Common Decency

Vote pairing takes place when two people agree to vote in a mutually decided way. Let us use an example:

Voter A lives in Constituency 1. His preferred party is the Mauve Party, but the Mauve Party are not popular in Constituency 1. Instead, the Beige Party and the Grey Party are the two most popular.

Voter B lives in Constituency 2. His preferred party is the Beige Party, but the Beige Party are not popular in Constituency 2. Instead, the Mauve Party and the Grey Party are the two most popular.

As a result, Voter A agrees to vote for the Beige Party in his constituency, as they are more likely to win in his constituency than in Constituency 2. Voter B therefore agrees to vote for the Mauve Party in his constituency, because they are more likely to win in his constituency than in Constituency 1.

This means that both Voter A and Voter B “help” one another (or their parties).

Vote pairing may also occur in parliament, as two politicians from different parties may agree to abstain from voting if the other one is unable to vote.