Swingometer

The swingometer is a graphics device that shows the effects of the swing from one party to another on British election results programmes.

In the end the result was a Labour overall majority of 4, and so when the 1966 general election came around, a new element had to be added (namely the prospect of a hung parliament).

However, following the success of the Liberals in the by-elections held between the 1970 and February 1974 general elections, the swingometer was reduced in scale to just a small standby as the computers used by the BBC were deemed more reliable.

An online version of the swingometer, featuring Labour and the Conservatives only, was introduced on the BBC News website at the 2001 general election.

It is similar to the "2D" swingometer used in two-party system elections, but uses the extra dimension to allow swings to occur among three parties.

During the 2010 UK General election race, the Slapometer website allowed voters to slap along to the live TV debates between party leaders Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg.