General Election 2024: Polls open
Everything you need to know ahead of voting today
Last updated 4th Jul 2024
Polls have opened across the UK for the General Election, but how does voting work and what do you need to take?
We answer all your questions about this year's historic election.
When is the 2024 General Election?
The General Election is taking place today - Thursday 4th July 2024.
Polls opened at 7am and close at 10pm tonight, although if you are in the queue to vote at 10pm, you'll be allowed to vote even if you haven't been given a ballot paper yet.
The date was set when Rishi Sunak called the election in May on a rainy day in Downing Street.
Who can vote?
British citizens over the age of 18 can vote, as long as they’re registered to vote.
The deadline to register was midnight on the 18th June.
Who am I voting for?
You vote for your local MP wherever you are registered to vote – party leaders aren’t included on the ballot unless you happen to live in their constituency.
There are 650 MP seats up for grabs. Each MP represents a constituency across the UK.
The party that wins most seats goes into government, and their party leader becomes Prime Minister.
Which parties can I vote for where I live?
The big parties have candidates in nearly all seats, but exactly who you can vote for varies depending on where you live.
There are parties which only run in particular countries as well as Independent candidates running in some constituencies.
Find out who is standing in the General Election where you live.
Your constituency might have changed
It's also worth noting that the seat you're voting for might have changed. Lots of constituency boundaries have changed to make up for population changes in those areas.
Have a look at an interactive map of the new constituencies or see the differences between the old and new constituencies using this tool from the UK Parliament's website.
What ID do I need to take when I vote?
New rules introduced in April 2022, means you need to show valid photo ID for some elections, including a parliamentary election like this.
So you will need to take one of 22 forms of photographic ID with you to the polling station.
A driving licence and UK and EU passports are included in the list - find the full list of valid IDs for elections here.
What can I NOT do when voting?
You’re not allowed to take a selfie while voting.
Because voting is done in secrecy, you're not allowed to take a photo of yourself voting, but you can take photos of yourself (and your dog) outside the polling station. More later on the photos of dogs!
Where do I need to go to vote?
There are around 40,000 polling stations open on Election day where you can cast your vote.
The location of your polling station will be on a polling card delivered to your registered address, you can also find your local polling station here.
You can vote by post, but you have to register for a postal vote by 5pm on Wednesday 19 June.
What effect will the election have on my day?
Many polling stations are community halls, village halls and church halls so many weekly classes that happen on a Thursday are cancelled so it can be turned into an election polling station!
Some polling stations are also located within schools, so your children's school might be closed for the day.
When will we know the winner of the general election?
We should know the result of the election and who our Prime Minister is early on July 5th.
Most areas count votes through the night, so a result could be around 5am or earlier, but this depends on how close the results are and whether re-counts are needed.
Exit polls will be released as soon as voting closes at 10pm, which may give an indication as to which party has won, but we won't know the definite result until much later.
How much do MPs get paid?
The basic salary for an MP is £91,346, the Prime Minister gets an extra £75,440 on top.
MPs also receive expenses to cover the costs of running an office, employing staff, having somewhere to live in London or their constituency, and travelling between Parliament and their constituency.
Why do people take photos of their dogs when they vote?
Voting is a really important way of having a say in the democracy of your country, but one of the cuter things to have appeared recently on election days is a social media trend - #dogsatpollingstations.
Lots of people take photos of their hounds at polling stations and post them to social media with the hashtag #dogsatpollingstations.