European elections: find out who your local candidates are and where you can vote for them

The unexpected and ill prepared for European elections are fast approaching on Thursday 23 May. Theresa May repeatedly insisted that we would not take part in these elections because we would have left the European Union by now. But here we are still in the EU, Brexit has not yet occurred, and the European elections are going ahead, with rushed preparations by the major political parties and independents standing. If you are unsure who is standing for election or where your nearest polling station is, then fear not.

The answers can quickly be provided using the Democracy Club’s handy online tools that provide you with that information by simply inputting your postcode. Use the box below to find out where your nearest polling station is:

Click on the image below to find out which candidates are standing in your area, and access background information about those candidates.

The MEPs from the UK elected this month may not actually take their seats in the European Parliament. If a Brexit deal is decided before the end of June the elected MEP’s will not take their seats in Europe. The cross party talks between Labour and the Conservatives to conclude a mutually acceptable Brexit deal broke down last Friday, so the chances of a Brexit deal by the end of June are receding rapidly. The current deadline for the UK to leave Europe, after missing two already this year, is the 31 October 2019.

Many political pundits are describing this election as a proxy referendum, giving citizens of the UK a second chance to make their voices heard on Brexit by voting for parties or independent candidates that are for or against it. With a Brexit deal nowhere in sight at the moment, the outcome of these elections may prove influential in what shape Brexit will take, or whether it occurs at all.

Conrad Bower  – European elections

Democracy Club website

Featured image: Flickr