How do British elections work? What about local elections, by-elections and European elections? How are candidates chosen? How much does it cost, and where does the money come from? What has been the impact of changes introduced by the present government? How can ordinary voter play his or her part? And why do so few people vote these days? All these questions and others are discussed by Dick Leonard, a leading political journalist and former MP, and Roger Mortimore, an opinion pollster, showing how the present system has evolved from its historic roots and what further changes might be on the way, in this new edition of the standard work on British elections. This new edition is fully updated to take account of recent elections and changes in the law, with comprehensive tables of statistics and an extensive bibliography.