Blog

2019 Mock Elections: Higher turnout and different outcome than the real general election

7 Jan 2020
School pupils in an assembly with their hands up

Schools making up an ‘electorate’ of over 46,000 young people returned their results to the Hansard Society's 2019 Mock Elections, which were held to coincide with the December general election and continued a series extending back over 50 years. Labour emerged as the clear 'winner' of the 2019 mock poll.

Dr Brigid Fowler, Senior Researcher, Hansard Society
,
Senior Researcher, Hansard Society

Dr Brigid Fowler

Dr Brigid Fowler
Senior Researcher, Hansard Society

Brigid joined the Hansard Society in December 2016 to lead its work on Parliament and Brexit, as well as contribute to its ongoing research on the legislative process, parliamentary procedure and scrutiny, and public political engagement. From 2007 to 2014 she was a Committee Specialist for the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, where she led on the Committee’s EU-related work. In the first six months of 2016 she was on the research team of Britain Stronger in Europe. She has also worked as assistant to an MEP in Brussels and as an analyst and researcher on EU and European affairs in the private sector and at the University of Birmingham and King’s College London.

After completing BA and MPhil degrees at the University of Oxford in PPE and European Politics, respectively, she spent the first part of her career focusing on the politics of post-communist transition and EU accession in Central Europe, and completed her PhD at the University of Birmingham on the case of Hungary. She has given media comment, appeared before select committees and published several journal articles and book contributions.

Get our latest research, insights and events delivered to your inbox

Subscribe to our newsletter

We will never share your data with any third-parties.

Share this and support our work

‘Turnout’ across the participating schools was 72% – higher than the 67% figure for the real general election, and representing over 30,000 young people casting their vote.

The results differed markedly from the real general election outcome:

  • Labour emerged as the clear winner, with a 33.9% vote share.

  • The Liberal Democrats came second, with 20.5%.

  • The Conservatives were third, with 18.7%.

  • The Green Party was fourth, with 15.6%.

(The figures in this post differ marginally from those we announced on 12 December, owing to a number of schools submitting their results after the deadline for inclusion in the announcement on the evening of the general election.)

Across the participating schools, roughly equal numbers of candidates (between 55 and 59) stood for each of these four leading parties. Thirty-two candidates stood for the Brexit Party, which came fifth with 3.5% of the vote.

In total, over 300 pupils and students stood as candidates.

Forty-nine stood as candidates for made-up parties, as independents, or as candidates for parties falling outside the best-placed five, including the Pirate Party, Plaid Cymru, the SNP, UKIP and the Women's Equality Party. Of the made-up parties, several evidenced environmental priorities (the Save our World Party, the Exit Plastic Party), and others suggested local school-level concerns (the More Outside and Inside Equipment Party).

In Northumberland, Ponteland High's Mock Election was covered by ITV News Tyne Tees:

Meanwhile, Seaford College in Sussex made a video of its Mock Election and saw its poll covered in the local press.

Many other participating schools and teachers also shared images of their Mock Elections on social media:

One of the oldest and largest civic education projects anywhere in the world, Mock Elections has been run by the Hansard Society at every UK general election for over 50 years.

In 2019, the Society again made available a free download of all the resources teachers and pupils needed to run a mock poll.

Research has shown that participating in citizenship-related activities at school, such as mock elections, makes young people more likely to have positive attitudes towards political participation as adults and more likely to engage in political activity. This applies even when controlling for other relevant factors, such as higher levels of formal education.

Several candidates in the real 2019 general election, as well as former MPs and other prominent political figures, participated in mock elections when they were at school and were inspired to go on to Westminster.

News / Parliament Matters Bulletin: What’s coming up in Parliament this week? 5-9 January 2026

MPs will consider the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, while Peers debate the Diego Garcia, Sentencing, and Crime and Policing Bills. The Lords will also consider two Private Members’ Bills – to extend licensing hours and to legalise assisted dying – and will be asked to decide whether more time should be set aside in future for detailed scrutiny of the assisted dying legislation. In the Commons, MPs will debate mobile connectivity, Magnitsky-style sanctions for human rights abuses, and reform of high-street gambling, alongside a Conservative Opposition Day debate. On the Committee corridor, the Post Office Horizon scandal, disinformation diplomacy, the carbon budget, the policing of the Aston Villa – Maccabi Tel Aviv football match, and the BBC World Service will all be scrutinised.

04 Jan 2026
Read more

News / The King and Parliament: The relationship between politics and the royals - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 122

In this episode we are joined by author and former royal correspondent Valentine Low to explore the evolving relationship between Downing Street and the Palace and why it matters for Parliament. Drawing on his book Power and the Palace, we explore how royal influence has shifted from Queen Victoria’s overt political interventions to Elizabeth II’s studied neutrality. Along the way, we connect historical episodes – where monarchs helped shape diplomacy and constitutional outcomes – to today’s flashpoints, from the prorogation and dissolution of Parliament to referendums and royal finances and the looming constitutional headaches of future hung parliaments.

03 Jan 2026
Read more

News / Is being Prime Minister an impossible job? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 121

Why do UK Prime Ministers seem to burn out so quickly? We are joined by historian Robert Saunders to examine why the role has become so punishing in recent years. From Brexit and COVID to fractured parties, rigid governing conventions and relentless media scrutiny, the discussion explores what has gone wrong – and what kind of leadership and political culture might be needed to make the job survivable again.

23 Dec 2025
Read more

News / Choosing a new Lord Speaker: Peers question candidates Lord Forsyth and Baroness Bull - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 120

In this exclusive episode we bring you the full recording of the official hustings for the next Lord Speaker, held in the House of Lords and chaired by Hansard Society director and podcast co-host Ruth Fox. Peers question candidates Lord Forsyth and Baroness Bull on impartiality, self-regulation, public trust, governance and security, and the looming decisions on restoration and renewal – offering a rare insight into how the House chooses its presiding officer and the challenges facing Parliament at a critical moment.

19 Dec 2025
Read more

News / 2024: The year our party system finally broke? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 118

This week we spotlight our new book Britain Votes 2024, featuring research by leading political scientists such as public opinion expert Professor Sir John Curtice. We explore how Labour secured a landslide on just a third of the vote, why the election broke so many records, and what these reveal about the fragility of UK democracy. We also cover the Budget fallout, the role of the Treasury Committee in the appointment of the new head of the OBR, more backbench dissent, ex-MPs shifting to the Greens and Reform, and a brewing row over delayed mayoral elections.

05 Dec 2025
Read more