5. The electoral system

Parliamentary constituencies

Britain is divided into 651 parliamentary constituencies. Each constituency is a geographical area; the voters living within the area select one person to serve as a member of the House of Commons. The average number of electors in each constituency in England is about 69,500; in other parts of Britain the average numbers are slightly lower. Constituency boundaries are approved by Parliament.

The system of voting

The simple majority system of voting is used in parliamentary elections in Britain. This means that the candidate with the largest number of votes in each constituency is elected, although he or she may not necessarily have received more than half the votes cast. Voting is by secret ballot.

Voters

Who may vote. All British citizens may vote provided they are aged 18 years or over and are not legally barred from voting. Subject to the same conditions citizens of other Commonwealth countries and the Irish Republic who are resident in Britain may also vote at parliamentary elections. All voters must be registered as residents in a constituency on a specified date.

British citizens living abroad may apply to be registered to vote for up to 20 years after leaving Britain. They must register to vote in the constituency in which they were last resident. British citizens who are working overseas as British Government employees also have the right to vote, regardless of how long they have been abroad.

Voting in elections is voluntary. On average about 75 per cent of the electorate votes.

Who may not vote

The following people are not entitled to vote in parliamentary elections:

- peers, and peeresses in their own right, who are members of the House of Lords;

- foreign nationals, other than citizens of the Irish Republic residing in

Britain;

- people kept in hospital under mental health legislation;

- people serving prison sentences; and

- people convicted within the previous five years of corrupt or illegal election practices.

Postal and proxy voting

Voters who are likely to be away from home at the time of an election – for example, on holiday or business – or who are unable to vole in person at the polling station, may apply for a postal or a proxy vole. The latter is a vote cast by a person authorized to vote on behalf of another. Postal ballot papers can be sent only to addresses in Britain.

Candidates

Any person aged 21 or over who is a British citizen, or citizen of another Commonwealth country or the Irish Republic , may stand for election to Parliament, providing they are not disqualified. Those disqualified include:

- people who are bankrupt;

- people sentenced to more than one year's imprisonment;

- clergy of the Church of England, Church of Scotland, Church of Ireland and the Roman Catholic Church;

- members of the House of Lords;

- a range of public servants and officials, specified by law. They include judges, civil servants, some local government officers, full-lime members of the armed forces and police officers, and British members of the legislature of any country or territory outside the Commonwealth.

Candidates do not have to live in the constituencies for which they stand. However, candidates who are on the electoral register in the constituencies for which they are standing may vote in their own constituencies.

Candidates must be nominated on official nomination papers, giving their full name and home addresses. A political or personal description of up to six words may be included.