Parliament Explained 1 Parliamentary Education Service Parliamentary Elections Elections allow citizens to determine how the country should be governed. What is an election? 1 Why have elections? 2 Who oversees elections? 2 General elections 2 Political parties 3 Registration 3 Candidates 3 Voters 4 Constituencies 5 Election date 5 Election campaigns 6 Polling day 7 The electoral system 8 The House of Commons 9 The House of Lords 9 By-elections 10 Parliamentary Elections What is an election? In an election those eligible to vote (the ‘electorate’), select one or more options — usually a person or a political party — from a list of candidates. This booklet concentrates on the election of Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons but in the United Kingdom regular elections also take place for the Scottish and European Parliaments, the National Assembly for Wales, the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Greater London Authority (and directly elected Mayor of London) and for local government (county and district councils, unitary authorities, etc). 1 Parliament Explained Why have elections? Fair and free elections are an essential part of a democracy, allowing citizens to determine how they want the country to be governed. Who oversees elections? The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 created the Electoral Commission. The Commission is an independent body that oversees controls on donations to, and campaign spending by, political parties and others. It also has a remit to keep under review electoral law and practice and to promote public awareness of the electoral process. Elections themselves are the responsibility of the Returning Officer. General elections The results of the last two general elections in the What is a general election? United Kingdom were: A general election is held when Parliament is dissolved by the Seats Seats Monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister. General elections Party 2001 2005 must be held at least every five years. All seats in the House of Commons are vacant and the political party that wins the most Labour 412 355 seats in the Commons in the subsequent general election forms the government. Conservative 166 198 Liberal Democrat 52 62 Ulster Unionist 6 1 Scottish National 5 6 Democratic Unionist 5 9 Plaid Cymru 4 3 Sinn Fein 4 5 SDLP 3 3 Other 1 3 Speaker 1 1 Total 659 646 Women MPs 118 128 Turnout (%) 59.4 61.5 Further information about the 2005 General Election is available from the Electoral Commission’s publication Election 2005: The Official Results (available at www.electoralcommission.org.uk). Parliamentary Elections 2 Political parties Candidates What are political parties? Who can stand as a candidate A political party is a group of people who seek to influence in a general election? or form the government according to their agreed views and Any person who is a British, Commonwealth or Irish Republic principles. It is not always easy to distinguish between political citizen may stand as a candidate at a parliamentary election parties and pressure groups. Essentially a political party will providing he or she is aged 21 or over. have policies to cover all general areas of public policy, whereas a pressure group will seek to influence one specific policy area, Those disqualified from sitting in the House of Commons are: for example the environment. 1) Members of the House of Lords including those bishops Why do we need political parties? who are Lords Spiritual. 2) Undischarged bankrupts. Political parties are essential to provide voters with a free choice between options. They help to organise public opinion on national 3) Offenders who have been sentenced to more than matters, they provide a permanent link between Parliament and 12 months imprisonment, during the period they are the electors and they provide stability and cohesion in Parliament. detained (or unlawfully at large). Which political parties do we 4) Persons convicted of illegal or corrupt practices at elections (disqualified for 7 years). have in the United Kingdom? 5) Those holding offices listed by the House of Commons The Westminster Parliament has traditionally been dominated Disqualification Act 1975 (such holders need to be by the two party system, with two main parties forming the politically impartial whilst carrying out their jobs) including: Government and the Official Opposition. Over the years these senior civil servants, judges, ambassadors, members of the have been Whigs and Tories, Liberals and Conservatives and, regular armed forces, members of the police force, paid since the development of the Labour Party at the beginning members of the boards of nationalised industries, of the twentieth century, Labour and Conservatives. A number government-appointed directors of commercial companies of other parties have also won seats in Parliament. After the and directors of the Bank of England. 2005 election (see results, on page 2) the Liberal Democrats were the third largest party with 62 seats. What happens if a disqualified person stands successfully in a general election? In the event of a disqualified candidate standing successfully Registration in a general election the person is unable to take his or her seat in the House of Commons and the defeated opponent Why do political parties may apply to have the election declared null and void. need to be registered? How are candidates chosen? In order to have a party description on a ballot paper, Any eligible person can become a candidate whether or not he and to have lists of candidates for certain elections or she belongs to a political party. Anyone who wishes to stand (such as European Parliament, Scottish Parliament and for election must be nominated on an official nomination paper National Assembly for Wales) which are elected under giving his or her full name and home address. They must stand proportional representation systems, parties must register either for a registered political party or as an independent; it with the Electoral Commission. Registration is also necessary is no longer possible to give a description on the ballot paper so that parties can record donations and expenditure in unless the candidate is standing for a registered political party. accordance with the 2000 Act. The nomination paper must include the signatures of ten electors who will support him or her, including a proposer and a seconder. Candidates must consent to their nomination in writing. All candidates must pay a £500 deposit which is lost if they do not secure 5% of the total number of votes cast in their constituency and is set at this level to discourage large numbers of frivolous candidates from standing. The nomination papers and deposit must be submitted to the Returning Officer in each constituency during a specified period in the election campaign. In the last two general elections deposits lost were as follows: 3 Parliament Explained Party 2001 2005 How do I ensure that I can vote? Conservative 5 5 You can only vote if your name appears on the electoral register. This is updated on a monthly basis and, if you move, you should Labour 0 0 alert your new local Electoral Registration Officer. Each autumn, Liberal Democrat 1 1 there is also a canvass of every household to check eligibility to vote. The householder must give details of all occupants who are Other 1,171 1,376 eligible to vote, as well as those who will be 18 during the next year. The register is published locally in public libraries, etc. and it is the responsibility of each elector to check their inclusion However, to stand a realistic chance of being elected to the and raise objections with the ERO. Commons under our present system, a candidate needs to represent one of the three main political parties in Great Britain Who can have a postal vote? or a nationalist or unionist party in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Each party has its own method of selecting candidates. The ability to vote by post used to be confined to those who could not otherwise reach the polling station. Since 2001, however, it is Why does a person with no realistic chance available on demand in Great Britain, by application to the local of being elected stand as a candidate? Returning Officer. In Northern Ireland it is still necessary to provide a valid reason, such as illness or employment, to obtain a postal The fact that almost anyone can stand for Parliament is one vote. British citizens living abroad can register to vote for up to of the essential freedoms in our democracy and provides voters 15 years after living in the UK. They may vote by post or proxy. with a choice. Publicity is a key factor for individuals: they may gain national publicity like the late Screaming Lord Sutch and Is voting compulsory? his Monster Raving Loony Party, local publicity for a particular No, unlike in some other countries such as Australia, voting in the issue or cause about which they feel strongly, or for themselves United Kingdom is completely optional. You do not have to vote, as an individual. although you do have to register. I want to see a particular party in Voters Government but don’t like my local candidate. What can I do? Who is able to vote in Unfortunately there is no easy answer to this question. You only parliamentary elections? have one vote to use as you wish and must decide which is the most important factor for you. Remember your involvement in All British, Irish and Commonwealth citizens are entitled to decision making does not have to end with your vote. You can register to vote in elections to the House of Commons providing lobby your MP over issues that you feel strongly about and can they are 18 or over and are not disqualified in any way.