# 9. Strategic voting ## 9.5. Methodology/Refinements/Sub-species ### 9.5.3. Tactical Voting In a voting system, tactical voting happens when a voter misrepresents their sincere preferences in order to gain a more favourable outcome. Every voting system attracts some form of tactical voting. However, the type of tactical voting and the extent to which it affects the tone of the campaign and the results of the election vary significantly from one voting system to another. There are several sub-types of tactical voting. Here we describe the four most commonly used techniques: - [[Bullet Vote]] - [[Burying]] - [[Mischief Voting]] - [[Favourite Buying]] **Tactical voting example:** In the 1997 UK general election, the Democratic Left helped activist Bruce Kent set up "GROT - Get Rid of Them". This was a tactical voter campaign designed to help prevent the Conservative party from gaining another term in office. This voting coalition was made up of individuals in all opposition parties plus some who were un-aligned with any other party. This diverse group was united in a wish to stop the re-election of the Conservatives and indeed the Conservatives were roundly defeated. While it is impossible to prove that GROT swung the election, it did attract significant media attention and brought tactical voting into the mainstream for the first time in UK politics.