UK General Election 2024

Information for Renfrewshire residents on the UK General Election 2024, when the vote is, who can vote, how to register to vote, voter ID, changes to electoral boundaries, how to vote, and results.

A UK General Election takes place every 5 years, or earlier, with the maximum term of a Parliament being 5 years from the day it first met.

Renfrewshire elects 2 Members of Parliament (MPs) for the constituencies of:

Paisley and Renfrewshire North
Paisley and Renfrewshire South.

At the last election in 2019, the Scottish National Party (SNP) secured both seats.

The current elected MP for the Paisley and Renfrewshire North constituency is Gavin Newlands.

The current elected MP for the Paisley and Renfrewshire South constituency is Mhairi Black.

On this page:

When the vote is

The date of the UK General Election 2024 has not yet been set. The prime minister will determine when the next election will be.

The current Parliament will automatically dissolve on Tuesday 17 December 2024, unless it has been dissolved sooner by the King.

Polling Day is expected to take place 25 days later, not counting weekends or any bank holidays that fall within this period.

Voting for the election will take place between 7am and 10pm on the agreed date.

Who can vote

To vote in the election for the UK Parliament, you must:

be registered to vote
be aged 18 or over on the day of the election (Polling Day)
be a British, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizen
be resident at an address in the UK or Gibraltar, or living abroad and registered as an overseas voter
not be legally excluded from voting - prisoners serving a sentence for a conviction cannot vote.

How to register to vote

You need to be registered on the electoral roll to vote in the election.

If you've never voted before, have moved house, or changed your name recently, you will need to register to be able to vote.

You can register to vote online to make sure you can vote in this election and future elections.

Voter ID

You will need to bring photo identification to the polling station to cast your vote in the UK General Election 2024.

The name on your photo identification should be the same names that you used to register to vote.

Acceptable photo identification includes:

passport
driving licence, including provisional licences
Scottish National Entitlement card - issued for the purpose of concessionary travel
Blue Badge
identity card with PASS mark
Young Scot card
biometric immigration document
defence identity card
Voter Authority Certificate.

You only need to show one form of identification, but it needs to be the original and not a photocopy or digital version.

Your photo identification does not need to specify your gender.

Your identification can be expired, as long as you still look like the photo.

How to apply for a free voter ID

If you do not have an accepted form of identification, you can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate.

You need to be registered to vote before you apply for a certificate. You can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate during the registration process.

You can get a paper application form from the Electoral Registration Office at:

The Robertson Centre
16 Glasgow Road
Paisley
PA1 3QF

Send your completed form back to them by post.

To apply, you should provide your name, address, date of birth and national insurance number. If do not know your national insurance number, you can still apply, but the electoral registration office will contact you to ask for a different proof of your identity. You will also need to provide a photo.

How to vote

Voting at a polling station with photo identification

If you choose not to vote by post or proxy, polling stations will be open from 7am to 10am on Polling Day.

You can find details of your polling station on your poll card letter. You should check where the station is located, as this may have changed since you last voted.

You do not need your poll card letter to vote, but it saves time at the polling station if you take it with you.

When you arrive at your polling station, you will be asked for your name and address and then your photo identification. If you wish to do this in private, please let a member of polling staff know and they will arrange this for you.

You will need to remove any face coverings, including veils or masks, when your photo identification is checked. This can be done in private, outside, and by a member of staff of the same gender if this would make you feel more comfortable.

Your photo identification is checked for your name only and no other reason.

Once polling staff are satisfied with your photo identification, they will provide you with your ballot paper to allow you to vote.

Voting by post

If you're not able to vote in person on polling day, you can apply to vote by post.

You need to register in advance for a postal vote.

There are some changes to how postal votes can be handled for this election, including:

a ban on political campaigners handling postal votes, except where the postal vote is their own, that of a close family member or someone that they provide regular care for
a person can hand in a maximum of 6 postal votes at polling stations or council offices, but must include their own postal vote in this number
any person who hands in postal votes at polling stations or council offices will be required to complete a form.

Voting by proxy

A proxy vote is where someone votes on your behalf at your allocated polling station.

You need to register in advance for a proxy vote.

You should send your completed applications to the Electoral Registration Office at:

The Robertson Centre
16 Glasgow Road
Paisley
PA1 3QF

If you appoint a proxy, you can still vote at your polling station as long as your proxy has not already voted on your behalf or have arranged a postal vote.

For any questions, contact the Electoral Registration Office:

phone 0300 300 015
email ero@renfrewshire-vjb.gov.uk.

Changes to electoral boundaries

There are 2 UK Parliamentary constituencies within Renfrewshire:

Paisley and Renfrewshire North
Paisley and Renfrewshire South.

There have been some changes to boundaries for these constituencies, following a review by the Boundary Commission.

There are 6 new polling places in Cardonald as part of the Paisley and Renfrewshire North constituency.

Voters from Bridge of Weir and Houston will now be covered by the Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West constituency. This will be administered by Inverclyde Council, but the polling stations will not change.

See the UK Parliamentary electoral boundaries in Renfrewshire.

Results

The counting of all votes will take place at the Lagoon Leisure Centre in Paisley after voting closes.

The results for each constituency are expected to be announced the day after the vote.