General Election 2024 - who can vote, voting with a disability, voting in person and what happens next?

Voters will go to the polls across the UK on July 4 to elect 650 MPs who will represent them in the House of Commons at Westminster.

In Northern Ireland, there are 136 candidates battling it out across 18 constituencies to represent voters in Parliament.

Before voting and while in the polling station, there are a number of rules voters must abide by.

Read more: Full list of candidates running in the General Election in Northern Ireland

Read more: Not sure who to vote for? The key policies of each party explained

Who can vote?

You must be at least 18 years old on the date of the election, a British citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Ireland, or a Commonwealth citizen with leave to remain in the UK.

Prior to the election, voters must have made sure that they were registered to vote. The deadline to register to vote has now passed but voters can check if they are on the register by clicking here.

In what ways can you vote?

You can vote either in person, by post or by proxy in the upcoming UK General Election. The deadline to register for a postal or proxy vote has now passed and anyone who has not done so will have to vote in person.

In person: Voters voting in person must visit their designated polling station on election day where they will be issued with a ballot.

By post: If you are unable to attend the polling station on election day and have registered for a postal vote, you must complete it at home and send it off before election day.

By proxy: If you are unable to vote in person or by post, you can appoint someone you trust to vote on your behalf. The deadline for applying for a proxy vote has now passed.

Voting in person: What to expect

Before election day:

Before the election, you will have received a polling card in the post containing details about where and when to vote.

Voters must identify their polling station from the details on the car. They are often located in schools, community centres or churches.

On election day:

Polling stations will be open from 7am until 10pm. If you are in a queue at the polling station by 10pm, you will be issued with a ballot paper.

Voters must bring photographic ID to vote. This can be a driving license, passport, Translink 60+ smartpass, electoral ID or any other government-issued ID card.

Upon arrival at the polling station, give your name and address to the staff. You do not need to bring your polling card but it can speed up the process.

Once the staff mark you off against the register, you will be issued with a ballot paper listing the candidates in your area.

Proceed to the polling booth to mark your ballot in secret. This is a First Past the Post election so you must mark only one X beside the candidate of your choice. You can use the pencil provided or bring your own pen.

Once completed, fold your ballot and place it in the sealed ballot box.

Voting in person with a disability

If you need assistance due to a disability please speak to a member of the polling station staff who will be able to help.

If a disability prevents you from being able to complete a ballot paper on your own, the presiding officer is there to assist you, or you can take a companion - a friend or a relative - to the polling station to help you. Your companion has to be 18 years old or over.

A large print version of the ballot paper will be on display inside the polling station and you can request a large handheld version of the ballot paper too. You can use the large print copy to read all the information on the ballot paper, but you must still cast your vote on a standard print ballot paper.

You can also request a reading light and/or a magnifying glass to read the standard ballot paper that you must complete - just ask a member of staff.

Each polling station will have a tactile voting device. The staff will provide guidance on how to use the device.

The Electoral Office is providing a telephone service (028 90446611) which reads out the candidates for each constituency in the order they appear on the ballot paper for the UK Parliamentary Election.

This service can be used before going to or in the polling station. When in the polling station, the voter should use their mobile phone and the tactile voting device, magnifying glass or large print ballot paper example to help fill out their ballot paper.

Polling station rules

Voting is confidential. You must not discuss how you or others are voting while in the polling station.

Campaigning or displaying political material inside the polling station is not allowed. There might be people outside your polling station who belong to a political party. These people are called tellers.

They are allowed to be outside the polling station and may ask for the number on your poll card. This is so they can check who has voted, and remind people who haven’t voted yet to do so. You do not have to give them any information if you don’t want to.

Other campaigners may be near the polling station, which is allowed. But there must not be any campaigning taking place inside the polling station.

What happens after I vote?

Once polling stations close, the ballot boxes will be brought to one of the three Northern Ireland count centres where they will be counted overnight. We will have reporters at each count station bringing you the results across Belfast Live as they happen.

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