European elections: Everything you need to about the EU-wide vote

On Thursday British voters will go to the polls for the European Parliament elections. Here’s everything you need to know about them.

What is the vote for?

The European Parliament is one of the EU’s institutions, and it’s democratically elected by all 28 member states. Because the UK hasn’t left yet, it will also elect MEPs – 73 of the total 751.

Because of its large population UK elects the third most MEPs after any country, with Germany (96) and France (74) electing the most.

What do the elections decide?

They’ll decide the composition of the European Parliament, which has to pass EU laws and scrutinises the activities of the EU. The Parliament also plays a role in choosing the next European Commission president – the EU’s executive. They’ll replace the current president, Jean-Claude Juncker, after a negotiations between the parliament and member state governments.

Who do I get to vote for?

You can vote for all the normal local parties who choose to stand – the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Greens, Ukip, Brexit Party, Change UK – whoever. Outside England perhaps the SNP, Plaid Cymru, and Northern Irish parties.

There are two key difference between national elections and these, however. Under the proportional representation system Britain uses for European election, you don’t vote for individual candidates, but parties (except in Northern Ireland, where a different system is used). Parties put up a list of candidates and the better they do, the more are elected.

This also means the result will be roughly proportional to the votes cast, so every vote potentially counts towards the final result. Smaller parties will get representation too, unlike at Westminster.

Each UK party is also affiliated with a wider European group – so Labour sit in the socialist group, the Liberal Democrats sit in a pan-European liberal alliance, etc.

Will this affect Brexit?

The results won’t directly affect Brexit – MEPs don’t really have actual input into the Brexit process. Indirectly, some voters may choose to use the elections to send a message to other parties about their Brexit policies, if they are so inclined.

Who is going to win?

The polls show the Brexit Party, Nigel Farage’s outfit, well ahead of the other parties, with the vast majority of surveys showing Labour in a clear second place and others behind.

When this all happening?

The UK will vote on Thursday – though other countries vote on slightly different days, as different states prefer to have their elections on specific days of the week.

The results will be sealed until polls close in the last member states, at 10pm UK time on the Sunday evening, when final counting will start. The results are expected shortly after that throughout the night, though some member states might take longer.

Northern Ireland and the Scottish isles also do not count on a Sunday, so their results will come on Monday, when the full picture will start to emerge.

How do I vote?

You should have already registered to vote by now. If you have, you should be sent a polling card with instructions of where to go on Thursday to cast your ballot.