Resist Vote Management

Tomorrow Scotland goes to the polls to elect new local councils. For local elections up here we now have the more proportional Single Transferable Vote system with larger wards electing 3 or 4 councillors and voters being asked to rank the candidates in order of preference.

This has led some parties in wards where they have more than one candidate issuing voters with vote management instructions or suggestions in their leaflets, so half the ward will be asked to rank candidate A 1st and candidate B 2nd and the other half the other way round. If you live in such a ward and have received such instructions then I'd invite you to stop and think before following them. Who does it really help? Sure, it helps the party to balance their vote and increase their likelihood of getting two (or more) councillors elected, but it's rather insulting to your intelligence. They're telling you that's there nothing to choose between the candidates, but make your own mind up - one might be a really strong candidate and the other a complete numpty (and there are far too many numpties on councils already). Decide for yourself.

The other line that some parties are taking, which I really cannot understand, is in some areas they are suggesting that voters just rank their candidates and then stop. For example, John Mason MSP (SNP) published his completed ballot paper on Facebook showing 1st and 2nd preferences for the SNP candidates and no other preferences. Does he really not care if the other 2 seats in his ward are filled by LDs, Labour, Conservative, Green or somebody else? It's nonsensical, when you are electing 4 councillors not to express at least that many preferences unless there are people that you really could not vote for.

So make your own minds up, most importantly use your vote, but use it how you see fit with as many preferences as you wish to add.