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Yorkshire battleground 'wide open for election'
THE General Election will be wide open in West Yorkshire with almost half of voters undecided about who to support in the polling booth, a YEP survey has revealed.
A survey of the YEP Reader Panel reveals how only 53 per cent of respondents know how they would cast their vote if there was a General Election tomorrow. In contrast, 82 per cent had decided which party they were going to vote for by the start of the 2005 election campaign.
The results confirms West Yorkshire's importance as a key battleground in the forthcoming campaign and highlights the large number of swing voters who could influence local results.
Labour and the Liberal Democrats today said the results prove that Tory leader David Cameron has failed to attract solid support in the region, but the Conservatives said it showed that traditional Labour voters were "on the move" and switching their allegiances.
We asked members of our Reader Panel which of a series of statements best reflected their view about the looming election.
A total of 53 per cent of respondents said they agreed with "I know how I'd vote if there was a General Election tomorrow" and a further 29 per cent agreed with: "I have a good idea how I'd vote if there was an election tomorrow, but may change my opinion by the time of the actual General Election."
Seven per cent agreed with "I'd prefer to wait, making my mind up about who to vote for during an election campaign", while 11 per cent agreed with "I don't know how I'd vote if there was an election tomorrow".
Overall, 47 per cent have yet to fully make up their minds about which party to support.
It appears to show that there could be many more crucial "swing voters" in the region than five years ago.
Rachel Reeves, Labour's parliamentary candidate for Leeds West, said: "The YEP survey results that people haven't yet made up their minds shows that voters are taking those issues seriously and deciding how to use their vote."
Greg Mulholland, the Liberal Democrat MP for Leeds North West, said the results were "exciting" for his party.
But the Tory shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley insisted the Conservatives were winning over voters in traditional Labour seats.
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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