A general election is used to vote for Members of Parliament (MP) to represent York in the House of Commons, at the UK Parliament in Westminster, London. The UK is split into constituencies, and each constituency votes for an MP to represent them, using the 'first past the post' system.
Local elections are held every 4 years, and are used to elect councillors to represent each one of York's wards on the City of York Council.
The next local elections in York will be held in May 2027.
By-elections are used to elect a councillor in a single ward whenever a position becomes available - for example, when a councillor resigns or dies.
Once elected, councillors are involved with the decision-making process and setting policies that impact on their ward and across York; find out more about council committees.