Residents will head to the polls tomorrow to vote for who they want to represent them in the European Parliament.

How many members will be elected?

Dorset is part of the South West region which will elect six Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).

There are 751 MEPs, of which 73 represent the UK, and elections usually take place every 5 years. This election comes after the European Union agreed a Brexit delay until the end of October.

How does the vote work?

Unlike the first-past-the-post system used in general elections, the European contests use the complicated D’Hondt system, a form of proportional representation.

Voters will choose a single party and the number of elected candidates from each party’s list depends upon the proportion of votes cast.

In the first round of counting the party with the most votes wins a seat for the candidate at the top of its list. In the next round, that party’s vote is divided by two, if it is still top it gains another seat, if not then whichever rival now has the most gets a seat.

At each subsequent round, the process repeats itself until all the seats for the region have been allocated.

When can I vote - and when will the results be announced?

Polling stations across the county will open at 7am and will remain open until 10pm.

Dorset Council has said that local verification and counting of votes for Dorset will take place in separate locations. Verification will begin shortly after 10pm at South Walks House in Dorchester, and counting will take place at Redlands sports centre in Weymouth from 5pm on Sunday (26).

Ballot papers are counted to ensure that the number of ballot papers in the ballot boxes tally up with the paperwork from the polling station.

The local result will be given after the count by the local returning officer and the overall result for the South West and Gibraltar region will be declared by BCP Council at the Civic Centre in Poole on Sunday (26).