UK General Election to take place on 4 July 2024 – BNOs can register to vote

Hong Kong Watch estimates that approximately 140,000 BNO Hong Kongers will be eligible to vote in their first General Election in July. The UK’s General Election takes place at least every five years and is an opportunity for BNOs to exercise their democratic rights and have a say on policy issues that matter.

On 4 July 2024, polling will take place in 650 parliamentary constituencies across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and will each elect a Member of Parliament to the House of Commons. The political party that wins the majority of seats will usually form the new government with its leader as the Prime Minister.

Some constituency boundaries have been redrawn in this election to reflect population change and to even out the number of voters in each area. You can find out more about your constituency, candidates and polling station here.

Hong Kongers with British National (Overseas) status living in the UK are eligible to vote, but must register to do so by midnight on 18 June 2024 if they are not yet registered as voters. You can register at the Electoral Commission website. 

BNO visa holders who do not hold BNO status are not eligible to vote. They must wait until they become British citizens.  

Voters in England will need to show voter ID to vote at polling stations – remember to bring this when you vote.

What happens at the General Election?

A General Election is an opportunity for voters to choose their Members of Parliament (MPs). MPs are elected using the First Past the Post system. Voters can vote once for a candidate in their constituencies, and the candidate with the most votes will be elected as MP. The elected MP will represent their constituency in Parliament for 5 years. There are 650 MPs in the UK Parliament. You can find more information on the Parliament website.

Can voters vote for a new Prime Minister?

No, voters cannot vote for a new Prime Minister. The political party that wins the majority of seats in Parliament usually forms the new government with its leader as the Prime Minister. If you live in a constituency represented by the current Prime Minister, or the leader of another political party, you are still only voting for them as your local MP.

Hong Konger’s votes matter

The overall turnout at the 2019 General Election was 67.3% of the electorate. Given that over 200,000 BNO visas were issued in the first three years of the scheme, the voice of Hong Kongers in the upcoming General Election will be an important one to listen to for all of the political parties.