Labour is going to win the election, and it’s going to win a majority. There’s no longer any doubt about that. When the outcome is this assured, it’s tempting to sack off voting altogether, and spend July 4 doing a rewatch of Sex and the City in bed. A poll last week predicted the lowest turnout in modern history, and there is a palpable lack of excitement in the air. 

But however uninspiring mainstream politics might be, we shouldn’t give into apathy. If you don’t vote, you become part of an indistinguishable mass of people who aren’t engaged with politics and who can therefore be safely ignored. While voter apathy is hardly a sign of a healthy society, it doesn’t actually pose a threat to either of the two major parties; in fact, it’s often something they rely on. Nothing delights the political establishment more than seeing that 4 million people under the age of 25 haven’t registered to vote – right this second, they’re drinking a celebratory glass of port in a private member’s club in Mayfair; twirling their moustaches; laughing at you, specifically, and plotting how they can make your life even more intolerable… and what exactly are you going to do about it, sweetie? You don’t even vote!

There’s still time to register if you haven’t already (you have until midnight tonight).There is evidence that young people – far from drifting into indifference – are turning towards smaller parties, including the Lib Dems and the Greens, and independent candidates. While Labour still enjoys a huge lead among under-35s, there is a widespread lack of enthusiasm for Keir Starmer’s pitch. Lots of us will vote Labour simply because we want to get rid of the Tories, which is fair enough – but is this compromise really necessary? The near certainty of Labour’s victory gives us more freedom than ever to vote according to our principles, rather than the obligation to avoid the worst possible outcome. Here’s everything you need to know about how to make a protest vote this year.

1. CHOOSE YOUR LOCATION WISELY 

You can’t just pick any random constituency in the country, but in certain scenarios there is a bit of flexibility. If you’re a student with two addresses, you can decide where to register – it’s worth checking where your vote will be more impactful, who the candidates are and whether a Green or Independent candidate stands a chance of winning. We Deserve Better – a new campaign group which aims to pressure the Labour Party from the left – has compiled a list of the candidates it’s supporting, which includes prospective Green MPs and left-wing independents. 

2. DON’T JUST VOTE LABOUR FOR THE SAKE OF IT 

If you put a gun to my head and demanded that I choose which of the two major parties I’d like to win the election, I’d go with Labour. As we wrote last week, there are some decent policies in the party’s manifesto, and another five years of the Tories is a disturbing prospect. But there is no gun to anyone’s head: Labour is cruising towards what might be one of the largest landslides in British history, so much so that the Tories are barely even fighting to win – in a tone of weary defeat, transport secretary Grant Schapps recently pleaded with the electorate not to give Keir Starmer too much power. “The Tory vote has completely collapsed, they cannot form the next government,” says Hillary Schan, an independent councillor who is on the committee of We Deserve Better, tells Dazed. “The goal now is to put pressure on Labour.”

So don’t let anyone scold you into thinking there is a moral obligation to vote for “the lesser of two evils”. The only good reason to vote Labour is if you sincerely support its political programme. While this is better than the Tories, bear in mind that it still includes more austerity; a fundamentally right-wing vision of how the economy should operate, with no commitment to raising corporate or capital gains tax; a punitive approach to welfare which will keep thousands of children trapped in poverty and deprive disabled people of benefits which they need to survive; more anti-migrant rhetoric; further privatisation of the NHS; the denial of gender-affirming care to young trans people, segregating trans people in hospitals, and continued complicity with Israel’s violations of the rights of Palestinians. If all of that sounds up your street (some people are right-wing, and that’s valid!), then by all means vote for Labour. 

The party has purged much of its left wing and introduced a ghoulish new cohort of corporate lobbyists (including several candidates who have worked for fossil fuel companies and weapons manufacturers, and one who worked for a PR firm which ran a billionaire-funded campaign to stir up racial tensions in South Africa). But there are still some good, principled Labour MPs. I can see the case for voting for the likes of Zarah Sultana, Nadia Whittome, Diane Abbott or Dawn Butler, if they happen to be your MP.

3. SERIOUSLY CONSIDER THE GREEN PARTY... 

Britain’s first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system is heavily biased towards the biggest parties. It means that vote share alone doesn’t count for much: in theory, the Greens or Reform could come a close second in every constituency in the UK without winning a single seat. The Green Party has grown significantly since 2019, particularly at the level of local politics, but there are still only four seats which it could feasibly win (Bristol Central; Waveney Valley, which spans Norfolk and Suffolk, North Herefordshire, and Brighton Pavilion, where the party has been incumbent since 2010).

If you happen to live in one of those seats, there are plenty of reasons to vote Green. As we wrote last week, the party’s manifesto includes some great policies, many of which address concerns which are important to young people. But even if the election goes well for the Green Party, it won’t be able to implement these policies overnight with just four seats. But it’s not unrealistic to think that, with an expanded presence in Parliament, the Greens might be able to exert a meaningful influence over Labour. Remember that UKIP managed to radically alter the direction of British politics without ever having a single MP, in large part because David Cameron was concerned about losing people who had traditionally voted Conservative. It won’t be as easy for the same thing to happen in the opposite direction (the British media is unlikely to roll out the red carpet for an insurgent left-wing party like it did for Nigel Farage), but I wouldn’t rule it out. 

Is there any point in voting for the Greens or an independent candidate if you don’t live in one of the few seats where they stand a chance of winning? One of the problems with FPTP is that it does, in a real sense, render this kind of protest vote futile – if you live in a Labour or Tory safe seat, then voting Green will not have the slightest influence on who ends up in Parliament. But on the other hand, if the Greens increase their national vote share, this could send a strong message: if Labour neglects the people who usually vote for them, we can and will go elsewhere.

4. ...OR YOUR LOCAL INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE

Starmer is going to be in a strong position after winning a majority, but this won’t last forever – his personal approval ratings are unusually terrible for an incoming prime minister. At a certain point, he may be forced to make real concessions to win back the voters who have deserted Labour. We can see this happening already: the party recently backtracked on its decision to prevent Diane Abbott from standing as a candidate, and concerns about alienating Muslim voters has led to a more conciliatory approach on Gaza (even if this remains at the level of superficial rhetoric). Labour recently put out an urgent call for its supporters to canvas in over a dozen constituencies which had previously been considered safe seats, many of which have large Muslim populations – even though the party heading towards a huge victory, the leadership is clearly worried.

There are a number of excellent independent candidates running this year, and the same reasons for voting Green apply here too. Among others, there’s Jeremy Corbyn, fighting to keep his seat in Islington North, and Leanne Mohamad, a 24-year-old British-Palestinian woman who is campaigning in Ilford North (a seat currently held by Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting). While Mohamad is not just a single-issue candidate, she has drawn particular support from people who feel let down by Starmer’s position on Gaza. For anyone who cares about Palestine, there is a strong case for voting against Labour this election. The party evidently cares little about international law, human rights or basic moral principles; it’s only going to change its position if the failure to do so exacts a cost. Do we really want to live in a society where politicians can provide support to a state which stands credibly accused of genocide, without incurring any consequences whatsoever? 

There are a number of ways you can support these independent left-wing candidates, even if they aren't running in your own constituency. “If you live nearby or you can travel to one of the key constituencies like Islington North, Bristol Central, Ilford North in East London or Brighton Pavillion, then you should go and campaign – masses of people knocking on doors is what will win these seats,” says Schan. “They will give you all the information you need and you’ll be campaigning with other people. You won’t be on your own. If you’re too far away, you can phone bank from home. You can find all the details in the bio links on our social media pages and on our website.”

There has never been an election better suited to voting with your conscience, according to your own principles, for the politicians you actually believe in rather than the ones you can just about stomach. 

5. REMEMBER YOU CAN ALWAYS SPOIL YOUR BALLOT

If you are truly uninspired by all of the available options, spoiling your ballot is better than nothing – it’s a more active expression of dissent than staying at home. And the best part is you can vote for whoever or whatever you like, be that Chappell Roan, your cat, or the liberation of all mankind.