Strategic Voting - Why it doesn't work

Ok - I have some thoughts on strategic voting. First, I get a lot of people saying 'I think you would be the best person to represent our riding, Bryan, but I am going to vote NDP so that the Conservatives don't get in'. It seems like a valid and logical assumption. The problem is that all these folks that want to vote strategically assume that they are the only side doing this. In fact *both* sides are doing the same thing. You see I also get comments like 'I think you would be the best person to represent our riding, Bryan, but I am going to vote Conservative so that the NDP doesn't get in again'. I get these in about equal proportion.

So you see what is happening here. These people are effectively canceling each others votes out by voting strategically. So the results are no different on election day than if they hadn't voted strategically. Well, there is one main difference - the Green party has way less votes. This sends a message that the Green party is way less popular here than it is. This sends a message that you do not care in this riding about the environment, etc.

This is actually supported by evidence. I read online today that no elections results have changed as a result of strategic voting. The same can be said of vote swapping - for as many people swap the vote one way - others will swap it right back.

We need to get back to basics here. Vote for who you believe in. If all the people that believed in the Green Party and myself would vote Green this time instead of voting strategically - we may even elect a Green MP. Wouldn't that be something? You can be the first riding in Canada to do so. You can make history - right here in BC Southern Interior.