Vast bulk of SDLP voters will transfer to the Alliance Party in upcoming May 18 council election, poll finds

The principal finding of the poll – carried out by Belfast firm SMR – was that Sinn Fein looked set to emerge as the number one party on the Province’s councils in the May 18 election.

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But it also looked at where people will give their second-preference votes – with results which some may find eyebrow-raising.

It says that 51% of those who vote DUP #1 will give their next vote to the UUP, followed by 21% who will give it to the TUV, and 14% who will give it to Alliance.

For voters who choose Sinn Fein #1, 49% will give their second preference votes to the SDLP, then 25% to Alliance, and 24% to 'other'.

For Alliance voters, 37% will give their second votes to 'other', 29% to SDLP, and 19% to UUP.

For UUP voters, 39% will give their second votes to the DUP, 21% to the TUV, and 14% to Alliance.

And for SDLP voters, some 66% of them will give their second votes to Alliance, 23% to 'other', and 8% to UUP.

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