How to Play

Predict UK election results, score points based on accuracy, and compete in leagues with friends. Elections happen most weeks — here's how it all works.

The Basics

Find an election

Browse upcoming elections on the Elections page. Predictions open two weeks before polling day, once the official candidate list (SOPN) has been published.

Make your prediction

For each ballot, predict who will finish in the top positions. You can update your prediction any time before polls close at 10pm on election day.

Score points

Once results are declared, you'll score points based on how accurate your predictions were. The better your read on the political landscape, the more points you earn.

Types of Prediction

Standard elections (FPTP & SV)

Most UK elections use First Past The Post, including multi-seat wards where 2 or 3 councillors are elected at once. Mayoral and PCC elections using Supplementary Vote also fall into this category. Predict who you think will finish 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. The order matters.

Other voting systems

Elections using systems like STV, AMS, or party-list PR don't produce the same kind of ranked vote counts. For these, predict which candidates will win — order doesn't matter, just pick the winners.

Scoring

First Past The Post Max 15 pts

FPTP elections (including multi-seat wards) and Supplementary Vote elections.

Category	How it works	Max
Top 3 bonus	+1 for each candidate you placed in the top 3 who actually finished in the top 3	3
Position bonus	+5 if your 1st pick wins, +3 if your 2nd pick is 2nd, +1 if your 3rd pick is 3rd	9
Order bonus	+1 for each pair you got in the right relative order (1st > 2nd, 2nd > 3rd, 1st > 3rd)	3

Other voting systems Max 3 × winners

Elections using STV, AMS, party-list PR, and other non-FPTP systems.

+3 points for each candidate you correctly predicted as a winner.

Scoring Example

A council by-election has 5 candidates. You predict: 1st Labour, 2nd Conservative, 3rd Green.

The actual result is: 1st Labour, 2nd Green, 3rd Conservative.

Top 3 bonus	All 3 candidates finished in top 3	3
Position bonus	1st correct (+5), 2nd wrong, 3rd wrong	5
Order bonus	Lab > Con ✓, Con > Grn ✗, Lab > Grn ✓	2
Total		10 / 15

Competition

Global Leaderboard

Total points across all players. Resets periodically (the first reset will be at the end of the Early Access phase) but your rank for each period will be saved.

Private Leagues

Create a league and invite friends with a join code. League standings are based on total season points, with accuracy percentage as the tiebreaker. Compete to see who really knows their politics.

Crown

After each polling day, the highest-scoring player in a league takes the crown. If multiple players tie for the top score, each receives a crown fragment instead — no full crown is awarded. The crown stays with its holder until the next polling day produces results, so during quiet spells it simply carries over. Your total crowns, fragments, and current streak (consecutive polling days holding the crown) are tracked in each league.

Accuracy

How accurate your predictions are.

Current / Previous Month

The score so far from this month, or last month's total score.

Last Score

The total score for the most recent election day.

Good to Know

Prediction window — Opens 14 days before polling day (once the SOPN candidate list is published). Closes at 10pm when polls shut.
Missed predictions — If you don't predict an election, you score 0 points. No penalty beyond the missed opportunity.
Cancelled elections — If an election is cancelled (e.g. uncontested seat), any predictions are voided and no points are awarded.
Tied results — In rare cases of a tied vote, the official draw determines final positions.
Updating predictions — Change your mind as many times as you like before the deadline. Only your final prediction counts.

Terminology

You'll see these terms around the site. Here's what they mean.

HOLD: The winning party already held this seat. For example, if Labour won last time and Labour wins again, that's a Labour HOLD.
GAIN: A different party won the seat from the previous holder. For example, if Conservatives held the seat but Labour wins it, that's a Labour GAIN from Conservative.
WIN: Used when there's no straightforward comparison to a previous result — for example, a newly created seat, or a by-election in a ward that previously elected multiple members from different parties.
By-election: A one-off election to fill a single vacancy, usually because a councillor or MP has resigned or passed away. Council by-elections happen most weeks across the UK — they're the bread and butter of Called It.
Ward & Constituency: A ward is a local council area that elects one or more councillors. A constituency is the equivalent for parliamentary elections (electing an MP). You might see both referred to as "divisions" — it just means the area where the election takes place.
SOPN: Statement of Persons Nominated — the official candidate list published before an election. Once the SOPN is out, you know who's standing and the prediction window opens.
Crown: The highest scorer in a league on a polling day takes the crown. Ties award crown fragments instead. See the Competition section above for full details.

Browse Elections →