Who should I vote for? How to make the most informed decision for the UK general election

It's easy to make an informed choice

(BEN STANSALL | AFP | Getty Images)

How can you make an informed choice about who to vote for? Some people vote based on which party leader they prefer; others take a more local approach. Your local MP represents your concerns in Parliament and one MP from any given party may not vote and act the same way as the others.

Who is my MP and what do they believe in?

This website can tell you all about your local MP

Most people don’t follow their local MP too closely, but at election time it’s simple to check up on what they’ve been doing in your name.

The website TheyWorkForYou.com keeps a record of every single parliamentary vote your MP makes.

Go to their main page HERE, and enter your postcode in the box at the top left

The site will figure out which constituency you live in and tell you who your MP is. It’ll also show you a selection of issues that they’ve voted on and what stance they’ve taken. You can also tell whether they've turned up or not.

How do I find out about a specific issue I care about?

There's a detailed record of how good your MP is

If you want to see more detail, click on the link at the top of their profile that says ‘See full list of topics voted on’.

This will take you to a page listing all the major issues Parliament has power over and the stance they took on them.

Who are the candidates standing at the election to replace them with?

You can see the candidates standing in your area

If you’ve decided you don’t like your MP (or you’re just curious – they may be retiring), it’s also easy to find out who to vote for instead.

YourNextMP.com can do the work for you – go to their home page HERE and again, enter your postcode.

The website will list the candidates who are standing at the election. You can click on their names to find more details about who they are and what information is available about them.

Most will have links to their Twitter page so you can see what they’re saying, if they’re notable you can check out their Wikipedia page, and if they have a website you can look at that as well.

Use your vote wisely!

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Are you undecided about who to vote for on 7 May? Are you confused about what the parties stand for and what they are offering? Take this interactive quiz to help you decide who to vote for...

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The Independent has got together with May2015.com to produce a poll of polls that produces the most up-to-date data in as close to real time as is possible.

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