The first time voters' guide: When polling stations open, what you need to take, and other questions answered

If you're still unsure about how to vote in the election on 7 May, follow our guide to make sure that your voice is heard

It's been pretty hard to ignore the impending general election, with almost every minute of airtime and every newspaper inch over the last few weeks covering this important event.

In case you're still not sure what to do on election day, we've compiled everything you need to know if you want to make your voice heard by Westminster.

About the election

General elections have to happen at least once every five years. Registered voters in the UK vote for an MP to represent them in the House of Commons. There are 650 MPs, who each represent a constituency.

A party that wants to form the government must get a majority, to make sure that they have enough people to vote for their policies - so 326 MPs from that party have to be elected.

Sometimes no party gets a majority, resulting in a hung parliament, which is what happened at the last election. Experts think it is likely it will happen again this time. Two or more parties can join together and work in coalition to get past that magic number of 326 MPs.

Usually the biggest party gets to form the government when there is a hung parliament, but this isn't always the case.

Any parties that decide to work together can negotiate, get there first and form a government, even if none of them are the largest party.

But this doesn't happen often. At the last election, Gordon Brown's Labour Party could have formed a coalition, but he decided not to, saying that since the Conservatives got the most MPs, they should form the government.

Your poll card

You can only vote in the general election if you've registered, with the deadline passing in April. So if you haven't already signed up you won't be able to take part.

Before the election, a poll card should be sent to your address. This is an official document, and it tells you the date of the election, the times you can vote, and the location of your nearest polling station.

At the polling station

The polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on election day.

You don't need to panic if you've lost your poll card. Taking your poll card with you when you vote can help staff when they're crossing you off the list to show you've voted, but it's not neccessary.

In fact, you don't need to take anything to the polling station. All you have to do is give your name. The volunteers at the station will then put a mark next to your name to show you've voted, give you a ballot paper, and then you can go into the booth.

There's no need to take any form of ID to the polling station with you.

Once you've been ticked off, you'll be given a list of the candidates and their parties you can vote for. Not every political party may be standing in your area.

Simply follow the instructions on the ballot paper, stick it in the ballot box, and you're all done.

After voting

Once the polling stations are closed, the votes will be taken to be counted. The candidate who gets the most votes wins, and becomes the MP for that constituency.

The result of the election should be known the next day. Most votes will have been counted by the morning of the next day.

Sometimes it's possible to predict the outcomes of elections by polling voters before election day, but the polls are very close in this election and no one's really sure what the outcome will be, which makes it all the more important to make sure that you're registered and that you vote on 7 May.