Election Day (United Kingdom): Difference between revisions
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==UK General Elections== |
==UK General Elections== |
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A [[United Kingdom general elections|General Election in the UK]] follows the dissolution of [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]] by the [[British monarch|Monarch]] on the advice of the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] of the day. The Prime Minister thus has the power to choose the date of the election. Thursday has been the customary day to hold elections since the 1930s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons/lib/research/briefings/snpc-05166.pdf|title=Timing of Parliamentary election counts|last=White|first=Isobel|date=22 September 2009|publisher=[[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons Library]]|pages=3|accessdate=2009-10-13}}</ref> |
A [[United Kingdom general elections|General Election in the UK]] follows the dissolution of [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]] by the [[British monarch|Monarch]] on the advice of the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] of the day. The Prime Minister thus has the power to choose the date of the election. Thursday has been the customary day to hold elections since the 1930s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons/lib/research/briefings/snpc-05166.pdf|title=Timing of Parliamentary election counts|last=White|first=Isobel|date=22 September 2009|publisher=[[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons Library]]|pages=3|accessdate=2009-10-13}}</ref> |
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'''Activities that occur on election day''' |
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Traditionally a bear will be released in to the unsuspecting members of public in the local primark to flush out chavs who decide not vote because they're to gansta for it. Woolworths is also another prime location to be flushed out with but this time a snake is used. |
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In the polling station there is a lot of commotion as in places of high crime rates are normally filled with people who are there to just stab people for fun for example Heartfordshire. |
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Historically, elections took place over the course of a four-week period until 1918. Election days were then as follows: |
Historically, elections took place over the course of a four-week period until 1918. Election days were then as follows: |
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Revision as of 10:39, 6 May 2014
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2010) |
Election Day in the United Kingdom is by tradition a Thursday. Under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011, all future General Elections shall take place on the first Thursday in May every five years, barring special circumstances. Most other European countries hold all Elections on Sundays. Polls in the United Kingdom open at 7:00 and close at 22:00.
UK General Elections
A General Election in the UK follows the dissolution of Parliament by the Monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister of the day. The Prime Minister thus has the power to choose the date of the election. Thursday has been the customary day to hold elections since the 1930s.[1]
Activities that occur on election day
Traditionally a bear will be released in to the unsuspecting members of public in the local primark to flush out chavs who decide not vote because they're to gansta for it. Woolworths is also another prime location to be flushed out with but this time a snake is used.
In the polling station there is a lot of commotion as in places of high crime rates are normally filled with people who are there to just stab people for fun for example Heartfordshire.
Historically, elections took place over the course of a four-week period until 1918. Election days were then as follows:
- 14 December 1918 - Saturday
- 15 November 1922 - Wednesday
- 6 December 1923 - Thursday
- 29 October 1924 - Wednesday
- 30 May 1929 - Thursday
- 27 October 1931 - Tuesday
and elections have been on Thursdays since then:
- 14 October 1935
- 5 July 1945
- 23 February 1950
- 25 October 1951
- 26 May 1955
- 8 October 1959
- 15 October 1964
- 31 March 1966
- 18 June 1970
- 28 February 1974
- 10 October 1974
- 3 May 1979
- 9 June 1983
- 11 June 1987
- 9 April 1992
- 1 May 1997
- 7 June 2001
- 5 May 2005
- 6 May 2010
Other UK elections
Local elections in England and Wales are by statute held on the first Thursday in May. This has been changed in recent years: in 2001 they were delayed while an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease was dealt with. Since 2004, local elections have also been delayed in years when the European Parliament is elected, in order to allow the elections to be held simultaneously. In all cases, the elections were held on Thursdays. By-elections and other UK elections are also traditionally held on Thursdays though they can be held on other days - in particular when they would otherwise clash with bank holidays. The last Parliamentary by-election not to be held on a Thursday was the Hamilton by-election of 31 May 1978. This was held on a Wednesday as the returning officer wished to avoid a clash with the opening game of the 1978 FIFA World Cup.
Since 1997, the last four general elections have all been held alongside local elections. In 2010, the local elections were held on the same day as the general elections (Thursday, 6 May).
References
- ^ White, Isobel (22 September 2009). "Timing of Parliamentary election counts" (PDF). House of Commons Library. p. 3. Retrieved 2009-10-13.