Elections, voting, and standing for office

The voting section is mostly direct recall: dates, eligibility lists, polling-station hours. The trap most people hit is which elections specific groups can vote in — not all residents are eligible for all elections.

How MPs are elected

• A General Election must be held at least every five years.
• If an MP dies or resigns, a by-election is held in that constituency.
• Westminster MPs are elected through first past the post: in each constituency, the candidate with the most votes wins. (Note: this is the opposite of the proportional representation systems used by the devolved bodies.)
• The party that wins the majority of constituencies usually forms the government. If no one wins a majority, two parties may form a coalition.

European parliamentary elections (the handbook view)

The handbook still describes EU elections as part of UK life:

• Held every five years.
• Members are called Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).
• Use proportional representation — seats allocated in proportion to the total votes a party wins.

The UK has now left the EU and no longer holds European elections. The handbook used by current test papers may still test the EU material, so memorise it as the handbook describes.

Who can vote in which elections

This is the most-tested distinction in the elections section. The handbook splits voters into three groups by what they can vote for:

Resident in UK and a citizen of:	General Election	Local / European	All other elections
UK (born or naturalised)	✅	✅	✅
Commonwealth	✅	✅	✅
Irish Republic	✅	✅	✅
Other EU state	❌	✅	✅

The single distinction to lock in: an EU citizen (other than Irish) who is resident in the UK can vote in all elections except General Elections.

The voting age is 18, set in 1969. The UK has had a fully democratic voting system since 1928.

The electoral register

To vote in any election (parliamentary, local, or — historically — European) you must be on the electoral register.

• The register is updated every year in September or October.
• A registration form is sent to every household and must be returned with the names of everyone in the household who is eligible.
• In Northern Ireland the system is different — individual registration: every eligible person fills in their own form. Once registered, you stay registered as long as your details don’t change.
• The register is held at each local electoral registration office (or council office in England and Wales) and anyone can look at it, supervised. Some libraries also hold copies.

Voting on the day

• Polling stations in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland; polling places in Scotland.
• Open from 7.00 am to 10.00 pm on election day.
• Before the election, you receive a poll card telling you where and when.
• At the station: staff ask for your name and address. In Northern Ireland, you must also show photographic ID.
• You take your ballot paper to a polling booth, fill it in privately, and put it in the ballot box.
• No one has the right to make you vote for a particular candidate. This is testable as a True/False statement.

If you can’t get to the polling station, you can register for a postal ballot when you register to vote.

Standing for public office

Most citizens of the UK, Irish Republic, or Commonwealth aged 18 or over can stand for public office. Three exceptions:

• Members of the armed forces
• Civil servants
• People found guilty of certain criminal offences

Members of the House of Lords cannot stand for election to the House of Commons, but they can stand for any other public office.

Visiting Parliament

The handbook treats visits to legislatures as part of civic life and tests them lightly:

• Westminster — public can listen to debates from the public galleries in both Houses. Free entrance. You can write to your MP for tickets or queue on the day. The House of Commons is busier; the House of Lords is usually easier to get into.
• Stormont (NI Assembly) — book through the Education Service or via an MLA.
• Scottish Parliament at Holyrood (Edinburgh) — visitor services book tours and tickets.
• Welsh Assembly at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay — open building, guided tours and public-gallery seats.

Contacting elected representatives

All elected members have a duty to serve and represent their constituents. You can find contact details:

• At your local library.
• On www.parliament.uk.
• Listed in The Phone Book (BT) and Yellow Pages.

Many MPs and their devolved-body equivalents hold local “surgeries” — sessions where constituents come in person to talk about their concerns. These are usually advertised in the local newspaper.

What to take from this section

1. General Elections at least every five years; by-elections fill mid-term vacancies.
2. First past the post = Westminster. Proportional representation = devolved bodies and (former) European elections.
3. EU citizens (non-Irish) resident in the UK can vote in everything except General Elections.
4. Voting age: 18 (since 1969). Fully democratic since 1928.
5. Polling stations: 7 am–10 pm. Photo ID required only in Northern Ireland.
6. Standing for office: UK / Irish / Commonwealth, 18+, except armed forces, civil servants, certain criminals; Lords can’t stand for the Commons.