Please note that this website has a UK government accesskeys system.
The UK general election, and English local elections, were held on Thursday 6 May 2010. As of Friday 7 May, votes were still being counted.
The general election of May 2010 has resulted in no party achieving a majority of MPs. This is often called a 'hung parliament'.
Find out more about the situation as it stands.
Your polling card, sent to you before an election by your local council, explains where and when you can vote. You go to the polling station to vote - usually this is in a school, local hall or public building near where you live. Polling stations are open from 7.00 am to 10.00 pm.
When you get to your polling station, you can give your polling card to show who you are. If you don't have the card with you but are registered to vote, simply go to your local polling station and give your name and address. The people at the polling station will then give you a list of the people or parties you can vote for (a ballot paper).
In many areas of England this will include local election candidates as well as candidates for the position of your local MP. You cast your vote in a polling booth with a screen around it. Put an ‘X’ by the candidate(s) you want to vote for. Fold your ballot paper in half and put it in the ballot box.
Help is available for people who find it difficult to reach their polling station, and for people who need another person's assistance in voting. By law polling stations must be accessible to disabled people.
As well as the general election, local elections are also taking place today in 166 local authorities in England. In most areas, one third of the elected posts are up for election this year, but in some districts half the councillors will be elected.
The 32 London boroughs will hold elections of all the councillors in those areas. Also, the directly-elected mayors of three London boroughs and the Mayor of Watford will be facing the voters.
You need to be registered to vote in UK elections. The deadline for registration for the May elections was Tuesday 20 April.
You can vote in the UK general election if you are aged 18 or over on polling day and are either a British citizen, or a Commonwealth or Irish citizen resident in the UK. Some other groups - such as European Union citizens - can vote in local elections.
British citizens living abroad who have been registered to vote in the UK within the past 15 years can register as overseas voters.
You can vote in one of three ways – in person, by post or by getting someone to do it for you (a proxy vote).
Anyone can apply for a postal vote – you don't need to give a reason. However you must apply in advance. The deadline for new postal vote applications was Tuesday 20 April.
If you wanted to vote by proxy you will have needed to give a reason why you couldn’t vote yourself. The deadline for new applications for proxy votes was Tuesday 27 April.
The Electoral Commission publishes information on the rules on who can stand as a candidate in general and local elections.
The closing date for nominations for candidates standing in the general election was Tuesday 20 April. For the local elections it was Thursday 8 April 2010.
There are rules around the registration of political parties in the UK, about political donations and support, and around campaign spending. The Electoral Commission provides detailed information on these subjects.
