First published in 1998, Britain Votes 6 contains a comprehensive record of the 1997 general election based on the official returns. For every constituency there is a complete record of candidates party labels and voted polled together with the vote share. Calculation of vote change is based either on the 1992 constituency result or where boundary changes have occurred on the notional result. Other statistics include the % majority, turnout, and electorate. Also included is an index of candidates together with various tables summarising the results by nation and region and detailing rank orders of parliamentary constituencies according to party majorities, party change in the share of the vote and other important electoral indicators.

Exploring the historical context, and the structure and method of operation, this text addresses the key issues and confusions that surround the local election system including: the nature and extent of electoral participation including the crucial issue of low turnout; the candidates, and the growing proportion of women challenging for council seats; the performance of political parties, now a central feature of local elections; and the dangers of viewing local elections as national opinion polls. The book draws on the results of more than 100,000 local elections dating back over three decades.

The seventh edition of this unique and authoritative guide to more than 170 years of political history reflects the rapid and continuing change in the electoral landscape of the United Kingdom. Covering the period 1832-2006, it gives easy access to a myriad of facts and figures on all 44 General Elections, six European Parliament elections and more than 3,700 parliamentary by-elections that have taken place in the United Kingdom since the Great Reform Act. It also contains a considerable array of opinion poll data for both Great Britain and Scotland. Significant new information includes further rounds of devolution elections in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; referendums and elections relating to elected mayors in London and a number of English local authorities; and the impact of the relaxation of the regulations on the issuing and casting of postal votes. To aid readers in finding their way about this increasingly complex electoral maze, this edition also - and for the first time - contains a comprehensive index. The cornerstone of any psephologist's library, British Electoral Facts 1832-2006 will also prove an invaluable reference and source book for politicians, public servants, historians, journalists, teachers and all those fascinated by the ebb and flow of electoral fortunes.