Compass polls members on tactical voting

By Alex Smith / @alexsmith1982

Compass have tonight emailed their thousands of members asking whether they should support tactical voting in the general election to help keep the Tories out.

If the “referendum” delivers a “yes” vote, Compass will encourage Labour supporters to vote Lib Dem in Lib Dem-Tory marginal seats, and Lib Dems to vote Labour in Labour-Tory marginals.

It’s a bold move that will not receive the support of all Labour members, but it’s one which recognises the reality of the election campaign and polling so far, with less than two weeks to go before election day. With some disillusionment in the Labour Party and a change in the political landscape with the surge of the Lib Dems in national polls, the “progressive vote”, if there is such a thing, is split. But with the Tories teetering somewhere between 30 and 35%, the polls show that a vast majority of people do not wish to vote Conservative or see a Tory government.

I’ve already set out – briefly – why I think independent Labour-supporting or centre-left organisations should still support an outright Labour victory. The race has changed dramatically over the last week, and it may well do so again in these final days of the campaign, as microscopes are increasingly turned on the Lib Dems and Tories.

But the move by Compass, which is a Labour-supporting but pluralistic organisation, could be a smart one, and a good one. Progress have already published a piece outlining the possible merits of a Lib-Lab agreement. And it is also not implausible that the Guardian, Independent and even the Mirror take similar editorial lines over the next week or so, recommending the type of “progressive alliance” Gordon Brown has also spoken about this week.

The email to members, sent by Gavin Hayes at 9pm this evening, says:

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Dear Compass member,

The Management Committee has decided to ballot the Compass membership on whether or not the organisation should devise a short statement in support of tactical voting in the upcoming general election in order to help stop the Tories from winning. Please vote in this important ballot.

Something seismic could be happening in British politics which reflects the Compass view of a more pluralistic and tolerant progressive democracy. However, while Compass is not affiliated to the Labour Party many Compass members are also members and supporters of Labour.

So should Compass actively promote this new politics by arguing for tactical voting – and calling on people to back the best placed progressive candidate to stop the Conservative candidate and deprive the Conservatives of victory at the general election?

We believe on such a fundamental decision that ultimately it must be you who decides whether or not as an organisation we back tactical voting. Those that preach a new politics must practice a new politics – that’s why your involvement in this decision is so important.

Please find attached a ballot form with the question asking you whether or not Compass should issue a statement endorsing and giving support to tactical voting. If the membership vote ‘yes’ in the ballot, the committee will then devise and issue a short statement that outlines the case for full-scale tactical voting in the forthcoming general election. In addition we will provide members, supporters and others with a range of information to help them decide how to use their vote to greatest effect. However whilst we will provide information, we will not be specifying how people should vote in certain seats.

As the UK’s most influential centre-left pressure group, with over 30,000 members and supporters across the country, we believe it is absolutely crucial we use all of our influence, to do all we can to stop David Cameron’s same old Tories from winning this general election. One key factor that would potentially ensure he is not elected Prime Minister is if we can encourage widespread and effective tactical voting. That is why this issue is so important for the future of progressive politics and why we are asking the question.

I urge you to vote now in this ballot and have your say. Whatever the outcome we will respect your wishes – it is ultimately your choice and we will not tell you how you should vote.

Please spend less than 5 minutes of your time to take part. Thank you for your valuable time and involvement.

Gavin

How will the ballot work?

* The ballot will consist of a simple yes/no/abstain one-member one-vote election – like a referendum.

* To be eligible to vote you must be a fully paid up member of Compass by 23:59 on Thursday 22 April 2010, the day before the ballot forms are sent out, as outlined in the timetable below. Anyone that becomes a fully paid-up member of Compass after this date will not be eligible to vote in this ballot.

* Members in arrears will be notified by post and by email and will have until 23:59 on Thursday 29 April 2010 (when the ballot closes) to pay their due subs in order to vote in this ballot.

* To be eligible to vote you must qualify to be a Compass member entitled to full voting rights – as stated on the membership form, you must be a member (or be eligible to be a member) of the Labour Party (i.e. you must not be a member of another political party in the UK). You can of course vote if you are a member of no party.

* Ballot forms will be issued by email and by post on Friday 23 April 2010 and a short 7 day voting period will commence.

* The ballot will close at 23:59 on Thursday 29 April 2010 as set out in the timetable below.

* All Compass members who have a functional email address will be sent a copy of the ballot form electronically. But any member may request to be sent a postal ballot if they would prefer to vote in this way.

* You may only vote electronically using the email address that is the email address registered with your Compass membership (the email address that your ballot form is sent to), this will ensure only you use your vote in this election and that you can only vote once. * You must attach the ballot form (the original word document sent to your email address) to your email and send it to elections@compassonline.org.uk, your actual ballot form (the original word document) will not be opened until polling day, the file will be saved directly to a separate folder until polling day, a receipt will be acknowledged to confirm we’ve received your ballot form.

* All Compass members that do not have a functional email address will automatically be sent a ballot form by post, each postal ballot will be given a unique security number to prevent fraud and to ensure members can only vote in this election once.

* If you have lost your ballot form (either the electronic or paper copy) please inform the General Secretary immediately on 020 7463 0633 or on elections@compassonline.org.uk. * All electronic ballot forms will immediately be stored in a password protected folder and all postal ballots will be filed in a secure cabinet until the count.

Vote count / announcement

* The votes will be counted on Friday 30 April 2010.

* All votes will be verified by the General Secretary and an independent representative from the Electoral Reform Society.

* Any Compass member will be allowed access to witness the counting of the votes. If you’d like to come to the count please notify the General Secretary 48 hours before the count.

* The full results will be publicly announced within 48 hours of the poll closing.

Timetable

Ballot opens Friday 23 April 2010

Ballot closes Thursday 29 April 2010

Results announced Friday 30 April 2010 (or within 48 hours)