How to vote tactically: should you vote at home or at uni?

Let’s be honest, this election is between Labour and Conservative (sorry Lib Dems), with the main issue, obviously, being Brexit. This is why there’s been a rise in the desire to vote tactically, especially among students. But how do you do this? Do you vote at home or at university? Where does your vote matter more?

At home:

Depending on where you’re from will determine how valuable your vote is there. If you try to vote rebelliously in a safe seat, chances are your vote is going to be like a drop in the ocean. Wasted, because it did nothing. However, if your constituency at home is prone to swing or was on the verge of change in 2017, then voting there will have a much bigger impact. Though if you do decide to vote at home, make sure to apply for a postal vote before 5pm on the 26th November. 

At university:

Across all Tyne and Wear parliamentary constituencies, Labour beats all other parties and generally by quite a large margin, and has done so for a good long while. So if you want to vote Labour and not think too much about its effect, vote in your university constituency. Tactical voting is more called for by Remain voters, being a more splintered group, so if you want to support a Leave party, then vote anywhere, this vote isn’t that splintered.

And if this doesn’t help, you can visit http://www.voterpower.org.uk which can tell you how much your vote is worth in a constituency, and you could always just vote in the one where you score higher for voter power. There are also plenty of tactical voting websites that have popped up in the wake of the upcoming election that can help you decide where to vote.

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Last modified: 8th December 2019