General election 2024: What is tactical voting in an election and does it really work in the UK?

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced a general election on July 4.

The prime minister said outside Downing Street on Wednesday (May 22) evening: “Now is the moment for Britain to choose its future.”

Some voters may choose to vote strategically in the general election to increase their chances of achieving their desired outcome.

With the election date now set, here's all you need to know about tactical voting.

What is tactical voting?

Tactical voting is when someone chooses to vote for a candidate who would not be their first choice, or perhaps a candidate they would not even have considered voting for previously.

The idea is that by voting for that candidate, you are doing your bit to stop another candidate winning.

It tends to apply in constituencies where two candidates are close in numbers, and significantly out in front of their opponents.

How does it work in practical terms?

An example of tactical voting in action would be a traditional Labour voter who voted for Brexit in 2016 opting to vote for the Conservative candidate in their constituency in the hope of getting a Tory majority and avoiding a hung parliament which they may fear would lead to a second EU referendum.

On the other hand, a traditional Tory voter who wants the UK to remain in the EU could lend their vote to the Labour or Lib Dem candidates in a bid to avoid a Conservative majority government.

Another scenario where tactical voting could come into play is when a voter's preferred candidate is likely to come third with no realistic chance of winning.

In this case, the voter could vote tactically by choosing to vote for one of the two candidates who will win the seat.

Does tactical voting really work?

Back in 1997, tactical voting group Get Rid of Them (Grot) targeted 90 seats across the country where tactical voting could secure the defeat of the Tory candidate.

Grot, the first UK-wide tactical voting campaign, is largely credited with helping Tony Blair's Labour secure a landslide in that election.

And in 2017, the then Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron called on traditional Tory and Labour supporters to vote tactically to bring Conservative numbers down.

However, people who vote tactically along a Leave or Remain lines could end up cancelling each other out.