Election latest: Polling stations to open imminently; what counts as voter ID (2024)

After weeks of campaigning, polls are due to open very soon and voters across the nation will have their say.

Here are the key timings of the day:

7am Thursday: Polls will open across the United Kingdom.

9pm: Sky News’ Election Night Live programme starts (click here for details on how to watch).

10pm: Polls will close and counting will begin.

10pm: Broadcasters’ exit poll will be published, giving the first indication of the election.

Around 11.30pm: First seats will be declared.

Around 4.30am Friday: We will likely know for certain who will form the next government.

7am: Sophy Ridge and Sam Coates broadcast the fallout from the election live on Sky News.

The fastest results, the sharpest analysis and an award-winning line up - as the general election unfolds, Sky News will bring you the full story, first.

Whether you want to settle down in front of the TV, stay in the know on the move, or keep updated from work, we'll have live coverage across our platforms to bring you everything as soon as it happens.

We'll have expert commentary and analysis to help you digest key developments, kicking off with the exit poll and running through the weekend.

What's happening - and when?

Thursday

Polls are open from 7am until 10pm - and during that time, you won't see any coverage of politics or policy due to strict reporting restrictions.

But Sky News will still be bringing you colourful snapshots of polling day, from leaders casting their ballots to the important business of dogs at polling stations, on TV and right here in the Politics Hub.

9pm Thursday into Friday

Chief presenter Kay Burley will anchor Election Night Live, the overnight results programme, from a 360-degree immersive studio normally used by Sky Sports shows like Monday Night Football, alongside our expert team.

As soon as the polls close at 10pm, Sky News will bring you the exit poll - your first insight into how the general election results could play out.

7am Friday

From 7am on the morning after the nationwide voting, lead politics presenter Sophy Ridge, host of Sky's Politics Hub programme, will be live from Westminster bringing viewers every development as the election result is absorbed and plans for the next government are made.

Ridge will be joined by deputy political editor Sam Coates and Sky News contributor Adam Boulton across what will be a historic day, as the nation awaits the next prime minister.

How to watch

The Politics Hub

This live blog will feature the latest results, swift and in-depth analysis, as well as reactions to the results across the country and much more - so bookmark this page!

Shortly after the polls close we'll have a seat-by-seat lookup to let you see the forecast result in your constituency and through the night we'll have a live, interactive results service to give you the big picture as well as the result where you live.

Watch on TV for FREE: Freeview 233, Sky 501, Sky Showcase, Virgin 603, and BT 313.

Streams and social: Watch Sky News live here, and on YouTube.

We will also be posting the latest videos and stories on TikTok, X, Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp.

Listen: Listen to Sky News on TuneIn, and here.

This is the first general election in which all voters will need to provide ID in order to cast a ballot.

There are 22 different types of ID you can use. For people without photo ID, Voter Authority Certificates are available - but you must have applied by 26 June.

Here's everything you need to know.

What ID can eligible voters use to vote in elections?

• Most forms of existing photo ID will be accepted, including:
• UK or Northern Ireland photocard driving licence (full or provisional)
• driving licence issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Isle of Man or any of the Channel Islands
• UK passport
• passport issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, or a Commonwealth country
• PASS card (National Proof of Age Standards Scheme)
• Blue Badge
• biometric residence permit (BRP)
• Defence Identity Card (MOD form 90)
• national identity card issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein
• Northern Ireland Electoral Identity Card
• Voter Authority Certificate
• Anonymous Elector's Document

The following travel passes will also be accepted:

• older person's bus pass
• disabled person's bus pass
• Oyster 60+ card
• Freedom Pass
• Scottish National Entitlement Card (NEC)
• 60 and Over Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
• Disabled Person's Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
• Northern Ireland concessionary travel pass

Voters can still use photo ID that is out of date, as long as it still looks like them and the name is the same one used to register to vote.

What ID do you need if you're voting as someone's proxy?

You'll need to take your own ID if you're voting on someone else's behalf. You do not need to take theirs.

The exit poll is the first big moment of the night - the moment millions tune in for a first indication of the eventual result of the general election.

Commissioned by the broadcasters - Sky News, the BBC and ITV News - the fieldwork is carried out by Ipsos UK who will have interviewers at 133 polling stations around the country this year.

People who have just voted will be asked to privately fill in a replica ballot paper and place it into a ballot box as they leave their local community centre, church hall or station.

Researchers can only deploy to a fraction of the total constituencies in England, Scotland and Wales, so locations are chosen to best reflect the demographics of the country with an urban and rural spread.

However, many of the locations will be in marginal seats, where the swing between the main parties will be tracked.

The same polling stations are targeted year after year so the swing from the last election's exit poll, along with other data at constituency level, can be analysed by those crunching the numbers.

The data collected at the polling stations is sent back by interviewers to Ipsos UK at several stages throughout the day.

It's processed there and sent via a secure data pipeline to the broadcasters' statisticians and political scientists who are locked down in a secret location in the capital.

Electoral rules mean that no polling can be reported while people are voting - Sky News and the other broadcasters will cover it in full from 10pm.

Election coverage begins on Sky News from 9pm, and it is free, wherever you get your news. Here is how to watch and follow live.

Over the next few days, both here in the Politics Hub and on TV, you will hear plenty of different terms - some of which you may have heard before, some not.

So here is some of the jargon you might read and hear in our coverage of the next couple of days…

Battleground

This refers to a seat which one - or more - political parties have earmarked as a potential loss or gain. Typically, these areas will see a significant amount of campaigning in the run-up to polling day. They tend to be marginal seats, or those where MPs have resigned.

Blue Wall

This is a term used to describe constituencies largely in southern England which have historically supported the Conservative Party.

Coalition

When two or more parties form a government together because no one political party has the majority of seats in parliament.

Confidence and supply

This is not quite the same as a coalition, but still requires a party to strike a deal with another to form a government. Confidence deals, according to the Institute of Government, "typically make clear that the support party or parties must back the government on explicit confidence votes, and votes on budgets and supply (government spending). In return, the support parties are given government support for specific policy priorities."

Constituency

This is a geographical area where voters elect a single MP to represent them in the House of Commons. At present, there are 650 parliamentary constituencies in the UK.

Exit poll

Put simply, this is a poll of voters taken immediately after they have left polling stations. It asks which way they voted, and can give a good indication of the result in certain areas. It is published at 10pm on voting day when the polls close, and gives an indication of how the results could go.

First past the post

This is the electoral system used for the selection of MPs in the House of Commons. Voters select a single candidate for their constituency, and the person with the most votes wins.

Hung parliament

This is when a general election ends without a single political party having the majority of seats in the House of Commons. This situation can lead to a coalition or confidence and supply agreement - as explained above.

Majority

The easiest way for a political party to form a government is to win the majority of seats in parliament. There are 650 MPs in the Commons. Therefore, to have an overall majority, a party must win over half of these seats - at least 326.

Manifesto

This is a public declaration of policy published by a political party ahead of a general election.

Marginal

This is a constituency seat which is won by only a small margin, usually 10% or under. This means that only a small change in voter habit could see a party lose the seat - and this could be critical. Marginal seats are viewed as the "battleground" of an election.

Minority government

In a minority government, the governing party has the most seats - but still less than half the total. In the UK, this would mean the party has less than 326 seats in the House of Commons.

Red wall

This is a term used to describe constituencies largely in the north of England and in the Midlands which have historically supported the Labour Party.

Swing

The swing is the percentage change in the vote share from one party to the other. It indicates the scale of the change between two parties.

Swing voter

A swing voter is a person who does not have a strong political affiliation, and could give their vote to any number of parties on polling day. These voters can be critical to the outcome of an election, particularly in marginal seats.

Tactical voting

This is when a voter chooses a candidate they would not normally support, in a bid to prevent another candidate from winning.

Over the next few days, both here in the Politics Hub and on TV, you will hear plenty of different terms - some of which you may have heard before, some not.

So here is some of the jargon you might read and hear in our coverage of the next couple of days…

Battleground

This refers to a seat which one - or more - political parties have earmarked as a potential loss or gain. Typically, these areas will see a significant amount of campaigning in the run-up to polling day. They tend to be marginal seats, or those where MPs have resigned.

Blue Wall

This is a term used to describe constituencies largely in southern England which have historically supported the Conservative Party.

Coalition

When two or more parties form a government together because no one political party has the majority of seats in parliament.

Confidence and supply

This is not quite the same as a coalition, but still requires a party to strike a deal with another to form a government. Confidence deals, according to the Institute of Government, "typically make clear that the support party or parties must back the government on explicit confidence votes, and votes on budgets and supply (government spending). In return, the support parties are given government support for specific policy priorities."

Constituency

This is a geographical area where voters elect a single MP to represent them in the House of Commons. At present, there are 650 parliamentary constituencies in the UK.

Exit poll

Put simply, this is a poll of voters taken immediately after they have left polling stations. It asks which way they voted, and can give a good indication of the result in certain areas. It is published at 10pm on voting day when the polls close, and gives an indication of how the results could go.

First past the post

This is the electoral system used for the selection of MPs in the House of Commons. Voters select a single candidate for their constituency, and the person with the most votes wins.

Hung parliament

This is when a general election ends without a single political party having the majority of seats in the House of Commons. This situation can lead to a coalition or confidence and supply agreement - as explained above.

Majority

The easiest way for a political party to form a government is to win the majority of seats in parliament. There are 650 MPs in the Commons. Therefore, to have an overall majority, a party must win over half of these seats - at least 326.

Manifesto

This is a public declaration of policy published by a political party ahead of a general election.

Marginal

This is a constituency seat which is won by only a small margin, usually 10% or under. This means that only a small change in voter habit could see a party lose the seat - and this could be critical. Marginal seats are viewed as the "battleground" of an election.

Minority government

In a minority government, the governing party has the most seats - but still less than half the total. In the UK, this would mean the party has less than 326 seats in the House of Commons.

Red wall

This is a term used to describe constituencies largely in the north of England and in the Midlands which have historically supported the Labour Party.

Swing

The swing is the percentage change in the vote share from one party to the other. It indicates the scale of the change between two parties.

Swing voter

A swing voter is a person who does not have a strong political affiliation, and could give their vote to any number of parties on polling day. These voters can be critical to the outcome of an election, particularly in marginal seats.

Tactical voting

This is when a voter chooses a candidate they would not normally support, in a bid to prevent another candidate from winning.

This is the first general election in which all voters will need to provide ID in order to cast a ballot.

There are 22 different types of ID you can use. For people without photo ID, Voter Authority Certificates are available - but you must have applied by 26 June.

Here's everything you need to know.

What ID can eligible voters use to vote in elections?

• Most forms of existing photo ID will be accepted, including:
• UK or Northern Ireland photocard driving licence (full or provisional)
• driving licence issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Isle of Man or any of the Channel Islands
• UK passport
• passport issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, or a Commonwealth country
• PASS card (National Proof of Age Standards Scheme)
• Blue Badge
• biometric residence permit (BRP)
• Defence Identity Card (MOD form 90)
• national identity card issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein
• Northern Ireland Electoral Identity Card
• Voter Authority Certificate
• Anonymous Elector's Document

The following travel passes will also be accepted:

• older person's bus pass
• disabled person's bus pass
• Oyster 60+ card
• Freedom Pass
• Scottish National Entitlement Card (NEC)
• 60 and Over Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
• Disabled Person's Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
• Northern Ireland concessionary travel pass

Voters can still use photo ID that is out of date, as long as it still looks like them and the name is the same one used to register to vote.

What ID do you need if you're voting as someone's proxy?

You'll need to take your own ID if you're voting on someone else's behalf. You do not need to take theirs.

The fastest results, the sharpest analysis and an award-winning line up - as the general election unfolds, Sky News will bring you the full story, first.

Whether you want to settle down in front of the TV, stay in the know on the move, or keep updated from work, we'll have live coverage across our platforms to bring you everything as soon as it happens.

We'll have expert commentary and analysis to help you digest key developments, kicking off with the exit poll and running through the weekend.

What's happening - and when?

Thursday

Polls are open from 7am until 10pm - and during that time, you won't see any coverage of politics or policy due to strict reporting restrictions.

But Sky News will still be bringing you colourful snapshots of polling day, from leaders casting their ballots to the important business of dogs at polling stations, on TV and right here in thePolitics Hub.

9pm Thursday into Friday

Chief presenter Kay Burley will anchor Election Night Live, the overnight results programme, from a 360-degree immersive studio normally used by Sky Sports shows like Monday Night Football, alongside our expert team.

As soon as the polls close at 10pm, Sky News will bring you the exit poll - your first insight into how the general election results could play out.

7am Friday

From 7am on the morning after the nationwide voting, lead politics presenter Sophy Ridge, host of Sky's Politics Hub programme, will be live from Westminster bringing viewers every development as the election result is absorbed and plans for the next government are made.

Ridge will be joined by deputy political editor Sam Coates and Sky News contributor Adam Boulton across what will be a historic day, as the nation awaits the next prime minister.

How to watch

The Politics Hub

This live blog will feature the latest results, swift and in-depth analysis, as well as reactions to the results across the country and much more - sobookmark this page!

Shortly after the polls close we'll have a seat-by-seat lookup to let you see the forecast result in your constituency and through the night we'll have a live, interactive results service to give you the big picture as well as the result where you live.

Watch on TV for FREE: Freeview 233, Sky 501, Sky Showcase, Virgin 603, and BT 313.

Streams and social: Watch Sky News livehere, and onYouTube.

We will also be posting the latest videos and stories onTikTok,X,Instagram,FacebookandWhatsApp.

Listen: Listen to Sky News onTuneIn, andhere.

The exit poll is the first big moment of the night - the moment millions tune in for a first indication of the eventual result of the general election.

Commissioned by the broadcasters - Sky News, the BBC and ITV News - the fieldwork is carried out by Ipsos UK who will have interviewers at 133 polling stations around the country this year.

People who have just voted will be asked to privately fill in a replica ballot paper and place it into a ballot box as they leave their local community centre, church hall or station.

Researchers can only deploy to a fraction of the total constituencies in England, Scotland and Wales, so locations are chosen to best reflect the demographics of the country with an urban and rural spread.

However, many of the locations will be in marginal seats, where the swing between the main parties will be tracked.

The same polling stations are targeted year after year so the swing from the last election's exit poll, along with other data at constituency level, can be analysed by those crunching the numbers.

The data collected at the polling stations is sent back by interviewers to Ipsos UK at several stages throughout the day.

It's processed there and sent via a secure data pipeline to the broadcasters' statisticians and political scientists who are locked down in a secret location in the capital.

Electoral rules mean that no polling can be reported while people are voting - Sky News and the other broadcasters will cover it in full from 10pm.

Election coverage begins on Sky News from 9pm, and it is free, wherever you get your news.Here is how to watch and follow live.

After weeks of campaigning, polls are due to open very soon and voters across the nation will have their say.

Here are the key timings of the day:

7am Thursday: Polls will open across the United Kingdom.

9pm: Sky News’ Election Night Live programme starts (click here for details on how to watch).

10pm: Polls will close and counting will begin.

10pm: Broadcasters’ exit poll will be published, giving the first indication of the election.

Around 11.30pm: First seats will be declared.

Around 4.30am Friday: We will likely know for certain who will form the next government.

7am: Sophy Ridge and Sam Coates broadcast the fallout from the election live on Sky News.