Draft:Next United Kingdom general election
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All 650 seats in the House of Commons 326 seats needed for a majority | |
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| 2017 election • MPs |
| 2019 election • MPs |
| 2024 election • MPs |
The Next United Kingdom general election will determine the composition of the House of Commons, which determines the government of the United Kingdom.
Electoral system[edit]
Voting eligibility[edit]
In order to vote in the general election, barring any changes in eligibility rules, one must be:[1]
- on the Electoral Register,
- aged 18 or over on polling day,
- a British citizen, a Commonwealth citizen (with leave to remain or not requiring it) or a citizen of the Republic of Ireland,
- a resident at an address in the United Kingdom (or a British citizen living abroad), and
- not legally excluded from voting (for example a convicted person detained in prison or a mental hospital, or unlawfully at large if they would otherwise have been detained, or a person found guilty of certain corrupt or illegal practices)
Individuals must be registered to vote by midnight twelve working days before polling day. Anyone who qualifies as an anonymous elector has approximately five working days before polling day to register. A person who has two homes (such as a university student who has a term-time address and lives at home during holidays) may be able to register to vote at both addresses as long as they are not in the same electoral area, but can only vote in one constituency at the general election.
Date of the election[edit]
Under the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022, the Prime Minister has the power to call an election at any time during the five-year length of a parliamentary session. If the Prime Minister chooses not to call an election, then parliament is automatically dissolved 5 years after the day it first met.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ "Types of election, referendums, and who can vote". GOV.UK. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ^ Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022 (legislation.gov.uk), section 4 "Automatic dissolution of Parliament after five years"
