Who can vote in a General Election?
GCSE Citizenship · Theme D: Power and influence
- state the legal requirements for voting in a UK General Election
- explain why some groups cannot vote, and whether that is due to law or convention
- evaluate arguments about who should have the right to vote
Starter: first thoughts
Write down three groups of people you think are not allowed to vote in a General Election. Keep your list – you will check it at the end.
The rules
To vote in a UK General Election you must meet all of these conditions.
Age
Be 18 or over on polling day. (Parliament is currently debating a bill to lower this to 16.)
Citizenship
Be a British, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizen. Other EU and foreign nationals cannot vote.
Registration
Be on the electoral register. You can only vote in the constituency where you are registered.
No legal bar
Not be legally disqualified – for example, members of the House of Lords and convicted prisoners serving their sentence.
Photo ID
Show accepted photo ID at the polling station (not needed for postal or proxy votes).
Key terms: franchise – who has the right to vote. Convention – an unwritten rule followed by tradition, not law. Disqualification – a legal ban.
Task 1: Can they vote?
Read each case. Mark your answer with an X, then use the rules above to explain why in a few words.
Task 2: Law or convention?
Some people can't vote because the law says so. Others could vote legally but choose not to because of convention. Sort the cases from Task 1 into the table.
| Can vote | Cannot vote – banned by law | Legally could, but doesn't by convention |
|---|---|---|
Task 3: Think deeper
a) Why do you think members of the House of Lords are not allowed to vote for MPs?
b) Why might members of the Royal Family choose not to vote, even though Prince William isn't banned by law?
c) Look back at your starter list. Which did you get right? Which surprised you?
Task 4: Exam practice
[4 marks]1. Explain two reasons why some people living in the UK are not able to vote in a General Election.
[8 marks]2. “The right to vote in General Elections should be given to more people.” Evaluate this view. You could consider 16- and 17-year-olds, prisoners and long-term foreign residents.
Teacher answer key
Correct as of September 2026. Check the Representation of the People Bill's progress before teaching – if it becomes law, cases 1 and 2 will change.
| # | Answer | Explanation |
|---|
Task 2 suggested sort
Can vote: 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16 (and 12 if they have ID or vote by post). Banned by law: 2, 3, 4, 9, 17, 18. Convention: Prince William and the King (19, 20).
Exam guidance
Q1: Credit any two developed reasons, e.g. age (under 18), nationality (e.g. EU citizens other than Irish, Maltese, Cypriot), serving a prison sentence, membership of the House of Lords, not registered.
Q2: Top answers weigh both sides and reach a justified judgement. For: 16-year-olds can work, pay tax and already vote in Scottish and Welsh elections; "no taxation without representation" for long-term residents; the European Court of Human Rights (Hirst v UK, 2005) ruled a blanket prisoner ban breaches human rights. Against: maturity and independence of younger voters; voting as a right tied to citizenship; prisoners have broken the social contract; public opinion is divided on votes at 16.
Sources: Representation of the People Act 1983 (as amended); Elections Act 2022; House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026; UK Parliament and Electoral Commission guidance.