Election Timetable for 30 May - 4 July 2024:
The information below has been reproduced from the House of Commons Library
Day 0 - Thursday 30 May - Dissolution of Parliament and issue of writs
Day 1 - Friday 31 May - Returning Officers receive writs
Day 3 - Tuesday 04 June - Last day for publishing notice of election by 16:00
Day 6 - Friday 07 June - Deadline for submitting or withdrawing a nomination by 16:00
- Publication for statement of persons nominated by 17:00
Day 13 - Thursday 18 June - Deadline to register to vote by midnight
Day 14 - Friday 19 June - Deadline for new postal vote applicants or amending existing absent voting arrangements
Day 19 - Wednesday 26 June - Deadline for new applications to vote by proxy by 17:00.
- After 17:00 it may be possible to apply for an emergency proxy in certain circumstances, but they are not available on demand.
- Wednesday 26 June - Deadline for applications for Voter Authority Certificates (VACs) by 17:00
Day 21 - Friday 28 June - This will be the first day that voters can apply for a replacement for a lost postal vote
Day 25 - Thursday 04 July - Polling day – 07:00 - 22:00
- Deadline for emergency proxy applications by 17:00
- Deadline for re-issue of spoilt or lost postal votes by 17:00
- Deadline for production of temporary VACs by 22:00
The next UK General Election will take place on Thursday 4th July 2024
The last UK General Election took place on Thursday 12th December 2019.
According to the House of Commons Library Briefing on General Elections the next UK General Election was due to take place, at the latest, 25 days* after 17 December 2024. Therefore around 23 January 2025. For a General Election to take place Parliament must be dissolved by the Monarch of the day.
*Weekends and Bank Holidays are not counted in this tally.
What is an Early Parliamentary Election Bill ?
The House of Commons Library briefing explains
To be able to vote at an election you must be on the Electoral Register.
There is more than one way to cast your vote.
When you go to the Polling Station to Vote in person, please remember to take Photo ID.
You will still need to take your own ID if you are making a Proxy Vote for another person. You will also need to locate their Polling Station if it is not the same as the one where you will be marking your own ballot papers. For further information on Proxy Voting see the links above .
Accepted forms of ID are outlined on the Electoral Commission Website
Elections and Voting Explained
You can find out who the candidates are in the constituency you are voting in by checking your postcode at Who Can I Vote For?
If you want to find out how previous MPs in your constituency who may be standing for re-election voted in Parliament, You can check via They Work For You or look on Hansard for any debates they took part in, questions they asked or speeches they made.
Electoral Purdah:
Before any election takes place a period of purdah is observed. In the context of a democratic system, purdah means that during a designated pre-election period there are publicity and communication restrictions for parties and candidates. During this period there should be no evidence that money is being spent to influence voters.
The Local Government Association has produced a downloadable short guide on purdah. This outlines the restrictions that must be observed.
There are specific guidelines for the observance of purdah in relation to social media.
Electoral Fraud:
The Electoral Commission is involved in not only preventing electoral fraud, it is also the body that investigates it.
Results from local elections are broadcast as they come in, normally via BBC and Sky News channels.
Throughout the night the results tracker (link tba) from the BBC will be updated.
Once available a selection of programmes for the 2024 General Election will be available via our curated Playlist (link tba). You will need to be logged in to BoB to watch.
Older programmes from previous elections can be watched via Box of Broadcasts (BoB).
Results of the UK General Election, 12 December 2019
Results of the UK General Election, 7th May 2015
As manifestos* are launched we will be listing them here:
*where no individual manifestos, contracts or vision documents are currently available we have linked to the Party Policy page.
Throughout the election period multiple polls will appear.
The Guardian has brought a number of polls by reputable pollsters together in one place. The tracker on The Guardian website is interactive. To adjust the data just click on the vertical bar and move across the screen.
The Guardian will be updating through to Election Day.
