Thursday is the day Britain votes. Polling in general elections has fallen on a Thursday at every contest since 1935, local elections are held on the first Thursday in May, and by-elections follow the same convention — none of it required by law, all of it observed without exception. Stations open at 7 am and close at 10 pm, and the exit poll appears the instant they do.
The rest of the year it is the last full day of the working week for a great many people, the point at which anything that has to clear before Friday gets triaged. Late-night shopping in town centres, pub quizzes, and the club and society meetings that would otherwise clash with a weekend all sit here. In a large number of council areas it is also collection day, which quietly makes Wednesday evening the moment the bins go out.
For anyone on a four-day week or a compressed rota, Thursday is the finish line rather than the penultimate day, and this page makes no assumption either way. It measures the distance to the next Thursday and nothing else, whatever that day happens to mean where you work.
The target is the midnight that opens the day, so a countdown showing a handful of hours means Thursday is about to start rather than about to end.
Common questions
Why does Britain always vote on a Thursday?
Convention rather than law. Every general election since 1935 has been held on one, and local elections use the first Thursday in May.
What time do polling stations open and close?
From 7 am to 10 pm on polling day, with the exit poll published at the moment they close.
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