Letter: Next time, can I have a vote that counts?

Sir: Your leading article of 1 May rightly urged us to give democracy a go. Time has taught me that elections are about choosing the bad over the worse, and I decided to vote Labour because I would rather have a useless government than an evil one. The disillusionment I can live with, but what I find so intolerable is that, for the fourth time out of four, my vote counts for nothing, because I live in a safe seat.

No one has canvassed my street, and two of the major parties have not even sent a leaflet. This election has been entirely about capturing the support of a relatively small number of terminally indecisive and geographically fortunate floating voters in marginal constituencies.

Would Labour have had the same manifesto and exhibited the same bland caution if everyone's vote was worth having, and would your correspondent Beverley Johnston (letter, 1 May) know so many frustrated Lib-Dems?

By all means encourage us to use the blunt instrument of change that we have, but now can you begin encouraging someone to sharpen it? Next time I'd like my vote to count.

CHAS LOFT

London E8