The Greens, UKIP, and D'Hondt

EU elections use the D'Hondt system, which means that if, say, your goal is to keep UKIP from electing a MEP from Scotland, your vote is, in a sense, three times more effective if you vote for Green then if you vote for the SNP or Labour—watch the video or follow the links (Wikipedia, European Parliament) to understand why.

If you wish to vote tactically, you need to know how the parties stand in the polls. Below is data for Scotland from two polls on 13--15 May, spotted via UK Polling Report. I'm voting my heart, with the Greens, but it's nice to know that it is also a tactically wise vote in opposition to UKIP.

	YouGov	ComRes
Labour	31	16
SNP	30	40
Green	12	7
Conservative	10	21
UKIP	9	8
Lib Dem	7	5
Other	0	1