Voteswap is a novel way to make your vote count in the upcoming election

With all the polls forecasting that no political party in the upcoming general election will win a majority, the UK is undoubtedly headed for another hung parliament. This election is already being defined by the phenomenon of ‘tactical voting’, essentially voting for a party to keep their rivals out, rather than voting for the party you feel most aligned to. Tactical voting isn’t new, however a group of anti-tory voters associated with pressure group Compass are challenging the voting system by allowing voters to swap their votes online.

Voteswaphas been developed as a way for Labour and Green supporters to make their vote count and ultimately try and keep the Conservative party from winning contested seats. Voteswap lets you pledge to swap your vote. If you’re a Green in a Labour target seat you can pledge to vote Labour to keep a Tory out. In return a Labour supporter in a seat that Labour is unlikely to win or lose pledges to vote Green, ‘lending’ their vote to a seat where it will make a difference.

Using an online platform for voteswapping has enabled voters to connect with fellow supporters in a way that simply was not possible 20 years ago. We are now in a political paradigm that is becoming increasingly affected by digital interaction and social media. The success of Voteswap has rattled the political cage, with some commentators urging the right wing parties to create their own version of Voteswap. With over 12,000 voters pledging to swap their votes with Voteswap, it looks like digital platforms for voting will have a serious impact on election day.

Read our article on the Votematch app to discover how young voters are using mobile apps to help form their political allegiances.