How does a UK general election work?
What voters need to know before heading to the polls on 12 December

The UK’s main political parties are setting out their wares ahead of the launch of the official general election campaign period following the dissolution of Parliament on Wednesday.
Jo Swinson is expected to deliver a speech in London later today in which the Liberal Democrats leader will claim that cancelling Brexit would give a £50bn “Remain bonus” for public services over the next five years.
Meanwhile, Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn will tell an audience in the Leave-supporting Tory-held seat of Harlow, in Essex, that he would “get Brexit sorted” within six months if elected prime minister.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson last night published a letter to Corbyn calling on the Labour leader to “come clean” about his Brexit strategy and admit he wants “to go back to square one”.
As UK voters gear up to head to the polls on 12 December - the first December election since 1923 - here is what you need to know about the process.
Who can vote?
To vote in a general election, you must:
- be 18 or over on polling day
- be a British, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizen (i.e. a Commonwealth citizen who has leave to enter or remain in the UK, or who doesn’t require that leave)
- be resident at an address in the UK, or a British citizen living abroad who has been registered to vote in the UK in the last 15 years
- not be legally excluded from voting.
You must also be registered to vote.
What will voters see on their ballot paper?
Voters attending a polling station will be given a ballot paper before going into a voting booth to make their choice.
The ballot paper will have the name of each candidate standing in the constituency, along with the candidate’s party logo (if they have one) and a box where the voter can put a cross to indicate who they are voting for. For example:
The top of the ballot paper will provide a reminder of which election is being contested and give instructions to the voter on the maximum number of candidates for whom they may vote. In a general election, it’s one.
How does first-past-the-post work?
General elections in the UK run on a “first-past-the-post” system, which simply means that whoever gets the most votes in each constituency is elected to the House of Commons.
The winning candidate could get fewer than half the votes in their constituency, so long as they have more than the person in second place.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For more political analysis - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Get your first six issues free–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
First-past-the-post has come in for criticism from those who say the system is unfairly stacked against smaller parties.
Even if millions of people vote for a party, if those votes are spread out across the UK rather than concentrated in particular constituencies, that party could end up with few or no seats, as the Electoral Reform Society points out.
When are the results announced?
The polls are open from 7am until 10pm on 12 December.
If a voter is in a queue at the polling station at 10pm, they should still be able to vote, even if they are still queuing when that deadline is reached.
Results typically roll in overnight, with the first result usually coming in between midnight at 2am.
The outcome of the election should be clear by around 5am, although if there is a hung Parliament then prepare for days of inter-party bartering.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - March 30, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - strawberry fields forever, secret files, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 hilariously sparse cartoons about further DOGE cuts
Cartoons Artists take on free audits, report cards, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Following the Tea Horse Road in China
The Week Recommends This network of roads and trails served as vital trading routes
By The Week UK Published
-
The tribes battling it out in Keir Starmer's Labour Party
The Explainer From the soft left to his unruly new MPs, Keir Starmer is already facing challenges from some sections of the Labour Party
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Are we on the brink of a recession?
Today's Big Question Britain's shrinking economy is likely to upend Rachel Reeves' Spring Statement spending plans
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Has Starmer put Britain back on the world stage?
Talking Point UK takes leading role in Europe on Ukraine and Starmer praised as credible 'bridge' with the US under Trump
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
CPAC: Scenes from a MAGA zoo
Feature Standing ovations, chainsaws, and salutes
By The Week US Published
-
Left on read: Labour's WhatsApp dilemma
Talking Point Andrew Gwynne has been sacked as health minister over messages posted in a Labour WhatsApp group
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Peter Mandelson: can he make special relationship great again?
In the Spotlight New Labour architect, picked for his 'guile, expertise in world affairs and trade issues, and networking skills', on a mission to woo Donald Trump
By The Week UK Published
-
Will Keir Starmer have to choose between the EU and the US?
Today's Big Question Starmer's 'reset' with the EU will focus on 'defence for trade' but an 'EU-hating' president in the White House could cause the PM trouble
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Why has Tulip Siddiq resigned?
In Depth Economic secretary to the Treasury named in anti-corruption investigations in Bangladesh
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published