Voters in Clacton went to the polls on Thursday in a parliamentary by-election that Nigel Farage is heavily favored to win, months after he resigned the seat amid allegations over campaign donations. Polls close at 10 p.m., with the count and result expected overnight.

Farage won Clacton in the 2024 general election on his eighth attempt to enter Parliament, but announced his resignation on July 7, a move he described as a gesture against the British political establishment following months of scrutiny over donations that allegedly breached parliamentary rules.

A Survation poll conducted ahead of the vote put Farage on 73 percent support, far ahead of satirical candidate Count Binface at 20 percent. The two major Westminster parties, Labour and the Conservatives, opted not to contest the seat, leaving a field of 34 declared candidates, the longest ballot paper in British parliamentary election history.

The by-election has drawn national attention as a test of Reform UK’s momentum following Farage’s resignation. National polling for the party slipped from around 27 percent to about 24 percent in the weeks after his announcement, though analysts caution that a single by-election result offers a limited read on broader political trends.

Coverage from Al Jazeera and other outlets has framed the vote as a symbolic moment for Farage rather than a genuine electoral risk, given his overwhelming polling lead in a seat he has represented for roughly two years. The real test, commentators note, will be whether Reform can translate local dominance in Clacton into sustained national support ahead of the next general election.

Local returning officers are expected to begin the count shortly after polls close, with a declaration likely in the early hours of Friday morning. Turnout figures, once released, will offer an early signal of how engaged Clacton voters remained despite the seat’s unusual, mid-term contest.