UK elections

General elections

When you vote in a general election, you are voting for a Member of Parliament (MP). There are 650 MPs across the UK - Scotland has 57 MPs. Each area, called a 'constituency', is represented by an MP.

MPs consider and propose news laws on issues controlled by the UK Parliament. These are known as 'reserved matters'.

You must be aged 18 or over to vote in the UK Parliament elections.

You can find your local MP on the Parliament website.

Providing photo ID at polling stations

Voters in Scotland and across the UK now need to show photo ID to vote at polling stations . ID is not required in Scottish Parliament and local government elections. 

There is a list of accepted forms of photo ID. The ID must be the original version and not an image on a phone. A photograph or a photocopy will not be accepted.
If you don’t have one of these accepted forms of ID you can apply for free voter ID.