Parties’ pre-election signals can and do influence strategic voting, according to evidence from Sweden

Britain is entering what appears to be a period of multi-party politics, with the old two party system seemingly disintegrating before our eyes. In this context, tactical voting takes on added importance, with numerous members of the electorate willing to ‘hold their nose’ and vote for a party they do not favour in order to keep a less favoured party out. Annika Fredén here presents research which shows that the messages sent by parties about their post-election intentions can and do influence strategic voter choice, with implications for electoral outcomes.