General Elections
General elections are elections of the whole House of Commons at one time: one Member of Parliament for each of the 646 constituencies in the United Kingdom. They are held at least every five years; the exact timing is decided by the Prime Minister and there is often an election before the full five years has elapsed.
When an election is announced, Parliament is dissolved by a proclamation from the Queen, and the election is held 17 working days later.
Thursdays are the traditional days for elections, and every General Election since 1935 has been held on a Thursday.
Voting
Each registered voter can cast one vote, which they allocate to one of the candidates standing for Parliament in their local constituency. Each candidate must be a member of a registered political party, or may otherwise stand as Independent candidate. The candidate with the most votes becomes the local MP and represents all of those living in the constituency in the House of Commons.
Voting will usually take place in polling stations (public buildings such as schools, town halls or council offices), although registered voters may apply for a postal vote.
The lowest number of votes ever recorded for a parliamentary candidate was for Catherine Taylor-Dawson, who was standing for the 'Vote For Yourself Rainbow Dream Ticket' party in the Cardiff North constituency in the 2005 General Election. She received just one vote.
Polling Day
Just before the poll opens, the presiding officer shows the ballot boxes to the other officials and candidates to prove that they are empty, then locks and seals them. When the voters arrive, their name is checked and marked against the register, and they are handed a ballot paper.
Voting takes place in a booth, which is screened to preserve privacy. The ballot paper lists the names of the candidates in alphabetical order, and the voter marks the box opposite the name of the candidate of their choice with a cross. They then fold the paper to conceal the vote before placing it in the ballot box.
Any paper that is accidentally spoiled is returned to the presiding officer, who issues another ballot, and cancels the first. All spoiled papers are delivered to the returning officer at the end of the voting. The ballot boxes are sealed and delivered to the building where the count will take place (usually a public building such as a town hall).
Each ballot box is emptied, (including those ballots received by postal vote) and the votes counted by teams of helpers in the presence of the candidates. When all the votes have been counted the results are announced by the Returning Officer.
After the Results
When all of the results are known, the leader of the party with the most MPs in the House of Commons is asked by the Queen to become Prime Minister and to form a Government. The leader of the party with the second highest number of seats becomes the Leader of the Opposition.
The House of Commons is then assembled, and all MPs are sworn in by taking an oath of allegiance or making an affirmation. The Speaker is re-elected or, if the previous Speaker has stood down, a new Speaker must be elected.
Shortly afterwards, the Monarch officially opens the new Parliament in the State Opening of Parliament, and the business of government begins.
