MEMBERS of the public across East Lothian and the UK will be using the first past the post (FPP) system when they go to the polls on Thursday, June 8, to vote in the General Election.

Unlike the single transferable vote system used in the East Lothian Council elections last month, FPP is a straight race to the line, with voters only allowed to vote for one candidate and the candidate with the most votes winning.

Voters mark an 'x' on their ballot paper next to the candidate they wish to vote for - they must not mark any of the other candidates' boxes or their ballot paper will be spoilt.

Once all the votes across the constituency have been tallied, the candidate with the most votes is elected.

Voting takes place between 7am and 10pm on Thursday, June 8, with the East Lothian result expected to be declared some time early in the morning, likely any time between 2am and 4am.

The final UK-wide result is not expected to be known until well into the Friday morning.

The General Election is to elect the UK Government at Westminster, with all 650 seats across Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland up for grabs.

To win a majority, a party would need at least 326 seats.

Traditionally, a General Election is held only once every five years, but this election has been called barely two years since the last one in May 2015.

The last election was won by the Conservatives, who secured a narrow majority with 330 seats, beating Labour, who finished with 232.

In Scotland, a whopping 56 of the 59 seats were won by the SNP, with one each for the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

East Lothian was one of a swathe of Labour seats to fall to the SNP, George Kerevan overturning incumbent Labour MP Fiona O'Donnell's sizeable majority to win, with the Conservatives' David Roach third but a long way behind Ms O'Donnell.

Unlike in the council elections and the Scottish Parliament elections, 16 and 17-year-olds cannot vote in the General Election - voters must be 18 or over.