The Times Series feature on the local constituencies for the General Election (‘Candidates hoping to win your vote’, April 9) is a perfect illustration of how very many personal voting decisions have minimal significance, unless you are lucky enough live in a ‘marginal’.

I live in the Chipping Barnet constituency. I suppose I have not warmed to the incumbent MP, who seems as invisible in her constituency as in government. Suppose the leading challenger has no chance of winning and does not much appeal either.

It appears that the most useful thing I can do with my vote is to help a minor party candidate save his/her deposit. Which is frustrating when more exciting contests are taking place elsewhere in Barnet.

One day, hopefully, we will get a fairer voting system. In the meantime, I have a suggestion of my own; I call it the ‘Porous Border’. If you are uninspired by the candidates in your home constituency, voters should be permitted to vote in a neighbouring constituency. Voters would then have a wider choice and the knowledge that their participation could make a significant difference. If we followed the example of many other countries and adopted a computerised voting method, this would be quite simple to set up.

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