General election 2024: Who can I vote for?

It’s happening. The 2024 general election will be held on the 4 July 2024.

Sunak’s announcement ended months of speculation about when the UK would head to the polls.

Since then, 132 MPs have announced that they will be stepping down. 75 of them are Conservatives. 

After a scramble to fill seats within the main political parties, the full list of candidates standing has now been confirmed.

Boundaries changed

Most constituency boundaries will change at this election, resulting in new or altered constituencies for millions of voters. 

These changes could potentially impact election outcomes for local MPs–even more so if constituents are unsure who they can vote for.

Who can I vote for?

If you’re unsure of the candidates standing near you, Democracy Club have created this handy tool to help.

Pop in your postcode to find out which constituency you are in, your polling stations and candidate details.

Look from the North West

Over the next few weeks and after the election is won, The Lead North will continue to cover the election and tell stories of importance to your communities.

And if any place will be a crucial test for the Tories this election, it’s Warrington. 

Warrington South—a Tory seat won by Andy Carter in 2019 by just ten votes—needs only a 0.06 percent swing to turn red again, but challenger party Reform UK threatens to split the right-wing vote, as our Westminster Editor Zoë Grünewald reports. Subscribe here for future issues.

Blackpool has not been shy of Tory scandal over the past few months. You can see our extension coverage so far via The Blackpool Lead, from Scott Benton scandal triggering a by-election to Chris Webb’s seismic win in that by-election. 

In Hyndburn, Labour Party ended the ex-MP Graham Jones’ suspension but has been replaced as the general election candidate by Sarah Smith, who aims to reclaim the seat from Conservative Sara Britcliffe. Follow along in our weekly newsletters from The Hyndburn Lead. 

Over in Altrincham and Sale, Labour has confirmed union worker Conor Rand as its general election candidate for Altrincham and Sale West, as we reported last week, after Labour’s previous candidate suddenly withdrew from the race. 

The area has not been won by a non-Conservative candidate in the past 100 years and has been held by Sir Graham Brady since 1997. Subscribe for more coverage from The Altrincham & Sale Lead.

Finally, Jamie Lopez at The Lancashire Lead will be keeping you up to date on the election over on Substack. According to YouGov’s most recent poll, the public’s voting intention suggests Lancashire’s Tories could be completely wiped out come the general election.

How do I vote?

Register, register, register. 

Yes, voting intention in the latest YouGov polling suggests a historic win for Labour, but this doesn't guarantee votes at the ballot box.

The first way to ensure intention translates to action is to register to vote. Luckily, you still have time.
Deadline is Tuesday 18 June 23:59. 

Once you’re registered to vote, you can vote in the general election as long as you are aged 18 or over on polling day. You must also be a British citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen or a Republic of Ireland citizen with a UK address. 

Can’t vote in person?

No problem. Apply to vote by post by downloading and completing the application form.
Deadline to apply for a postal vote is Wednesday 19 June 17:00.

Alternatively, you can ask someone you trust to vote for you. This is known as a proxy vote. 
Deadline to apply for a proxy vote is Wednesday 26 June 17:00.

Do I need to bring a voter ID?

Last year, Sunak and Braverman pulled off the largest Tory scam in a desperate attempt to disrupt our democratic rights and shrink the electorate: voters are now legally required to show photo ID when voting at polling stations.

We know that those most likely to not have ID are disproportionately Black and Brown, LGBTQ, Muslim, disabled or on benefits, rather than white and middle-class - the majority of the Tory base. This is not by accident.

Join our campaign calling on the next government, once in office, to scrap it.

You can apply for a voter ID here.
Deadline is Wednesday 26 June 17:00.

Missed the deadline? You can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate instead. 

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Here at The Lead, we’re working day in, day out to bring you the stories, the facts and the analysis to make sure that a potential historic Conservative defeat is translated into an equally historic progressive victory with scrutiny of Sunak, Starmer and more's policies and plans. 

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