General elections (elections to the UK Parliament) usually take place every 5 years.

To vote in a general election you must:

be registered to vote

be 18 or over on the day of the election (‘polling day’)

be a British, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizen

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

There are 650 Members of Parliament ( MPs ) in the UK Parliament.

MPs are elected using the First Past the Post system. You vote once for a candidate in your constituency and the candidate with the most votes becomes your MP .

You can find your local MP .