| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Will Labour Cut the Council Tax ? | |
| Posted by: | Robin Taylor | |
| Date/Time: | 14/05/10 13:24:00 |
| "I also received the highest vote of any ICG candidate in my own ward." Phil, Have you ever heard of "Name Order Effect"? It's the effect by which candidates in multi-member wards tend to perform better than their party colleagues if their name is towards the top of the alphabetical list on the ballot sheet. (This may be partly because some people think they have only one vote, and will tend to use it for the first candidate of their chosen party that they come across when reading down the list). Caroline Andrews polled better than either of her two ICG colleagues in Syon; likewise, Patricia Doran performed better than the other ICG candidates in Hounslow South; and, indeed, John Connelly out-polled the other HIA candidates in Hounslow Heath. True, the ordering of the names on the ballot is not the only factor which determines a candidate's personal vote. Their address (which is printed on the ballot) can make a difference; as can the ethnicity implied by their name (with Asian names tending, sadly, to be a vote loser). True, the reputation of the candidate (and possibly his or her length of incumbency) may also have an impact. It it also possible that some people marked their sole cross against your name because they specifically associate the ICG with you. I'm honestly not trying to prick your ego here, but if you consider that in fourteen of the twenty wards in the Hounslow borough the Labour candidate who was listed first on the ballot sheet out-polled both of his/her colleagues (thirteen out of twenty in the case of the Tories) you will understand the primary reason why you have always done better than other ICG candidates in Isleworth Ward. (Dons tin hat and ducks for cover). |