People confuse elections with sporting competitions but elections are not about being on the winning team. In the House of Representatives, we should vote to influence, not vote to win. After voting 1 for your favourite minor party (if you have one), give your favoured major party a preference vote. i.e. Vote 2 Labor/Liberal.

The reality is that in most electorates, a major party candidate will end up being your representative. Once that person is elected, they represent the whole electorate; it doesn’t matter whether you voted for them or not. They are still your representative. And it absolutely does not mean your electorate is going to be better looked after than any other. On every key issue, they will vote in the Parliament whichever way they are told to vote. That’s the reality of politics in modern Australia.

Giving a major party your ‘second vote’ is as good as giving them your primary vote in almost every situation. People’s preferences determine whether Liberal or Labor get the seat unless the seat is absolutely blue ribbon Liberal or Labor. And Swan is the most marginal of electorates in W.A.

If you vote for a minor party, you are having a disproportionate impact. If a minor party gets even 5% of the vote their preferences will greatly influence the outcome of many marginal seats. Not saying that’s a good thing; just what happens. It means that the major parties must talk to them.

It means the minor parties get a chance to say, “here’s what we believe in. If you become the Government, what will you do about X?” Or in the case of the Sex Party, what will you do about XXX, since the bloody censorship laws in Australia are antiquated, complex and in some cases ridiculous. Just threw that in :p

So if you’re (1) an Internet user who doesn’t like the idea of the Government taking over responsibility for what’s on the World Wide Web or (2) you think voluntary euthanasia is important for human dignity or (3) you’re in favour of progressive social policies such as gay marriage, voting for the Sex Party is actually a very effective way of influencing that policy area. You can do it in the electorate of Swan; it’s the only W.A. seat in which we have a candidate. (You can also vote Sex Party in the Senate of course; that is also a powerful signal).

The minor parties should really be saying to people, Vote Labor 2 or Liberal 2 but for crying out loud, don’t give them your primary vote, it only encourages the bastards.

source: Swan Election Blog