With the 2026 Scottish Parliament election fast approaching, there are an increasing amount of political discussions taking place both in the media and in real life, one of which is the issue of tactical voting. This blog post will tell you everything you need to know about tactical voting, its impact on our democracy, and the role it might play in this election, so that you can confidently decide how best to use your vote on May 7th!

What exactly is tactical voting?

Tactical voting (sometimes called strategic voting), happens when a voter chooses to cast their vote for a candidate that they would not normally support, or who does not best align with their values, in order to prevent another candidate from winning. For example, this often looks like voting for the candidate who has the best chance of winning according to pre-election polling, or opting for who the voter deems to be the least-worst option. This method of voting is most commonly associated with elections to the UK Parliament, where the first-past-the-post electoral system only allows the candidate with the most votes to be elected. Because Holyrood elections use the Additional Member System – where constituency MSPs are elected via first-past-the-post and regional MSPs are elected via a form of proportional representation using a split ballot – tactical voting can look a little different in Scotland. For instance, you might choose to cast your constituency vote for a candidate that has the most chance of beating someone who does not align with your views, while you may cast your regional vote for the party that you most prefer.

Tactical voting in practice

To better understand how tactical voting works and what its impact on the outcome of elections can be, we will look at two different examples where widespread tactical voting played a significant role: the 2024 UK Parliament election and the 2026 Gorton and Denton by-election. 

The 2024 UK Parliament election saw some of the most widespread tactical voting in British electoral history. The Labour Party won the election with a landslide of 412 seats (63% of available seats), on just 33.7% of the vote share.^[1] In many cases, voters reported opting for the Labour Party because they felt that they were the most likely candidates to win against the Conservative Party or Reform UK, with similar success for the Liberal Democrats in Southern England. Relatedly, many of the constituencies voted for Reform UK as the Party who had the best chance of beating Labour.^[2] 

At the Gorton and Denton by-election in February 2026, a similar situation played out. Both Labour and the Green Party circulated promotional materials claiming that they were the only party who could defeat Reform UK in the by-election, encouraging voters not to choose who they trusted to represent them, but rather to protect themselves against those they did not. Previously, there had been little support for Reform UK in the constituency but many former Conservative voters opted instead for Reform, as they had a greater chance of winning the seat.^[3] 

In both of these cases, a large number of voters chose to abandon their previous allegiances to a preferred party or candidate, in order to protect their interests and rights as they saw best.

Why does it matter?

The Electoral Reform Association argues that tactical voting is bad for democracy, as it relies on candidates having a strong knowledge of election polling and voting strategies, while also preventing voters from choosing a candidate or party that they would trust to represent them in Parliament.^[4] This argument strongly resonates with many critiques that young women have put forward about their engagement with, and trust in, democracy. According to the 2024-5 Status of Young Women in ScotlandReport, 1 in 2 young women do not trust their politicians to advocate for their rights, and many respondents reported that voting felt ineffective or that they felt unprepared to make an informed choice. 

While a truly equitable system of democratic representation might seem far away, it is nevertheless important that all young women have the tools to exercise their democratic rights in this upcoming election. Political parties are already gearing up for tactical voting to play a significant role in this election- the Green Party, for example, are not fielding candidates for constituency seats, hoping to gain more seats in the regions, where proportional representation is in use. Additionally, this election will be pivotal for women’s rights in Scotland, as women’s healthcare, human rights, AI regulation, abortion access, and gender-based violence are all on the ballot. Therefore, it has never been more important to use your vote and make your voice heard!

What can you do?

Hopefully, this post will have given you a good idea about what tactical voting is and why it is important to make an informed choice- so what should you do now? 

When deciding how you want to use your vote, here are some things you might want to consider: 

Think carefully about your split ballot- because the Additional Member System allows you to cast two votes, one for a specific candidate in your constituency and one for a party in your region, you are able to vote for two different parties. This may let you place one tactical vote and another for a party or candidate that aligns more closely with your beliefs.

Read up on candidates standing in your area- be aware of which candidates or parties are standing in your area, as every party may not stand for every seat. Some parties may publish guidance on how to vote tactically in areas where they have chosen not to stand or have little chance of winning the seat. You might also want to look into current MSPs voting records or previous statements to see if they have stood up for your interests in the past.

Find pre-election polling that you trust- polling can be a very useful tool to help you decide how to cast your vote. If you choose to vote to protect your interests from a party that does not match your values, polling can point to which other candidates might win against them. It is important to find polling that is trustworthy and reliable (though it can never be completely accurate!). YouGov produces frequent summaries that are clear and well regulated, and Ballot Box Scotland provides detailed breakdowns if that’s something you’re interested in.

Ultimately, the most important thing you can do is to do your research on the candidates and parties standing in your area, and to decide what issues are important to you and what you would like to see from the next government. Remember- your vote is your voice and all young women deserve to be heard and represented!

Helpful resources

• Who Can I Vote For? Has a great resource to find out which candidates are standing for election in your constituencies: https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/elections/sp.c.2026-05-07/scottish-parliament-elections-constituencies/
• The Electoral Reform Association’s summary of tactical voting and democracy can be found here: https://electoral-reform.org.uk/what-is-tactical-voting-and-why-is-it-bad-for-democracy/
• Young Women Demand have produced a glossary of political terms to help de-bunk and de-mystify politics!: https://youngwomenscot.org/resources/understanding-political-terms-2026-scottish-parliament-election-edition/ 
• YouGov’s current election polling can be found here:
  https://yougov.com/en-gb/articles/54511-first-yougov-mrp-of-the-2026-holyrood-election-suggests-the-snp-could-win-a-majority
• Ballot Box Scotland’s current election polling can be found here:
  https://ballotbox.scot/scottish-parliament/polling-scottish-parliament/
  

References

[1] UK General Election Results 2024, BBC News, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/results [accessed 17 April 2026].

[2]See: ‘A System Out of Step: The 2024 General Election’, Electoral Reform Society, 10 December 2024, https://electoral-reform.org.uk/latest-news-and-research/publications/a-system-out-of-step-the-2024-general-election/ [accessed 17 April 2024]; Peter Sloman, ‘Ed Davey’s Tory Removals: The Liberal Democrats and the 2024 General Election’, The Political Quarterly, 96:1, pp.83-90, doi:10.1111/1467-923X.13479. 
[3] A breakdown of the Gorton and Denton by-election results can be found here: ‘Green Party wins Gorton and Denton by-election, pushing Labour into third place’, BBC News, 27 February 2026, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr453rvy6kvo [accessed 19 April 2026]. Advice from tactical voting groups showed the complex situation at play in that election. See: ‘Tactical Voting in Gorton and Denton’, tactical.vote, February 2026, https://tactical.vote/gorton-and-denton/ [accessed 17 April 2026].

[4]Sabine McGinley, ‘What is tactical voting and why is it bad for democracy?’, Electoral Reform Society, 12 November 2019 https://electoral-reform.org.uk/what-is-tactical-voting-and-why-is-it-bad-for-democracy/ [accessed 17 April 2026].

Emily Wallace

Emily Wallace is a nuclear disarmament researcher based in Glasgow, and a recent masters graduate in Gender History.

She is a member of the Young Women Demand Steering Group and also a Peer Researcher for the Status of Young Women in Scotland Report 2026-7. She is passionate about making intersectional feminism accessible to everyone and putting these principles into action.