General Election 2017: What time do polling stations close and how late can you arrive?

The day of Theresa May's snap General Election is finally upon us and voters are heading to local polling booths across west London to register their vote.

Polling stations , which are open from 7am until 10pm on Thursday (June 8), will allow the registered electorate to cast their vote, in what Mrs May labelled “the most important election this country has faced in her lifetime”.

But what happens if you only just make it to a polling station on time and you join a lengthy queue at 9.59pm? Will you still be able to have your say in the election?

Well, according to the Electoral Commission’s guidelines, “polling must close at 10pm, but any eligible electors who at 10pm are in their polling station, or in a queue outside their polling station for the purposes of voting must be allowed to vote”.

So, if you find yourself in a lengthy queue at 9.59pm, fear not - polling stations will ask electors to move inside the poling station at 10pm and will close the doors behind you.

If the polling station is too small to accommodate the queuing voters, a member of the polling station team should mark the end of the queue by standing at the end of the line.

They guidelines add: “Anyone who at 10pm is not waiting to vote either inside the polling station, or in a queue outside the polling station, must not be issued with a ballot paper or be allowed to hand in a postal vote.”

After the close of poll and the last person has voted, the presiding officer will seal the slot of the ballot box.

Take a look at where you can find your local polling station so you make sure you can cast your vote in west London.

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