Frequently Asked Questions

• What is Traffic Light Voting?
• How independent of political bias are Traffic Light Voting guides?
• What is strategic preferential voting?
• Is Traffic Light Voting very different to Score Card voting?
• How are candidates and parties assessed?
• Why are candidates standing for the two major parties assessed much differently than all the other candidates?
• Why are you advising voters to preference the Coalition ahead of Labor?
• What is Minority Government?
• Why is Minority Government a good choice?
• Is Minority Government inherently unstable?
• What is the connection between strategic preferencial voting and the creation of minority governments?

What is Traffic Light Voting?

Traffic Light Voting is a voting guide which ranks the candidates with a green, orange, or red light depending on their commitment to climate action and social justice. The guides do not put numbers next to candidates. You number the Green Light candidates first, in the order of your choice . Next you number the Orange Light candidates and, lastly, decide the order in which to put the Red Light candidates. In our estimation Red light candidates are a dangerous choice and that’s why they need to go last.

The exception to numbering Red Light candidates in the order of your choice is if you are voting in a Red Light Electorate. and wish to maximise the effectiveness of your Traffic Light vote by stategic preferencing. In those cases preference Labor last.

How independent of political bias are Traffic Light Voting guides?

Vote Climate One is fiercley non-aligned. We have ranked Labor and the Coalition as both Red Light parties. Currently Labor is a better bet than the Coalition for climate action and a fair future for us all. We pushing strongly for voters to consider stategic preferencing to create a minority Labor government. Only minority government has a chance of forcing the major parties back to serving the interests of all Australians. Stategic preferencing can reduce the insidious influence corporate Australia exercises over our two major parties.

What is strategic preferencial voting?

Australian democratic process is particually blessed with compulsory and preferencial voting requirements. The problem is that not many voters are able to understand how using the preferential voting system strategically can supercharge the effectivenes of their trip to the ballot box. Strategic preferencing is not about choosing who you hate or who you love. Its not even about choosing someone who will represent your views in parliament. It may be counterintuitive for some voters to put Labor last on their ballot paper but this is what Vote Climate One’s team is advising you do to usher in the best political outcome. Strategic preferencing on top of Traffic Light voting by enough voters in 2028 could deliver the balance of power to the re-elected and newly-elected Green Light cross benchers in our 49th parliament. Democratic renewal will only become a reality when we rise above our tribalism for the collective good of all Australians. 

Is Traffic Light Voting very different to Score Card voting?

There is a basic difference in emphasis between Traffic Light voting and deciding how to vote using score cards. This is especially true when you match Traffic Light voting with strategic preferencing.

When you number all the Green Light candidates first you are directing all your preferences to the strongest polling Green Light candidate even if they are not your first choice. Traffic Light voting simplifies your choices and will give the best chance for the election of a progressive candidate. It is quite possible, though, that if you check with Vote Earth Now or Build Your Ballot they may deliver the same advice as Traffic Light voting.

The big advantage of Traffic Light voting over scorecards is when you match strategic preferencing with Traffic Light voting. Strategic preferencing is driven by the aiming for a political outcome rather then a policy outcome. The policy outcome will emerge from political change. Decades of ineffective majority government indicate that the policy outcomes we need have not eventuated. They will only become reality when we change the political landscape.

Right now in Australia our best bet to move in this direction is to elect a minority Labor government working collaboratively with a progressive crossbench in 2028 parliament.

If you vote in a Red Light electorate preference Labor last

How are candidates and parties assessed?

The Labor Party and the Coalition are both assessed much differently to the rest of the candidates. Their assessment is aimed at guiding voters on how to activate an effective political outcome rather than ranking them on policy considerations.

Everyone else(other than the two major parties) is ranked according to our assessment process.