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| How to find out who your local MP is, whether to ditch them, and who you can vote for instead | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The UK general election is on 7 May this year and the campaign is in full swing. Everybody over the age of 18 who has registered (do that online HERE) gets one vote to elect their local Member of Parliament. | The UK general election is on 7 May this year and the campaign is in full swing. Everybody over the age of 18 who has registered (do that online HERE) gets one vote to elect their local Member of Parliament. |
| Some people vote based on which party leader they prefer; others take a more local approach. Your local MP represents your concerns in Parliament and one MP from any given party may not vote and act the same way as the others. | Some people vote based on which party leader they prefer; others take a more local approach. Your local MP represents your concerns in Parliament and one MP from any given party may not vote and act the same way as the others. |
| Who is my MP and what do they believe in? | Who is my MP and what do they believe in? |
| This website can tell you all about your local MP Most people don’t follow their local MP too closely, but at election time it’s simple to check up on what they’ve been doing in your name. | This website can tell you all about your local MP Most people don’t follow their local MP too closely, but at election time it’s simple to check up on what they’ve been doing in your name. |
| The website TheyWorkForYou.com keeps a record of every single parliamentary vote your MP makes. | The website TheyWorkForYou.com keeps a record of every single parliamentary vote your MP makes. |
| Go to their main page HERE, and enter your postcode in the box at the top left | Go to their main page HERE, and enter your postcode in the box at the top left |
| The site will figure out which constituency you live in and tell you who your MP is. It’ll also show you a selection of issues that they’ve voted on and what stance they’ve taken. You can also tell whether they've turned up or not. | The site will figure out which constituency you live in and tell you who your MP is. It’ll also show you a selection of issues that they’ve voted on and what stance they’ve taken. You can also tell whether they've turned up or not. |
| How do I find out about a specific issue I care about? | How do I find out about a specific issue I care about? |
| There's a detailed record of how good your MP is If you want to see more detail, click on the link at the top of their profile that says ‘See full list of topics voted on’. | There's a detailed record of how good your MP is If you want to see more detail, click on the link at the top of their profile that says ‘See full list of topics voted on’. |
| This will take you to a page listing all the major issues Parliament has power over and the stance they took on them. | This will take you to a page listing all the major issues Parliament has power over and the stance they took on them. |
| Who are the candidates standing at the election to replace them with? | Who are the candidates standing at the election to replace them with? |
| You can see the candidates standing in your area If you’ve decided you don’t like your MP (or you’re just curious – they may be retiring), it’s also easy to find out who to vote for instead. | You can see the candidates standing in your area If you’ve decided you don’t like your MP (or you’re just curious – they may be retiring), it’s also easy to find out who to vote for instead. |
| YourNextMP.com can do the work for you – go to their home page HERE and again, enter your postcode. | YourNextMP.com can do the work for you – go to their home page HERE and again, enter your postcode. |
| The website will list the candidates who are standing at the election. You can click on their names to find more details about who they are and what information is available about them. | The website will list the candidates who are standing at the election. You can click on their names to find more details about who they are and what information is available about them. |
| Most will have links to their Twitter page so you can see what they’re saying, if they’re notable you can check out their Wikipedia page, and if they have a website you can look at that as well. | Most will have links to their Twitter page so you can see what they’re saying, if they’re notable you can check out their Wikipedia page, and if they have a website you can look at that as well. |
| Use your vote wisely! | Use your vote wisely! |
| The Independent has got together with May2015.com to produce a poll of polls that produces the most up-to-date data in as close to real time as is possible. | The Independent has got together with May2015.com to produce a poll of polls that produces the most up-to-date data in as close to real time as is possible. |
| Click the buttons below to explore how the main parties' fortunes have changed: | Click the buttons below to explore how the main parties' fortunes have changed: |
| All data, polls and graphics are courtesy of May2015.com. Click through for daily analysis, in-depth features and all the data you need. (All historical data used is provided by UK Polling Report) | All data, polls and graphics are courtesy of May2015.com. Click through for daily analysis, in-depth features and all the data you need. (All historical data used is provided by UK Polling Report) |