General Election 2024

This will be the first general election held under a law introduced by the Tory government requiring voters to show photo ID when attending a polling station. The system was introduced to help the government gerrymander election results as suggested by none other than Jacob Rees-Mogg on his GB News TV show. Get more information about photo ID below.  

Here are some key dates that you need to know:

18 June (11:59pm) - Registering to vote

This is the deadline by which you must have registered to vote (if you are not already registered). Click here to register to vote.

19 June (5pm) - Applying for a postal vote

Click here to apply for a postal vote if you are unable to attend a polling station on 4 July. You must be registered to vote before you can apply for a postal vote.

26 June (5pm) - Applying for a proxy vote

If you can't get to a polling station in person an alternative to postal voting is to get someone else to vote on your behalf (a proxy). Click here to apply for a proxy vote.

26 June (5pm) - Applying for free voter ID

Under the Tory Voter Identification Regulations 2022, voters in England now need to show photo ID to vote at polling stations in the upcoming general election. 

Click here to find out which forms of voter ID are deemed to be acceptable and how to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate if you don't possess any of those documents. Keep in mind the deadline above. 

To put this draconian legislation into some sort of context, in the past 5 years, there is no evidence of large-scale electoral fraud. Of the 1,386 cases of alleged electoral fraud reported to police countrywide between 2018 and 2022, 9 led to convictions and the police issued 6 cautions. Most cases either resulted in the police taking no further action or were locally resolved by the police issuing words of advice.

4 July (7am - 10pm) - Voting day

Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on the day. You should be sent a poll card just before the election that will tell you when to vote and where.

You can only vote at the polling station shown on your card but you don't need to have your poll card with you when you cast your vote.

If you have not received a poll card ahead of the election, but are registered to vote, you should contact your local electoral registration office. If you don't know where it is click here to find your Electoral Registration Office. Provided you are registered you can vote even if you’ve lost your card but you will still need to show voter ID (see above). 

If you have a disability your local electoral registration office can tell you about:

• physical access, eg. wheelchair ramps and disabled parking spaces

• low-level polling booths

• any specific equipment you need

Every polling station must provide at least one large print display version of the ballot paper.

Who Are The Candidates?

PCS Merseyside ARMs includes members living in the following electoral constituencies: Birkenhead, Bootle, Garston and Halewood, Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool Riverside, Liverpool Walton, Liverpool Wavertree, Liverpool West Derby, Sefton Central, Southport, St Helens North, St Helens South and Whiston, Wallasey, Wirral South and Wirral West.

Candidates needed to have registered to stand in the general election by 7 June. Click here to find out who are the candidates in your constituency.

Other Elections

Also on 4 July there are a number of local by-elections being held in some local authorities in the Merseyside ARMs area as follows: 

There are 3 by-elections for Liverpool City Council in the following wards: Broadgreen, Clubmoor East & Fazakerley North

There is 1 by-election for Sefton Council in the following ward: Linacre 

There is 1 by-election for St. Helens Council in the following ward: Windle

There is 1 by-election for Wirral Council in the following ward: Liscard

Click on the links above for details of the candidates.