Nominations
Anyone who wants to stand as a candidate at an election has to complete a nomination paper. The paper includes the following details:
- name
- address
- whether or not you are standing for a registered political party.
The paper has to be signed by two electors from the area as proposer and seconder of the candidate. For parliamentary, county and borough elections candidates the support of a further eight electors from the area is also required.
Eligibility
To be eligible to be a candidate you have to be 21 or over and entitled to vote in that type of election. For some elections other criteria have to be fulfilled, such as being a registered elector in the area, living, working or owning land there. All candidates have to give their consent to being nominated and, where it is required, indicate which of the criteria they fulfil.
All the necessary forms plus a candidates guide are produced each time there is a by-election or a scheduled election. The forms are placed on the website, under an entry for that election, along with the Notice of Election. This is a formal notice which tells you when nominations have to be submitted. If you are interested in becoming a candidate visit this website to check on any current vacancies, they will be listed on the Voting and Elections page with links through to the necessary forms. Once the deadline for nominations has closed a Statement of Persons Nominated is published, this is a list showing all the candidates who put in a nomination paper, and whether or not their nomination was valid.
