Forum: politics.stackexchange.com
Tags: <united-kingdom><election><parliament><european-parliament>
Title: Running a General Election and the European Elections together
Question: There's talk in the news about the possibility of a General Election being called. If one is called, could the General Election and European Election be run together with a single ballot paper divided up into two sections, one to elect an MP and the other section to elect an MEP?

Answers:
sents: text: It's not unheard of to hold local council elections, Scottish parliament elections and Welsh assembly elections at the same time, e.g. 2016 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_United_Kingdom_local_elections European elections sometimes get bundled in with those, like in 2014 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_United_Kingdom_local_elections
text: Lastly, in 2015 the local elections and general election were held at the same time:
text: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_United_Kingdom_local_elections
text: If I remember correctly it's fairly common, if not predominant, that they're combined.
text: You just get N ballot forms, where N is the number of things you're voting for.
text: Anyway, my guess is that from a technical point of view
text: it's absolutely possible.
text: It's not happened yet as there's only been one year when a general election and European elections were in the same year - 1979 (the first European elections!) - and they were in different months.
text: A short notice period is needed - that's been 25 working days [corrected - thanks origimbo]
text: since the fixed term parliament act was amended in 2013 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed-term_Parliaments_Act_2011
answer_details: author: politics.stackexchange.com/users/25922/Algy Taylor
score: 13
sents: text: I doubt that it would be a single ballot.
text: Formally, the two elections are separate, and mixing them on the same paper compromises this.
text: EU citizens in the UK can vote in EU elections, but not in British national elections.
text: They would need separate ballots.
text: Which ballot goes on top?
text: Are the parties in the same order on both ballots?
text: Can a voter vote in one election and abstain in the other, or would he have to spoil the ballot on the second election?
text: Is it even possible to spoil one ballot on the paper and not the other, or would the entire paper be discarded?
text: A more practical suggestion would be to hold two separate elections sharing the same polling stations on the same day.
text: Go to the left, vote for the national elections, then go to the right, vote for the EU elections.
answer_details: author: politics.stackexchange.com/users/8959/o.m.
score: 4
sents: text: No, the elections could be held on the same day, but it would be impractical to have a single ballot paper.
text: The constituency boundaries are not the same, and some people are eligible to vote in European elections but not in UK elections.
text: There would be two ballot papers.
answer_details: author: politics.stackexchange.com/users/5334/Mike Scott
score: 3
sents: text: If the elections are held on the same day, then two different ballot papers will be used.
text: In London, when the Mayor and Assembly are elected at the same time, three different ballot papers are used (one for Mayor, one for Assembly Constituency Member, one for Assembly At-Large Members).
text: These ballot papers will be different colours to help the voters, as well as the sorters at the count.
answer_details: author: politics.stackexchange.com/users/16799/Joe C
score: 3
sents: text: Yes in the Netherlands we had such an election this month, however it was not on the same ballot
text: and I think it's unlikely somewhere in the world the same ballot will be used. Provincial Council elections and water boards On March 20, 2019, elections took place in the Netherlands.
text: You could choose the members of the Provincial Council.
text: You were also allowed to vote for the eligible members of the board of your water board.
text: The members of the Provincial Council then elect the members of the Senate.
text: That will happen in May 2019.
text: Final results
text: Immediate results will be announced immediately after the elections.
text: These results are only definitive if they have been approved by the Electoral Council.
text: The Electoral Council will announce the final results on Monday, March 25, 2019 via news items on its own website.
text: https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/verkiezingen/20-maart-2019-verkiezingen-provinciale-staten-en-waterschappen
answer_details: author: politics.stackexchange.com/users/25928/Thomas
score: 2

Summary of the answers:
It's not unheard of to hold local council elections, Scottish parliament elections and Welsh assembly elections at the same time, as happened in 2016. European elections sometimes get included also, as was the case in 2014. It is common for elections to be combined and held on the same day, with different ballot papers being used.     
It is commonplace for two elections to be run together but they would require separate ballots.