Frequently Asked Questions — South Dorset Constituency

Who won the South Dorset constituency election in 2005?

Labour gained South Dorset constituency at the 5 May 2005 General Election, taking the seat from Conservative. Labour won with a majority of 1,812 votes (3.7%). Turnout was 68.8%.

What was the swing in South Dorset at the 2005 election?

The swing in South Dorset was 18.7% from CON to LAB — a modest shift towards LAB. 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 South Dorset in 2005 is shown in the statistics above.