Ballot paper: This is the piece of paper you use to make your vote. It shows a list of candidates and voters have to write a cross next to their choice.
Candidate: A person who wants to be elected or has been nominated to be elected is called a candidate.
Canvasser: People who want a candidate to win can help them by becoming a canvasser for their election campaign. A canvasser asks voters who they will vote for and tries to get as many people as possible to vote for their candidate.
Constituency: The UK is divided up into 646 areas called constituencies. The voters in each constituency get to elect 1 MP to represent the people in their area.
Election campaign: Around election time, candidates and their supporters organise events and activities to convince people that they are the best person to vote for.
Electoral register: Across the UK there are electoral registers. These are lists of all the people who have decided they want to vote at elections. You must have your name on this list before you can vote.
Electorate: This is what we call everyone who is able to vote in an election.
Government: The institution which runs the country. The Prime Minister selects the Members of the Government from MPs, Lords and very occasionally senior people outside Parliament.
Manifesto: This is something that political parties write around the time of an election, which tells us what they would do if the got elected. A manifesto usually contains pledges (plans of action) on important issues and is often a big part of the election campaign.
MP: At a general election, the people in a constituency (area) can vote to decide who will represent them in Parliament. The person they choose is called a Member of Parliament or an MP.
Parliament: Where new laws are debated and created.
Poll card: This card is sent to everybody who is registered to vote – it has important information about the election like when, where and what time to vote.
General Election
What is a General Election?
A General Election is a national event where the people of the UK vote for who they want to represent them in Parliament. People in each area get to choose 1 MP who will normally represent them for 5 years. Almost every person over the age of 18 is entitled to vote, provided they are on the electoral register. You cannot vote if you are in a mental institution, serving a prison sentence or a member of the House of Lords.
What happens when an election is called?
Before the end of a Prime Minister’s 5 year term, he or she has to announce when the next General Election will be. When this happens, old MPs and new candidates from different political parties work hard to convince people to vote for them. Each constituency (area) in the UK gets to choose 1 MP.
What do candidates do during a campaign?
To convince people to vote for them, candidates might make speeches, have debates or go “door to door” talking to local people about issues that affect them. Together, these activities are known as an election campaign. To help them with these activities, candidates need an election campaign team with speech writers, canvassers, press officers and spin doctors.
What are parties?
In the world of politics, people with similar opinions usually get together in groups – these groups are known as parties. Members of the same party can still have different opinions on some things, but they will have similar opinions on most issues.
How many MPs get elected at a General Election?
650 MPs will be elected at the next General Election – 1 for each constituency (area) of the UK. Constituencies all have around 70,000 voters.
How do you vote?
People generally go to their local polling station to vote. (This is often the local school hall.) Staff there will give you a ballot paper and you must place an X next to the name of the party you wish to vote for.
How do you know who has won?
MPs are elected using a process called “first past the post”. This simply means that to become an MP, a candidate has to win more votes than any rival in their area.
What happens once the election is finished?
The leader of the party with the most MPs is asked by the Queen to become the Prime Minister.
In this short video Baroness Jay explains how Parliamentary Democracy works:
Untitled from Cit Ed, Hansard Society on Vimeo.