General election - 4 July 2024 (Easy Read)

A map of the UK with a calendar dated Thursday 4 July. Around the map are voters at polling stations

The general election took place on 4 July 2024.

The results for the West Northamptonshire area have now been published on our election results page.

A man is thinking. Behind him is the Houses of Parliament and a ballot paper

A general election is how people decide who they want to represent them.

The person you choose to vote for is called a candidate.

Often, a candidate stands with a political party.

They can also stand as an independent, without a political party.

A woman at a polling booth in front of a map, which is labelled 'your local area'

You can vote for a candidate to represent your local area.

This area is called a constituency.

A green map, with an area shaded in light green

West Northamptonshire Council has 4 constituencies - they are:

Daventry
Northampton North
Northampton South
South Northamptonshire

Find out more by visiting Boundary Commission for England.

A man sitting at a table with a computer

You need to be eligible and registered to vote.

The deadline to register to vote has passed.

What happens after a general election

A man in a suit stands outside the Houses of Parliament

Whoever gets the most votes in a constituency becomes an MP for that area.

An MP means Member of Parliament.

A man in a suit speaks on a phone. Behind him is a map labelled 'your local area'

An MP works in their community and in Parliament.

They deal with local matters and help shape national laws.

A man holding a briefcase stands outside 10 Downing Street

The leader of the party with the most MPs becomes prime minister.

They form a government which runs the country.

Voter ID

If you vote in person, you need to bring photographic identification.

This is also called Voter ID.

This might be a:

passport
driving license
blue badge

There are other forms of photo ID you can bring.

Read more about accepted forms of photo ID.

An ID card with a photo of a woman and a calendar dated June 26

You may not have an acceptable form of ID.

For elections happening in the future, you can apply for Voter ID.

Who can vote

A group of people and a dog in front of a ballot paper

You can vote if you are:

aged 18 or over on election day
registered to vote
a British, Irish or qualifying commonwealth citizen

If you are living abroad

A man in a deckchair holding a drink. Next to him is a phone that says 'register to vote if you live abroad' with a button to register

You may be a British or eligible Irish citizen who lives abroad.

You can register online to vote in the UK.

A post box and a ballot paper next to a woman at a polling station

If you will be temporarily abroad, you can vote by post or by proxy.

Voting by proxy means getting someone else to vote for you.

Voting as a student living away from home

A woman standing outside a university, holding a book, and a woman waving outside a house

You can register at your home and term-time addresses.

You must only vote once.

If you have moved house

You must register at your new address.

If you do not register in time, you may be able to vote at your old address.

If this is too far away, you can vote by proxy.

If you are on holiday

Two men have a conversation in British Sign Language. Next to them, a man is at a polling station

You can vote either by post or by proxy.

Proxy voting means someone else votes for you.

To do this, you need to register to vote by proxy.

You need to select someone to vote for you.

This person must be eligible to vote.

Applying for postal votes

A woman holding a postal vote application stands next to a post box

The deadline to apply for postal votes has now passed.

Applying to vote by proxy

Voting by proxy is when someone votes on your behalf.

The deadline to apply to vote by proxy has passed.

Resources for candidates

We have resources for candidates in the upcoming election.

This includes key dates, forms and documents.

Last updated 05 July 2024