General Election 2017: Your top 10 questions answered

  • Politics
Your local authority is able to tell you if you are registered to vote or not. Credit: PA

With the General Election fast approaching you have taken to the internet in a bid to find the answers to your questions.

Here we answer your 10 most Googled questions from the last week ahead of polling day on June 8.

The 10 questions were provided to ITV News by Google Trends with data based on Google searches run by internet users.

  • 1. Who should I vote for?

Deciding who to vote for in the General Election is a personal decision and research should be done on the candidates standing for election in your area, and on the political parties they represent.

If someone is an independent candidate they do not represent a political party.

Your local elections office will publish a list of all the candidates standing for election in your area.

The deadline for candidates to apply to stand for election is May 11, so at the moment there are no lists of candidates, but they will be published in due course.

To find out who your candidates are, enter your postcode here.

There is no official source of information on candidates.

Your local council and the Electoral Commission are usually not allowed to provide information on the candidates who are standing and their policies other than their name, address and party description (if they have one).

However, most candidates will have their own website, political parties will provide information on their websites, or you can write to the party or candidate for more information.

Registering to vote takes around five minutes. Credit: PA

  • 2. How to register to vote?

You must be registered to vote in the General Election by May 22.

You can register to vote here if you live in Great Britain.

If you are in Northern Ireland you should download a form from the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland website.

If you are not sure if you are registered to vote then you will need to contact your local authority who will be able to tell you. Find their contact details here.

  • 3. When is the General Election?

The General Election will be held on Thursday, June 8.

Polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm on the day.

You can vote in person at a polling station. Credit: PA

  • 4. How to vote?

If you are registered to vote, or once you have, you will be sent a poll card before the election by your council telling you where and when to vote.

If you have not received a poll card and think you should have, contact your local Electoral Registration Office.

People who are away from home or otherwise unable to vote in person on June 8 can arrange postal votes or a proxy (when you nominate someone to vote on your behalf).

Anyone who is registered to vote can apply for either of these voting methods.

Applications for postal votes must be made before 5pm on May 23. Application forms can be found here and must be sent to your local Electoral Registration Office.

Applications for a proxy vote must be made by 5pm May 31. There are different proxy vote forms depending on your reason for being unable to vote in person. They can be found here and should then be sent to your local Electoral Registration Office.

Make sure you allow postage time for any forms you fill in.

  • 5. Am I registered to vote?

If you are not sure if you are registered to vote then you will need to contact your local authority who will be able to tell you. Find their contact details here.

Votes are counted at a previous election. Credit: PA

  • 6. Which constituency am I in?

To find out which constituency you are in and who you can vote for, enter your postcode here.

The deadline for candidates to apply to stand in the General Election is May 11, so this information is not available yet.

  • 7. How to get a postal vote for the election?

If you will be away from home or unable to vote in person on June 8 you can arrange a postal vote.

Anyone who is registered to vote can apply for either of these voting methods.

Applications for postal votes must be made before 5pm on May 23. Application forms can be found here and must be sent to your local Electoral Registration Office.

  • 8. What is a General Election?

A General Election allows people to vote to select a Member of Parliament to represent them and their constituency in Parliament.

People can only vote for one candidate in their constituency and the candidate with the most votes becomes the MP.

  • 9. Who is my MP?

There are currently no MPs as Parliament has been dissolved.

By law, Parliament is dissolved 25 working days before a General Election.

So from now until the results of the election on June 8 the House of Commons becomes vacant.

This means there are no MPs until a new Parliament is elected.

To find out which constituency you are in and who you can vote for, enter your postcode here.

The deadline for candidates to apply to stand in the General Election is May 11, so this information is not available yet.

The House of Commons will be empty until after the election results are in. Credit: PA

  • 10. How to stop the Tories?

Voting is a personal decision and should be based on which party and candidate you feel can best represent you.

Some people opt to vote tactically in elections.

Tactical voting is when you vote for a candidate who is perhaps not your favourite choice, but is done so to try and prevent a candidate you like less from gaining power.