More than two million people are eligible to vote in Thursday's contest to choose a new mayor of Greater Manchester, making it the biggest by-election ever held in the UK. The election is the first time a by-election has been called to fill a vacancy for one of England's combined authority mayors.
Seven candidates on the ballot
Seven candidates are standing to succeed former mayor Andy Burnham, who stepped down in June after being elected MP for Makerfield. Burnham became Greater Manchester's first directly elected mayor in 2017 and held the post for Labour for nine years, winning again in 2021 and 2024. The mayor is elected by voters across 10 local authorities: Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan.
The candidates, in alphabetical order, are Sian Astley (Reform), Geraldine Coggins (Green), Bev Craig (Labour), Phil Eckersley (Conservative), Marcus Farmer (Independent), Richard Kilpatrick (Liberal Democrats) and Marlon West (Restore Britain).
Largest electorate ever for a by-election
The total number of people who can cast a ballot on Thursday is at least two million, based on past polls. At the most recent mayoral election in May 2024, nearly 2.1 million people were eligible, but only 32% turned out. Burnham won 420,749 of the 663,631 valid votes cast (63%), with the Conservatives far behind on 68,946 (10%).
Voting system changed for by-election
The 2024 election used first-past-the-post, the same method as UK general elections. However, this week's by-election uses the supplementary vote (SV) system, which was used in 2017 and 2021. Under SV, voters mark a first and second choice. If no candidate gets more than 50% of first-choice votes, the top two go to a second round, where second-choice votes from eliminated candidates are added. Polls open Thursday at 7am and close at 10pm, with counting on Friday and results expected in the afternoon.
Cost of the election
The by-election is likely to cost several million pounds. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority's budget report for 2024/25 shows spending on the May 2024 mayoral election was £4.6 million. The current Labour government passed legislation earlier this year to reinstate SV for mayoral elections.
