General (UK Parliamentary) elections

The voting system

First past the post.

Who am I voting for?

A Member of Parliament (MP) to sit in the UK Parliament in Westminster and represent your constituency. There are 646 constituencies across the UK, each with one MP.

How to vote

Always read the instructions for filling in the ballot paper carefully, even if you have voted before.

The ballot paper lists the name of each candidate along with their party name or description, party logo and their address.

Simply put an X (a cross) next to the one candidate that you wish to vote for.

If you make a mistake then you can ask the polling staff to give you another ballot paper.

You may also be voting in other elections on the same day.

Who is elected?

The candidate with the most votes is elected; they do not need to get more than half of the votes cast. If there is a tie then a candidate is selected by the drawing of lots (i.e. a method of selection by chance such as tossing a coin or picking a name out of a hat).