Current and most recent elections

National Referendum - 5 May 2011

The UK national referendum on which of two voting systems should be used to elect MPs to the House of Commons in the future was held on Thursday 5 May 2011.

Click here to see the result of the votes cast in Enfield.

Click here to be re-directed to the Electoral Commission's national results website.

Background information

Click here to download a basic factsheet.

Click here to view the Notice of Referendum that was posted on Friday 25 March 2011.

Click here to view the Notice of Poll and Situation of Polling Stations that was posted on Wednesday 6 April 2011.

Click here to view the Notice of Referendum Agents' Names and Offices that was posted on Thursday 7 April 2011.

What was the referendum about?

It was a referendum on which of two voting systems should be used to elect MPs to the House of Commons in the future.

What were the options?

A referendum asks you to vote yes or no to a proposal.  For this referendum, the ballot paper asked this question:

"At present, the UK uses the 'first past the post' system to elect MPs to the House of Commons.  Should the 'alternative vote' system be used instead?"

Voters had one vote and voted either 'Yes' or 'No' on the ballot paper.

What would have happened if the vote had been 'Yes'?

If more people across the UK voted 'Yes' than 'No', the 'alternative vote' system would have been used to elect MPs to the House of Commons in future.

What will happen now the vote was confirmed as 'No'?

As more people across the UK voted 'No' than 'Yes', the 'first past the post' system will continue to be used to elect MPs to the House of Commons in future.

What are the 'alternative vote' and 'first past the post' systems?

Further information can be found by contacting the Electoral Commission's helpline on 0800 3280 280 or by visiting its 'About My Vote' website by clicking here.

Who was able to vote in the referendum?

Only those electors included in the electoral register as at 5:00pm on Thursday 14 April 2011 and who were British, qualifying Commonwealth, Irish, Cypriot or Maltese citizens could vote in the referendum.  This meant that other European Union citizens COULD NOT vote on this occasion.

For further information on the electoral process, click here to see some frequently asked questions.