Am I eligible to vote in the 2024 general election and how can I register?
The general election will be held on July 4, Rishi Sunak has confirmed, with Brits able to vote for change after 14 years of Conservative rule.
The Tories, Labour and the Lib Dems started campaigning on Thursday (May 23) — one week before Parliament is dissolved and purdah begins.
Due to a change in boundaries, some constituencies will be modified for the election. But, as ever, all 650 seats will be contested.
Another change is that voters need to bring appropriate ID on the day — something the former prime minister Boris Johnson fell foul of at the local elections in May.
Who is eligible to vote in the 2024 general election?
According to the Government, anyone who is registered in time for the election can vote.
To register, you must be 18, a British citizen, a British overseas voter, an Irish citizen, or a resident of a Commonwealth country. EU residents cannot vote unless they’re citizens of Commonwealth countries Malta and Cyprus.
Citizens of non-Commonwealth nations cannot vote and nor can prisoners, although convicts serving 12 months or less can vote in the unrelated Scottish Parliament elections.
Labour, the Lib Democrats, and the Conservatives will likely stand candidates in all English, Scottish, and Welsh seats — with the Greens, Reform, and others set to be on most ballots.
But there is a quirk if you live in Chorley — where the speaker of the House, Lindsay Hoyle, is MP. The Liberal Dems, the Conservatives, and Labour traditionally do not stand against the sitting speaker — leaving him likely to be elected again.
Scottish and Welsh national parties, the Scottish National Party (SNP) and Plaid Cymru, will have candidates in their respective countries.
In Northern Ireland, the main British parties are not represented and voters have a choice of parties including the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Sinn Fein, Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), and Alliance Party.
How to find out if you’re registered to vote
You can check if you’re registered to vote by contacting your local Electoral Registration Office online.
If you’re registered to vote, you’ll receive a polling card before election day giving instructions on where your polling booth is. Stations are open from 7am to 10pm.
There is not yet a deadline for registering to vote but the deadline is typically 12 working days before the election, which will be June 18. The deadline is likely to be June 19 for a postal vote.
You must apply for a proxy vote at least two weeks before election day.
If you’re not already registered, you can register to vote online.
