Tactical voting facts for kids

Tactical voting is when a voter chooses to vote for a candidate who is not their first choice. They do this to get a better overall result, rather than just supporting their favorite person. This can happen in many types of elections, like national elections for a country's leader, local elections for a city council, or even elections for clubs and groups.

What is Tactical Voting?

Tactical voting is a way people try to make their vote count more. Instead of just picking the person they like best, they think about how their vote can change the outcome. They might vote for someone else to help their favorite candidate win, or to stop a candidate they really don't like from winning.

Why Do People Vote Tactically?

People use tactical voting for different reasons. It often depends on how many candidates are running and how likely each one is to win.

Helping Your Favorite Candidate

Imagine there are five people running for three spots on a school board. You get one vote.

• If your favorite candidate is almost sure to win, you might vote for your second favorite. This helps your second choice get a spot too, making it more likely that two of your preferred candidates win.
• If your favorite candidate has almost no chance of winning, you might vote for your second favorite instead. This gives your second choice a better chance, even if your top pick loses.

Preventing Another Candidate From Winning

Sometimes, people vote tactically to stop a candidate they dislike from winning.

• If your favorite candidate might not win, you could vote for a stronger candidate who has a better chance. You do this to make sure someone you really don't want to win, doesn't.

Voting in Primary Elections

In some elections, like "primary elections," people from one political party might vote for a candidate in another party. They might support a weaker candidate in the other party. Their hope is that their favorite candidate will then have an easier time winning in the main election later. This type of voting is sometimes seen as unfair by others.

Is Tactical Voting Fair?

Many people wonder if tactical voting is fair. Some experts believe it can make elections less democratic. They think it's more important how a candidate wins, not just who wins. They feel that voters should always vote for their true favorite.

However, other people believe that the goal is to get the best outcome, and if tactical voting helps achieve that, then it's okay. Most researchers who study elections tend to think that tactical voting can be a problem for fair elections.

Images for kids

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  A stencil on a sidewalk in Paris before an election. It says "votez utile" (vote usefully), telling people to vote tactically for one candidate over another.

See also

In Spanish: Voto útil para niños