General Election guide: How to watch and what to watch for
Politics nerds rejoice, for it’s just two sleeps until the most wonderful time of the year – General Election polling day.
At the end of a long campaign of gaffes, awkward interviews and the occasional bee protester, it’s time to sit back and watch the votes roll in.
Here is some of the most important information for the day.
Finding a polling station
Polling stations will be open across the country from 7am to 10pm on Thursday.
To find your polling place, head to Yougov and have your postcode handy.
Temperatures are predicted to range from six to 11 degrees in London, with showers expected for much of the day.
The first winter election in almost 100 years could in fact be a turnoff for some, according to former Labour home secretary Alan Johnson.
Johnson is fronting a campaign with parking app JustPark, which is offering 30 minutes free parking on election day to encourage people to get to their local polling station.
“I think politicians of all stripes want to see a big turnout and I want to get involved in helping as large a turnout as possible,” Johnson said.
Broadcast coverage
Thursday will mark the first time since 1979 that BBC’s election coverage will not be anchored by David Dimbeleby.
Taking his place is BBC News presenter Huw Edwards, who will be joined by political editor Laura Kuenssberg, Europe editor Katya Adler, economics editor Faisal Islam, lead interviewer Andrew Neil and psephologist John Curtice.
Sky News’ coverage will be headlined by former speaker John Bercow, alongside lead anchor Dermot Murnaghan. Bercow is no doubt the big draw for Sky and viewers can settle in for his unique vocabulary and methods of storytelling for a solid six-to-eight hours.
ITV will have a host of former MPs and political heavyweights booked, including the double-act of former Tory chancellor George Osborne and Labour shadow chancellor Ed Balls. They will be joined by Boris Johnson’s brother Jo Johnson, Momentum founder Jon Lansman and former Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson.
Channel 4 meanwhile will once again host its Alternative Election Night, which will be headed by main presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy.
The all-important exit poll
As soon as the clock strikes 10, the BBC, ITV and Sky News will unveil its joint exit poll.
The trio have teamed up for the past three General Election exit polls as a successor to the BBC’s standalone poll.
The poll has been a fairly accurate marker over the years, however there have been some notable misfires.
This includes incorrectly predicting hung parliaments in 1992 and 2015.
The results stream in
The first constituencies are expected to declare around midnight, with Newcastle and Sunderland traditionally among the first out of the blocks.
Early seats in the North and the Midlands could provide a guide to how traditionally Labour constituencies, who voted to leave the EU, have voted in this election.
Labour’s so-called “red wall” in the North is seen as susceptible to breaking, with many Labour leave voters potentially defecting to the Tories.
Read more: Liberal Democrats slide in key London marginals
Seats such as Darlington, Workington, Sedgefield and West Bromwich East are expected to announce between 1am and 2am, and could ultimately decide who wins the election.
London’s results should come flooding in after 4am, with remain strongholds such as Finchley and Golders Green, Richmond park, the Cities of London and Westminster and Kensington all key constituencies to watch.