Learn About Your Candidates
The General Election is coming up on Thursday 4th July. There is a lot of information out there about different parties and candidates, which can be overwhelming.
If you want to know more about what an election is, you can read our previous resources.
What is a manifesto?
One way to learn more about which party you want to vote for is to look at their manifesto. A manifesto is a publication issued by a political party before a General Election. It has a list of policies that the party stands for and changes they want to make if they are elected.
You can find a party’s manifesto by looking on their official website. Some easy-read versions are available below. Not all parties have released their easy-read versions.
How do I decide who to vote for?
With so much information it can be confusing to know who you would want vote for. The BBC have provided a resource where you can read about issues that interest you, and read about what each party stands for on the topic.
Click here to access the resource
First, select the country you live in, then you have the option to choose which issues you want to read about.
You can compare views from the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Green Party, Reform UK and Workers Party of Britain.
Who are my candidates?
A general election is an opportunity to choose a Member of Parliament to represent your area in the House of Commons. The UK is divided into 650 areas, called ‘constituencies’ or ‘seats’. Each of these elects one MP to represent them in Parliament.
You will have several candidates to choose from, and most of these will be representatives for national political parties. Some candidates do not represent a political party – they are known as ‘Independent’ candidates.
If you would like to find out about who the candidates are in your area, you can visit Who Can I Vote For?. Type in your postcode and select your address to read about the candidates for each party in your constituency. You can also see information about where and how to vote.
What is canvassing?
Often political candidates and their teams will knock on the doors of homes in their local area to speak to residents, hear their views and ultimately try to win their vote. This is known as ‘Canvassing’. You have the right to refuse to talk to the candidate or party representative, or you may wish to hear what they have to say.
If you don’t feel comfortable speaking to candidates or party representatives, you can put a sign on your door until the election is over. A sign is available to download and print, linked below, which states ‘Please do not knock on my door to discuss the general election’.
Read our other articles about voting below:
All about Voter ID
What is a General Election?