Frequently Asked Questions — Mid Dorset and North Poole Constituency

Who won the Mid Dorset and North Poole constituency election in 2010?

Liberal Democrats gained Mid Dorset and North Poole constituency at the 6 May 2010 General Election, taking the seat from Conservative. Liberal Democrats won with a majority of 269 votes (0.6%). Turnout was 72.4%.

What was the swing in Mid Dorset and North Poole at the 2010 election?

The swing in Mid Dorset and North Poole was 15.5% from CON to LD — a modest shift towards LD. Swing is calculated using the Butler two-party formula: the average of the change in winner's vote share and the fall in the runner-up's vote share compared to the previous election here.

What does swing mean in UK elections?

Swing measures how much support has shifted between two parties compared to a previous election. The Butler swing formula — used in British election reporting since the 1950s — takes the average of the gain in the winner's vote share and the loss in the runner-up's. A 5% swing is considered large at ward level; anything above 10% is exceptional. The swing figure for Mid Dorset and North Poole in 2010 is shown in the statistics above.