Harry Farley
Political correspondent

This Thursday - 4 July - is the big day.

The polls open at 7am - the BBC and others are governed by actual laws in Parliament which say we cannot report what the parties are saying during the day so we don't influence how you're going to vote.

So there will be a bit of a blackout but we will show you pictures of dogs at polling stations, but we won't tell you what the parties are saying that day, because it's your turn to make your decision and vote.

Once polls close at 10pm on Thursday we are free to report on the counts and how the parties are doing after the people have had their say.

You can read more about how the BBC reports on polling day here.

Harry Farley
Political correspondent

Our next question is about the NHS.

Waiting lists and staff shortages are the biggest problems in the health service. In England for example, there are 7.5 million people on waiting lists - partly because we are living longer and need more treatment, and an existing backlog which was exacerbated by the Covid pandemic.

• Labour is proposing 40,000 more appointments a week to bring the waiting list down and to make sure every school has access to a mental health professional
• The Conservatives want to build 40 new hospitals and ensure there is mental health support in every school and college
• The Liberal Democrats want to significantly increase the amount of money spent on the NHS which they plan to raise by taxing the banks and wealthiest people, and focus particularly on early access support for mental health issues

Your poll card is the piece of paper you get through the post, telling you where your polling station is.

You don't need it to vote - but it might speed things up.

When you enter the polling station, the poll clerks at the desk can look your name up on their list - just don't forget your voter ID.

Harry Farley
Political correspondent

Turning to TikTok, a user called Shadow Knight asks what happens if no party achieves an overall majority in Parliament.

It is something we have seen before in 2010 when the Conservatives were the biggest party but they didn't have an overall majority - where they have more MPs in the House of Commons than all the other parties combined.

They teamed up with the Liberal Democrats in that case to form a coalition.

Coalition governments are quite normal in other European countries, but are quite rare in the UK.

Another thing which could happen is a party forms a minority government where they govern by persuading a few MPs from other parties to back them on an informal basis.

Harry Farley
Political correspondent

Beth in Salford says the biggest issue she's faced is renting.

She says she's stayed in rented accommodation throughout university, where the cost went up by £30 a month - despite it being mouldy and rather dated.

She says the housing and rental crisis is at the forefront of her mind during this election.

When asked whether parties are making an effort to address this, Beth says some of them are trying to address this.

But she says most parties are using social media to attract young people by mocking their opponents and are "not really showing the policies they're putting in place".

Which politicians control housing depends on where you live in the UK - it isn't wholly down to Westminster.

Part of the problem with rents going up is down to rising mortgage costs being passed on to tenants.

Housing has been a key issue during the election campaign. Nearly all the parties want to ban "no fault evictions", so a landlord would need a reason for you to leave if they don't want you in their house anymore.

You can find out what the parties are promising to do in our manifesto guide.

Out of date IDs are fine, providing you still look the same - our colleague Lola Schroer explains all you need to know in 30 seconds below:

For all the key details on voter ID, check out our article here.

Yes - it's a relatively new rule.

If you don't turn up with the correct ID you'll be turned away - but you can pop home and head to the polling station before the polls close.

A passport, driving licence or a PASS-accredited student card are the forms of photo ID most commonly used by people voting for the first time.

You can recognise qualifying ID cards from the PASS hologram on the front.

There's a full list of accepted forms of photo ID here, external.

Harry Farley
Political correspondent

During this hour taking young voters' questions we'll tell you what the main parties standing across Britain are promising to do if they win the general election. So what are they saying about the cost of living and other money issues?

• Skimming through the parties' pledges, the Conservatives are talking a lot about tax and want to reduce the amount of money you pay in tax so you have more to spend on yourself
• Labour are taking about the minimum wage - what they are call a real living wage - to take into account the cost-of-living
• The minimum wage is something the Greens also talk about, they want to increase it to £15-an-hour - it is currently £11.44-an-hour
• The Lib Dems talk a lot about energy bills and want to reduce this by investing in renewable energy
• The SNP say they will introduce an "essentials guarantee" - they want to make sure people can afford basic necessities
• Reform UK talk a lot about tax and want to increase the amount you earn before you start paying tax
• Finally Plaid Cymru want to have the power to control tax in Wales

Want to vote, but not sure what you've got to do?

Our colleague Lola Schroer runs you through it in less than a minute above.

Calum and Azadeh have got things started here in the BBC's London newsroom - in fact they're just a few desks in front of us.

Watch along with us by clicking watch live in the picture at the top of this page.

Jordan Kenny
BBC Newsbeat politics reporter, in Newcastle

Just before we start answering first-time voters' questions, I’ve been in Newcastle today, speaking to young people who feel quite disconnected from politics.

We know that polling from past elections suggests around half of 18-24s have chosen to turn out and vote – which mean half do not.

There were a range of issues mentioned by the people who spoke to me.

Some said they didn't know enough about it and felt politicians were "all as bad as each other". Others said they were "confused".

Another, who was in support of voting, said that "unless you vote, you can't have an opinion".

We've seen political parties use social media platforms such as TikTok to try and reach younger voters, but whether that's been successful - we'll find out after polling day.

Calum Leslie
Presenter, BBC Newsbeat

We know there are millions of you who're under 24 and able to vote for the first time in this election.

But we've also got a pretty good idea of how many potential voters that age don't usually take part - that's around half.

Tonight on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer we're looking at the issues people in their teens and 20s have been talking about most during the campaign - and answering your questions on what politicians are promising. We'll also look at how election day will work.

And if you watch on the BBC's TikTok and Instagram feeds - you'll be able to ask questions.

Get us from 19:00 tonight - so you won't even have to miss any of the Euros.

Johanna Chisholm
Live reporter

With just three days to go until polls open, the campaign has taken on a cramming-the-night-before-an-exam energy.

If you're a first-time voter, this is likely a feeling all too familiar to you.

Outside of some of the basic queries - how do I vote? where do I vote? - there are other questions you have asked us to answer ahead of Thursday's vote:

• How long will it take to afford a house deposit?
• Will I be able to move out of home?
• What about the climate crisis?

Starting at 19:00 BST, we're going to be handing over to hosts Calum Leslie and Azadeh Moshiri, who will pull together questions from the BBC's TikTok comment section and attempt to give some clarity on the issues that matter most to you.

Stick with us.

Tom Symonds
Home affairs correspondent, reporting from the Liberal Democrat campaign bus

A senior Liberal Democrat source has told us the party could win more than 26 new seats, beating its previous record at the 1997 general election.

Although the Lib Dems had 15 MPs in the last parliament, boundary changes at this election reduces that number to eight.

Winning 26 seats on Thursday would make 34 but some polls are currently predicting they’ll end up with 60 or 70 so they must surely be hoping for many more.

(If you Google it you’ll find they actually won 28 new seats in 1997, but we’re not counting two more which had previously been affected by boundary changes).

Despite us trying, Sir Ed Davey’s team won’t discuss the actual number of seats they hope to take on Thursday, so let’s have a look at what the party’s strategists are saying “off the record”.

While the Lib Dems are mainly targeting the Conservatives, senior officials claim the vote for Labour is “softer” than it was for Tony Blair’s landslide in 1997.

People who don’t love the idea of Keir Starmer as prime minister might be persuaded to change their allegiance for tactical reasons.

Another big source of Lib Dem votes used to be Remainers. But the party strategists believe they’re thinking less about Britain’s relationship with Europe and more about the state of public services. And sewage.

Which is why, in between the stunts, Davey talks endlessly to reporters about the NHS, social care, and clean water.

The list of candidates for Bicester and Woodstock is here, and Henley and Thame here.

Gurvinder Gill
BBC Asian Network

The BBC Asian Network has been finding out about the issues that first time British Asian voters care about.

Students Saavi, Priya and Amartya say they’re weighing up their options.

For Saavi, there’s a "certain sense of cultural loyalty" to Rishi Sunak, whose background is similar to her own.

"When he came into power, it was a really proud moment for our family," she says.

Her vote will likely be decided by the economy. "The cost of living crisis, rising house prices, tuition fees… there's not much mentioned about how we're going to afford anything," she says.

Amartya’s deciding between the Conservatives and Greens. He likes the Green Party's pledge to scrap tuition fees but trusts the Tories more on the economy.

Priya’s also undecided. She sways between parties and has been put off by things like the betting row.

"A lot of people I know are saying 'I'm going to vote for who my parents are voting for'. I feel like that's the easy way out."

The 4 July election is coming up fast - and if you want to find who is standing in your area, and what commitments the biggest parties have made, then we've got you covered.

Our interactive manifesto guide allows you to select the issues that matter most to you and compare what the main parties have to say about it.

And you can also head over to our constituency finder, where you can type in your postcode or search for your constituency by name to find you who is standing in your area.

Adam Durbin
Live reporter

For anyone who shares my aversion to curtained booths and dislike of detours on the way to work, here's some advice for what to do if your postal vote has not yet arrived:

First and foremost - contact your local council to apply for a replacement postal voting pack as soon as possible. This can be done anytime until 17:00 on Thursday (polling day).

If you get the replacement request in before 17:00 on Wednesday, it can be both posted to you or collected from the council in person.

Any request put in between then and the polling day application deadline 24 hours later can only be picked up in person. Find out which local authority you need to contact on the Electoral Commission's website here, external.

Once you've got your postal voting pack, you have the option to post it back or hand it in to your polling station on Thursday. Remember you'll need to bring an approved ID to vote in person, as the rules for this general election have changed.

If you are unable to go yourself, the final way to ensure your vote is counted is to ask someone else to hand it in for you (I'll leave which reliable friend or relative to choose up to you).

They can deliver up to five postal votes on top of their own and will be required to fill in a form at the polling station when they do so.

The vote itself must have been cast by you personally, and don't forget to give your date of birth and sign the accompanying postal vote statement.

One final detail to note for any candidates or party campaigners among our readers - you are only allowed to handle postal voters for family members or someone you regularly provide care for.

Jennifer McKiernan
Political reporter

The blame game is kicking off over delayed postal ballots, with some councils having to hold emergency drop-ins for people to pick up their voting papers.

The BBC is aware of issues in at least six councils across the UK, Medway in Kent, Southwark in London and Uttlesford in Essex, as well as Scottish councils in Edinburgh, Fife and North Lanarkshire.

A spokesman for Rishi Sunak confirmed there were "some concerns around the printing and delivery of postal ballot packs."

Individual councils are responsible for printing the packs, and Royal Mail are responsible for delivering them.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "We have no backlog of postal votes. Where concerns have been raised, we have investigated and confirmed ballot packs are being delivered as soon as they arrive in our network."

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

There’s just three days to go until this general election campaign draws to a close and the fate of Britain’s leading politicians passes to the voters.

This is not a moment where the scope of the campaign suddenly widens. Instead it narrows as the parties - especially the two main parties - hone in on the core messages they hope will appeal to the crucial slices of the British public they need to win.

If you hear Rishi Sunak or Sir Keir Starmer say something today, expect to hear them say it tomorrow and on Wednesday too. This is not a time for variation but for repetition.

• Read Henry's full piece here

Two final questions now from Mason to Sunak.

First, will he stay on as an MP for a full Parliament if the Conservatives lose the election?

The PM says yes.

Second, would Sunak stay on as Tory leader if his party loses?

He replies by saying his focus is on winning the election, adding: "I don't want people to sleep walk into a Labour government".

• You can read the full story, from Chris Mason and Kate Whannel, here