2024 general election feedback

During the 2024 general election we received record search numbers, with 14,467,228 postcode searches from the UK public (from the announcement of the election on 22 May to close of poll on 4 July). In this blog, we provide an overview of the feedback received during this time on Who Can I Vote For (WCIVF) and Where Do I Vote (WDIV).

Each election we ask visitors to our sites about their user experience, which helps us identify areas for improvement and understand our impact. We collected feedback from the date the general election was announced, from Wednesday 22 May to Thursday 4 July.

We ask our users two questions about their experience of the site and their likelihood to vote, as well as providing a written feedback opportunity. A total of 19,141 responses were submitted across both sites during this time, 13,420 on Who Can I Vote For, and 5,721 on Where Do I Vote, of these, 4,588 written feedback responses were left (24%).

“Did you find what you were looking for?”

In response to ‘did you find what you were looking for’ we received a total of 18,232 responses across both websites: 12,952 responses on WCIVF and 5,280 on WDIV, with ‘yes’ being the most popular response.

% of respondents selecting ‘yes’

During the 2024 general election, WCIVF achieved its highest user satisfaction to date, reaching 86% during the week of the election, a 9% increase from the May local elections, and 33% increase from the 2019 general election. WDIV experienced a smaller increase, from 90% in 2019 to 91% in 2024, with satisfaction fluctuating from 96% in 2021 local elections to 91% in both 2024 elections.

Week-by-week user satisfaction on Who Can I Vote For

User satisfaction remained positive throughout the general election campaign period. The lowest percentage of respondents selecting ‘yes’ on WCIVF was recorded in the first week the election was announced (22-19 May), while the highest occurred the week following the Statement of Persons Nominated (SoPN) release date, Friday 7 June.

Thanks to our volunteers, Who Can I Vote For promptly provided ballot information for every candidate up for election, covering every constituency. We had good information coverage on candidates, with 94.5% having a photo on Who Can I Vote For, 88.5% having at least one weblink, as well as email addresses for 82.4% and 53.6% of candidates having a statement to voters. The greater completeness of candidate data highlights the importance comprehensive candidate profiles have on the users’ experience of WCIVF.

Week-by-week user satisfaction on Who Can I Vote For

‘Has this service changed your likelihood of voting?’

Across both sites, a total of 16,216 responses (4,494 on WDIV and 11,722 on WCIVF) were submitted in response to the question: ‘has this service changed your likelihood of voting?’. Users on Who Can I Vote For were provided with the following responses: ‘less likely’, ‘more likely’ and ‘no difference’, users on Where Do I Vote were provided with ‘yes’ and ‘no’.

We found ‘no difference’ to be the most common answer on Who Can I Vote For, with 8,521 (73%) responses. This aligns with the feedback received in the local elections, with our first introduction of ‘no change’ as an answer - which was also the most common response (50% of responses).

When compared to previous elections, we saw a decrease in respondents selecting ‘more likely’ to vote. Who Can I Vote for saw this drop from 33% in May, to 22% during the 2024 general election week. A slow decrease from 2022 (52%) and 2023 (46%). Similarly, Where Do I Vote saw a decrease of 3% from May, 80% selecting ‘yes’ to 77%. However, ‘less likely’ also saw a decrease of 4% from the local elections, from 13% to 9%. This is likely due to more users intending to vote in a general election before reaching our sites, compared to local elections.

% of respondents selecting ‘more likely’, and ‘yes’

Week-by-week voting intention on Who Can I Vote For

Written Feedback

In response to ‘can you tell us anything more?’ 4,588 written feedback responses were submitted (3,880 on Who Can I Vote For, 708 on Where Do I Vote). Among the written feedback, we saw various spikes of interest in topics, ranging from requests for more information on candidates, to querying why a political party does not have a candidate standing in their constituency.

Postal voting

Many users wrote about postal voting, with the word ‘postal’ appearing 77 times in the context of postal voting on Who Can I Vote For. Similarly, on Where Do I Vote, the term ‘postal vote’ appeared 30 times. This interest aligns with the findings of the Association of Electoral Administrators, stating that postal voting increased during the general election ‘close to 10 million postal voters at this election, up from 8 million at the 2019 UKPGE’¹.

• “Changed to postal voting as more convenient”
• “When are the postal voting papers sent out?”
• “Came to see where I can hand postal vote in - it was helpful”

Party presence

We saw a large number of users note their preference for a specific political party, or criticise others, as well as query why there was not a candidate from a specific political party standing in their constituency. Across both sites, the party with the most mentions was Reform UK, with the word ‘reform’ appearing 554 times (in context of Reform UK), ‘labour’ appeared 272 times, with ‘conservative’ 198 and ‘tory’ 98 times. This is likely linked to the fact that Reform UK only contested 609 constituencies, whereas the other major parties stood in almost all areas of GB.

• “Where is the Reform Candidate?”
• “Have only received leaflets from Conservative and Labour - none of the other parties. Have not been aware of any hustings for our area either. Communication from all parties would be helpful.?”

We have utilised Amazon’s Sentiment Analysis tool to gain further insight on the tone of written feedback and how this aligns with user responses to voting intention and the satisfaction with our sites. The sentiment analysis is measured by ‘positive’, ‘neutral’, ‘mixed’ and ‘negative’. Interestingly, those with ‘negative’ sentiment find our sites to be useful, with the analysis finding the ‘negative’ tone relating to their voting intentions, as opposed to the sites in general. The tables below illustrate how the tone of feedback typically aligns with what a user selects as a response, but can also be seen to deviate.

Where Do I Vote written feedback sentiment

Who Can I Vote For written feedback sentiment

Improvements

A number of users provided constructive feedback regarding our sites, with a small number of cases notifying us of incorrect information regarding their candidates or polling station details. We monitored these and were able to address and amend these errors in real time. A significant number of users requested further information about hustings in their area (‘hustings’ mentioned 105 times on Who Can I Vote For), this is an ongoing project that we wish to improve in future elections.

We also received suggestions for further information on our sites, specifically concerning candidate information, sparking an interesting discussion concerning the data we collect for candidates, concerning professional background, as well as the collection and presentation of previous results:

• “Almost everything I was looking for. I was also looking for a link to my constituency’s past voting results. Good site, good page, thank you.”

• “I wish it had previously said that the website would show the results, or just who wins, if voting figures might not be displayed.”

• “Lack of any personal detail on candidate’s suitability - I want to see what knowledge, professional background and real life experience candidates have before deciding if they have the ability to represent their constituents.”

Praise

The positive feedback received highlights the impact providing accessible election and candidate information has on our users’ ability to vote, with many users noting our sites as vital resources.

• “The most useful resource I have come across whilst preparing for the upcoming election…”

• “Without the information telling me where I can vote, I would be unable to vote, as I would not know where to go. Therefore, this information has enabled me to vote.”

• “Keep this page live and active exactly as is, fantastic resource!”

• “Absolutely brilliant! Thank you one and all who did this work!”

• “This is very useful as a reminder to vote. I’ve posted this link to my socials. Thank you.”

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who helped us during the election period; your assistance is greatly appreciated! Alongside the record search numbers, the feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive. We continually seek to improve and enhance our services and thank our users for submitting their feedback to help us achieve this.