out of power? Or do I say that even if voting for party A doesn't gain them the seat, it will increase their share of the vote and make it more likely people will have the confidence to vote for them next time?

I wish we had the Scottish system -- both FPtP and proportional representation votes -- here.

---

Meanwhile, in shul the other day:

"This week's leyning is in page 399 in the red book, and 362 in the blue book."

Kibitzer: "399 red, 362 blue: is that the election result?"

Me: "In which case, what's the Monster Raving Loony Machzor?"

<Abbi holds up an Artscroll>

:o)

Comments

[liv]

Vote for party A. This election is weird, I've seen lots of predictions of 'safe' seats changing hands. And while party A might not end up in government, I think this election is the first where there's been a realistic chance of moving towards a more three-party system.

Plus, inadequate though the first past the post system is, people being reluctant to vote with their conscience makes it worse, not better.

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

I think this election is the first where there's been a realistic chance of moving towards a more three-party system.

The latest Lib Dems mailshot claims they're at their strongest -- 20% -- in opinion polls at the start of an election campaign. However, this is surely just since the foundation of the party. It's predecessor, the Liberal/SDP alliance, could have won a general election if one had been called at one point in the early eighties. (And of course the period 1910-1930 saw Conservative, Liberal and Labour governments.)

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

Voting for a third party helps the argument for better weighting systems. The total shares of votes are public, and fewer people will see a vote as being wasted if their party got a big share.

[hatam-soferet.livejournal.com]

I'd say Artscroll was more a BNP type, meself :)

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

Possibly they're the Kilroy-Silk of machzors - disturbingly right-wing, prone to foaming at the mouth, and utterly bonkers.

[hatam-soferet.livejournal.com]

I wish I could quote that to my colleagues. I don't think they'd get it, though.