Thursday 05-12-2019 - 15:43

General Elections are confusing at the best of times, never mind when you’ve got assignments and deadlines coming out of your ears. Here’s the ‘5 W’s’ of elections to help you out.

 

What?

In the General Election, the country is voting for all 650 members of Parliament. To be able to vote in the election, you needed to register by Tuesday 26 November. If you didn’t get a chance to register, you won’t be able to vote.

 

Who?

You’re voting for your local member of parliament (the person who represents you in Government) - not the Prime Minister. The candidates are running for 1 of 650 seats. Whichever party wins the majority of seats, that leader will become Prime Minister.

 

Where?

Unless you’ve opted to vote by post or proxy (where you nominate someone to vote for you), you’ll need to go to your local polling station to cast your vote. Find your polling station here.

 

When?

Thursday 12 December, 07:00-22:00.

 

Why?

Good question. Everyone has different opinions on what issues should be addressed. A recent survey by The Union found that out of the 228 students asked, climate change, the NHS and Brexit were some of the most important topics they’d like to be addressed in the election. You can discover how your views align with political parties by taking this quiz.

 

Find out more about what to expect when you go to vote.