Voting is underway in a by-election in the British constituency of Clacton where Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is hoping to regain his parliamentary seat.Mr Farage, who had been facing scrutiny over a 5 million pound ($9 million) donation made to him from a Thailand-based crypto billionaire, dramatically quit as an MP last month and declared he would contest the by-election.He said he would let voters judge him in a "people versus the establishment" contest.None of the UK's other major parties decided to field candidates for the poll, deriding Mr Farage's move as a stunt, leaving the former banker to face a mix of independent candidates including a comedian known as Count Binface.Count Binface has emerged as the key rival to Nigel Farage in the by-election. (AP: Kirsty Wigglesworth)Polls are set to close at 10pm Thursday, UK time, with the results expected to be announced some time on Friday morning.Unlike Australian elections, British election results are only publicly declared once all the votes are counted, and there is no preferencing, meaning the first-placed candidate only needs to have one more vote than every other candidate to be elected MP.While Mr Farage is widely expected to win the race, his likely victory is not set to satisfy questions about the millions of pounds in donations that he has received.Donation investigation to restart if Farage winsMr Farage triggered the vote last month when he resigned as an MP in the hope that it would put to bed questions about his finances and result in a resounding victory over his main political rivals from the Labour and Conservative parties.The UK Parliament's standards watchdog is investigating the 5 million pound undeclared donation made by 2024 from cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne.Mr Farage has insisted he did not need to declare the money because it was a personal gift he used to fund his security and came before he was elected.When he stood down on July 7 he described an investigation into the undeclared donation as an "establishment hit job" and a media-driven "witch hunt".Newly-elected politicians must declare gifts worth more than 300 pounds received in the previous year if they are related to political activities.His decision to stand down put a pause to the parliamentary investigation, but if he wins the by-election it is set to start again. This could result in a second by-election.Key candidate vows to 'nationalise Adele'The election is a novelty with a record 34 candidates, including Howling Laud Hope of The Official Monster Raving Loony Party and Marcus White from the Everyone is God Party.They have pounded the streets of Clacton over the past few weeks as they seek to win the support of around 80,000 voters.Despite 34 candidates contesting in Clacton, voters will not find candidates for Labour nor the Conservatives on their ballot papers. (Supplied: Trendring District Council)Given the numbers standing, Clacton residents have had to contend with a one-metre-long ballot paper.Besides Mr Farage, polling has suggested Count Binface, a political satirist posing as a comic space alien, was on track to secure the second highest number of votes.His policies include "nationalising Adele", building a single affordable home, and relocating the hand dryer within the bathroom of a west London pub.He has been a regular candidate in high-profile elections before, having previously stood against then-prime ministers Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.He has previously said his candidacies are aimed at promoting the beauties of Britain's centuries-old democracy where even the most high-profile politicians are above no-one, including someone from his fictional native planet of Sigma IX.ABC/wires