This guidance aims to provide practical advice for candidates and parties who want to stand at the Greater London Authority elections and anyone who wants to be an agent. Standing for election can be complicated, but we hope that our guidance will make it as straightforward as possible. You do not have to follow this guidance, but if you do, you will normally be doing enough to comply with the law.

Greater London Authority elections involve three contests and this guidance covers what you need to do as:

• a Mayor of London candidate
• a Constituency Assembly Member candidate or,
• an individual or party list candidate at the London-wide Assembly election

The guidance also covers what parties need to do to submit London-wide party lists.

We have included relevant factual material as well as links to sources of further information. Each section includes a number of forms and resources, which can be directly accessed via links in the text.
You can find out more in How to use our guidance.

Election timetable    

For scheduled polls we will publish a specific timetable which will be made available on our website.

If a by-election has been called, you will be able to obtain a copy of the specific timetable for that election from the relevant Returning Officer.

Data protection

Please note that data protection legislation applies to the processing of all personal data. Please contact the Information Commissioner's Office for further information about how the current data protection legislation affects you.

We are here to help, so please contact us if you have any questions. Please see Contacting us for contact details.

Terms and expressions we use

We use ‘must’ when we refer to a specific requirement. We use ‘should’ for items we consider to be minimum good practice, but which are not legal or regulatory requirements.

Throughout this guidance we are using the following abbreviations in respect of each Schedule from The Greater London Authority Elections 2007 Rules:

CMER - Schedule 1 (Constituency Assembly Member elections)
LMER - Schedule 2 (London-wide Assembly Member elections)
MER - Schedule 3 (Mayor of London election)

We use ‘you’ to cover all types of candidates and their agents in this guidance. We refer to candidates who are not included on a party list at the London-wide Assembly Member election as ‘individual candidates at the London-wide Assembly election’.

When we talk about donations, we use ‘you’ to refer to the person who is responsible at the time for dealing with donations.

Mae ein canllawiau wedi'u rhannu'n adrannau, gyda phob un yn delio â rhan wahanol o'r broses y byddwch yn rhan ohoni fel ymgeisydd neu asiant mewn etholiad cyffredinol Senedd y DU ym Mhrydain Fawr.

Pan fyddwch yn clicio ar ddolen yn y rhestr gwelywio ar y dde, bydd yn datgelu'r dolenni i'r canllawiau gwahanol ar gyfer pob adran. Pan fyddwch yn cyrraedd diwedd tudalen, gallwch ddefnyddio'r ddolen ar waelod y dudalen ar y dde i symud i'r dudalen canllawiau nesaf.

Bydd pob adran yn cynnwys dolenni i ffurflenni perthnasol ac i adnoddau gwybodaeth, a fydd wedi'u hymgorffori yn y testun. Mae'r rhain hefyd ar gael drwy ddilyn y ddolen ‘Adnoddau’ ar ddiwedd pob adran ar y goeden gwe-lywio.

Os hoffech argraffu'r holl ganllawiau, gallwch wneud hynny gan ddefnyddio'r ddolen ar frig y dudalen.

Mae ein canllawiau yn cynnwys y camau y bydd angen i ymgeiswyr ac asiantiaid eu dilyn os byddant yn sefyll etholiad llywodraeth leol. Y meysydd a gwmpesir yw:

If your question is about spending or donations, please contact us at:

Email:  [email protected] 

Tel:  0333 103 1928

For any other queries, please contact us at:

Email:  [email protected] 

Tel:  0333 103 1928

London mayor candidate/constituency member candidate/London-wide member election – individual candidates

You can revoke the appointment of your election agent at any time,1 including after polling day, and a new appointment can be made in the same manner as outlined in appointing an election agent for:

• London Mayoral elections
• Constituency Assembly member election
• London-wide member election - individual candidates

If you revoke your election agent’s appointment and do not appoint anyone else, you will be deemed to be your own election agent.2   

If you are acting as your own agent, you can revoke your own appointment and appoint someone else as your agent.

Once an agent has accepted their appointment, they cannot resign and must fulfil the duties required of them unless you revoke their appointment.

London-wide member election – party list candidates

An election agent’s appointment can be revoked at any time, including after polling day, and a new appointment can be made in the same manner as outlined in appointing an election agent. The appointment of a party list election agent can only be revoked by or on behalf of the party and in respect of all the candidates.3  

If an election agent’s appointment is revoked and no-one else is appointed, the first-named person on the party list will be deemed to be the election agent.4   

Once an agent has signed their acceptance, they cannot resign and must fulfil the duties required of them unless their appointment is revoked.

The election agent is the person responsible for the proper management of your election campaign and, in particular, for its financial management. You must have an election agent.1 If you do not appoint an agent, you will become your own agent by default.2   

Because of the responsibilities attached to the role of an election agent you should consider carefully who you are going to appoint and make sure that they understand their obligations. You can be your own agent if you wish.

You, or someone on your behalf, must declare in writing the name and address of your election agent to the GLRO by 4pm on the 24th working day before the poll.3 The declaration should be signed by you (or the person making the declaration on your behalf) and by the agent to show their acceptance of the appointment. The original signed version must be submitted in person or by post, but may not be submitted by fax, e-mail or other electronic means. 

It is helpful to also provide a contact telephone number and email address for your election agent so that they can be easily contacted by the GLRO or a Constituency Returning Officer.

The GLRO will provide a declaration form you can use. If you do not appoint someone else as your agent by the deadline, you will automatically become your own agent.4

Your agent must have an office address to which any legal notices can be delivered and therefore must be a physical address5 – PO boxes or similar mailboxes cannot be used. 

Your agent's office address must be:6

• within Greater London, or
• within a UK Parliamentary constituency that is within or adjoins Greater London

The agent's office address will often be their home address, but it could be the local party office or an office set up for the election. If the person who will be your agent does not want their home address published they should arrange to have an office address.

If you act as your own election agent, unless you provide an office address, your home address as provided on the home address form will be published on the notice of election agents .7 This is the case even where you have chosen to withhold your home address from the statement of persons nominated and ballot paper.

If that address is outside the permitted area, the office address is deemed to be the address of the first subscriber on your nomination form.8

The election agent is the person responsible for the proper management of your election campaign and, in particular, for its financial management. You must have an election agent.1 If you do not appoint an agent, you will become your own agent by default.2   

Because of the responsibilities attached to the role of an election agent you should consider carefully who you are going to appoint and make sure that they understand their obligations. You can be your own agent if you wish.

You, or someone on your behalf, must declare in writing the name and address of your election agent to the CRO by 4pm on the 24th working day before the poll.3 The declaration should be signed by you (or the person making the declaration on your behalf) and by the agent to show their acceptance of the appointment. The original signed version must be submitted in person or by post, but may not be submitted by fax, e-mail or other electronic means. 

It is helpful to also provide a contact telephone number and email address for your election agent so that they can be easily contacted by the CRO.

The CRO will provide a declaration form you can use. If you do not appoint someone else as your agent by the deadline, you will automatically become your own agent.4

Your agent must have an office address to which any legal notices can be delivered and therefore must be a physical address5 – PO boxes or similar mailboxes cannot be used. 

Your agent's office address must be:6

• within Greater London, or
• within a UK Parliamentary constituency that is within or adjoins Greater London

The agent's office address will often be their home address, but it could be the local party office or an office set up for the election. If the person who will be your agent does not want their home address published they should arrange to have an office address.

If you act as your own election agent, unless you provide an office address, your home address as provided on the home address form will be published on the notice of election agents.7

This is the case even where you have chosen to withhold your home address from the statement of persons nominated and ballot paper.

If that address is outside the qualifying area for an agent's office address, you should provide an alternative address within the area.

Party list candidates

The election agent is the person responsible for the proper management of your election campaign and, in particular, for its financial management. A party that has submitted a list of candidates for election as London-wide Assembly Members must have an election agent to act for all of the candidates on the party list.1 If an election agent isn’t appointed by the party, the candidate whose name appears highest on the list of candidates shall be deemed to have been named on behalf of the party for all of the candidates2   

Because of the responsibilities attached to the role of an election agent you should consider carefully who you are going to appoint and make sure that they understand their obligations. You can be your own agent if you wish.

The party, or someone authorised on the behalf of the party, must declare in writing the name and address of your election agent to the GLRO by 4pm on the 24th working day before the poll.3 The declaration should be made by the party (or the person making the declaration on behalf of the party) and by the agent to show their acceptance of the appointment. The original signed version must be submitted in person or by post, but may not be submitted by fax, e-mail or other electronic means. 

It is helpful to also provide a contact telephone number and email address for your election agent so that they can be easily contacted by the GLRO or a Constituency Returning Officer.

The GLRO will provide a declaration form you can use. If the party does not appoint as an agent by the deadline, the first-named candidate on the list becomes the election agent 4

The agent must have an office address to which any legal notices can be delivered and therefore must be a physical address5 – PO boxes or similar mailboxes cannot be used. 

Your agent's office address must be:6

• within Greater London, or
• within a UK Parliamentary constituency that is within or adjoins Greater London

The agent's office address will often be their home address, but it could be the local party office or an office set up for the election. If the person who will be the party list agent, does not want their home address published they should arrange to have an office address.

If the party does not appoint an agent, the first-named candidate on the list becomes the election agent.7 Their office address will be deemed to be the address provided on the home address form by the first-named candidate. This will be published on the notice of election agents. This will be published on the notice of elections agents.8

This is the case even where the candidate has chosen to withhold their home address from the statement of persons nominated and ballot paper.9

If that address is outside the qualifying area for an agents office address, an alternative address within the area should be provided.

Individual candidates

The election agent is the person responsible for the proper management of your election campaign and, in particular, for its financial management. You must have an election agent.10 If you do not appoint an agent, you will become your own agent by default.11   

Because of the responsibilities attached to the role of an election agent you should consider carefully who you are going to appoint and make sure that they understand their obligations. You can be your own agent if you wish.

The party, or someone authorised on the behalf of the party, must declare in writing the name and address of your election agent to the GLRO by 4pm on the 24th working day before the poll.3 The declaration should be made by the party (or the person making the declaration on behalf of the party) and by the agent to show their acceptance of the appointment. The original signed version must be submitted in person or by post, but may not be submitted by fax, e-mail or other electronic means. 

It is helpful to also provide a contact telephone number and email address for your election agent so that they can be easily contacted by the GLRO or a Constituency Returning Officer.

The GLRO will provide a declaration form you can use. If you do not appoint someone else as your agent by the deadline, you will automatically become your own agent.

The agent must have an office address to which any legal notices can be delivered and therefore must be a physical address13 – PO boxes or similar mailboxes cannot be used. 

Your agent's office address must be:14

• within Greater London, or
• within a UK Parliamentary constituency that is within or adjoins Greater London

The agent's office address will often be their home address, but it could be the local party office or an office set up for the election. If the person who will be your agent, does not want their home address published they should arrange to have an office address.

If you act as your own election agent, unless you provide an office address, your home address as provided on the home address form will be published on the notice of election agents.15 If that address is outside the qualifying area for an agent’s office address, you should provide an alternative address within the area.

This is the case even where the candidate has chosen to withhold their home address from the statement of persons nominated and ballot paper.

 An election agent may appoint sub-agents to act on their behalf in any part of the:

• Greater London Authority area
  • for the Mayor of London election and London-wide Assembly Member election
• constituency
  • for the Constituency Member election to the London Assembly

as long as those parts do not overlap.1  

The agent can determine the parts into which they wish to sub-divide the area.

A sub-agent may do anything that the election agent is entitled to do within the area to which they are appointed.

The election agent should ensure that any sub-agent is aware of the election and spending rules, as anything done by a sub-agent will be treated as if it had been done by the election agent. For further information see our guidance on election spending.

Each sub-agent must have an office to which any legal notices can be delivered and therefore must be a physical address2 – PO boxes or similar mailboxes cannot be used. The office of the sub-agent must be in the area within which they are appointed to act.3  

For the Mayor of London election and London-wide Assembly Member election, the election agent must notify the GLRO in writing of the name and address of each sub-agent and the area within the Greater London Authority area within which they have been appointed to act by the second working day before the poll).4  

For the Constituency member election to the London Assembly the election agent must notify the CRO in writing of the name and address of each sub-agent and the area within the constituency within which they have been appointed to act by the second working day before the poll).5  

The relevant Returning Officer will provide a form you can use.

The election agent can revoke the appointment of a sub-agent at any time and appoint someone else in their place. If another sub-agent is appointed, the election agent must declare in writing the name, address, office address and area of appointment to the relevant Returning Officer.6

Y Swyddog Canlyniadau a'r Swyddog Canlyniadau Gweithredol

Mewn etholiad cyffredinol ar gyfer Senedd y DU yng Nghymru a Lloegr, swydd seremonïol yw swydd y Swyddog Canlyniadau ar y cyfan.

Cyfrifoldeb y Swyddog Canlyniadau Gweithredol, sydd fel arfer yn un o uwch swyddogion yr awdurdod lleol, yw gweinyddu'r etholiad.
 
Dim ond derbyn a dychwelyd yr writ a datgan y canlyniad ar ddiwedd y cyfrif a wna'r Swyddog Canlyniadau - er y gall ddewis dirprwyo'r cyfrifoldebau hyn i'r Swyddog Canlyniadau Gweithredol.
 
Yn yr Alban, y Swyddog Canlyniadau ar gyfer etholiad Senedd y DU yw'r Swyddog Canlyniadau ar gyfer etholiadau llywodraeth leol hefyd, ac mae'n gyfrifol am bob agwedd ar weinyddu'r etholiad, gan gynnwys derbyn a dychwelyd yr writ a datgan y canlyniad. Ni ddefnyddir y term Swyddog Canlyniadau Gweithredol yn yr Alban.

Drwy gydol y canllawiau hyn, defnyddir Swyddog Canlyniadau (Gweithredol) i gyfeirio at y Swyddog Canlyniadau Gweithredol yng Nghymru a Lloegr a'r Swyddog Canlyniadau yn yr Alban.

Byddwch yn gallu cysylltu â'r Swyddog Canlyniadau (Gweithredol) dros eich etholaeth drwy gysylltu â'ch swyddfa etholiadau leol. Ceir cyfeiriadau a rhifau ffôn pob swyddfa etholiad yng Nghymru a Lloegr ar ein gwefan. Yn yr Alban, gallwch gysylltu â'r Swyddog Canlyniadau (Gweithredol) drwy'r swyddfa etholiadau yn eich cyngor lleol.

Bydd y Swyddog Canlyniadau (Gweithredol) yn cynnig briffiadau cyn yr etholiad ac rydym yn eich annog chi neu eich asiant i fynd iddynt, hyd yn oed os ydych wedi bod yn asiant neu wedi sefyll etholiad o'r blaen.

Y Swyddog Cofrestru Etholiadol

Y Swyddog Cofrestru Etholiadol sy'n gyfrifol am gynnal y gofrestr etholwyr a rhestrau pleidleiswyr absennol ar gyfer ei ardal awdurdod lleol. Y Swyddog Cofrestru Etholiadol yw un o'r uwch swyddogion yn yr awdurdod lleol fel arfer a gall hefyd gyflawni rôl y Swyddog Canlyniadau (Gweithredol). Ceir manylion cyswllt eich Swyddog Cofrestru Etholiadol  ar ein gwefan.

Y Comisiwn Etholiadol

Rydym yn gorff statudol annibynnol a sefydlwyd ym mis Tachwedd 2000 gan Ddeddf Pleidiau Gwleidyddol, Etholiadau a Refferenda 2000. Cawn ein harwain ar hyn o bryd gan ddeg Comisiynydd, gan gynnwys Cadeirydd. Rydym yn uniongyrchol atebol i Senedd y DU drwy bwyllgor a gadeirir gan Lefarydd Tŷ'r Cyffredin. 

Rydym yn gyfrifol am gofrestru pleidiau gwleidyddol ac ymgyrchwyr nad ydynt yn bleidiau, monitro a chyhoeddi rhoddion sylweddol i bleidiau gwleidyddol cofrestredig a rheoleiddio gwariant ymgyrchwyr plaid a rhai nad ydynt yn bleidiau mewn etholiadau penodol. Mae gennym rôl i'w chwarae hefyd wrth hyrwyddo ymwybyddiaeth ymhlith pleidleiswyr. Mae'n ofynnol i ni adrodd ar weinyddiaeth rhai digwyddiadau etholiadol penodol, arolygu materion etholiadol yn rheolaidd ac, os gofynnir am hynny, adolygu ac adrodd ar unrhyw fater etholiadol. Rydym hefyd yn achredu arsylwyr i fod yn bresennol yn ystod gweithrediadau etholiadau.

Nid ydym yn rhedeg etholiadau ond ni sy'n gyfrifol am roi cyngor a chymorth ar faterion etholiadol i bawb sy'n gysylltiedig ag etholiadau, gan gynnwys Swyddogion Canlyniadau (Gweithredol), Swyddogion Cofrestru Etholiadol, pleidiau gwleidyddol ac ymgeiswyr.

Rydym yma i helpu, felly cysylltwch â ni os oes gennych unrhyw gwestiynau.
 

Y cynharaf y gallwch ddod yn ymgeisydd yn swyddogol yw'r dyddiad y diddymir Senedd y DU.

Byddwch yn dod yn ymgeisydd yn swyddogol ar y diwrnod hwn os byddwch eisoes wedi datgan eich bod yn ymgeisydd yn yr etholiad (neu os bydd rhywun arall wedi datgan eich bod yn ymgeisydd) ar neu cyn y dyddiad hwn.

Os byddwch chi neu eraill yn datgan y byddwch yn ymgeisydd yn yr etholiad ar ôl y dyddiad hwn, byddwch yn dod yn ymgeisydd ar y dyddiad y gwneir y cyfryw ddatganiad, neu ar y dyddiad y cyflwynwch eich papurau enwebu, p'un bynnag fydd gyntaf.

Pan fyddwch wedi dod yn ymgeisydd yn swyddogol, cewch gopi o'r gofrestr etholiadol.
  
Cewch hefyd gopi o'r rhestrau o bleidleiswyr absennol ar gyfer yr etholaeth rydych yn sefyll ynddi. 
Hefyd, gallwch ddefnyddio ystafelloedd a ariennir gan gyllid cyhoeddus ac ysgolion ar gyfer cyfarfodydd cyhoeddus.  
 

Er mwyn sefyll fel ymgeisydd rhaid i chi sicrhau eich bod yn bodloni'r cymwysterau angenrheidiol a bod yn siŵr nad ydych wedi'ch gwahardd. Mae’r adran hon yn nodi’r cymwysterau a’r anghymwysiadau ar gyfer sefyll etholiad.

Ar gyfer etholiadau sy'n cael eu cynnal ar neu ar ôl 2 Mai 2024, mae Deddf Etholiadau 2022 wedi diweddaru ar ba seiliau y gallwch gael eich gwahardd. Mae rhagor o wybodaeth ar gael yn ein canllaw anghymwysiadau.

To be able to stand as a Mayor of London candidate, a Constituency Assembly Member candidate or a London-wide Assembly Member candidate you must:1   

• be at least 18 years old
• For polls up to and including 2 May 2024 - be a British citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Ireland or a citizen of any member state of the European Union
• For polls on or after 7 May 2024 - be a British citizen, an eligible Commonwealth citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Ireland, a qualifying EU citizen or an EU citizen with retained rights
• meet at least one of the following four qualifications:
  • you are, and will continue to be, registered as a local government elector in Greater London from the day of your nomination onwards. More information is set out in our guidance ‘Being a registered local government elector’. 
  • You have occupied as owner or tenant any land or other premises in Greater London during the whole of the 12 months before the day of your nomination and the day of election. More information is set out in our guidance ‘Occupying as owner or tenant any land or other premises in Greater London’. 
  • Your main or only place of work during the 12 months prior to the day of your nomination and the day of election has been in Greater London. More information is set out in our guidance ‘Your main or only place of work is in Greater London'. 
  • You have lived in Greater London during the whole of the 12 months before the day of your nomination and the day of election. More information is set out in our guidance ‘Living in Greater London’.

When completing your home address form and consent to nomination form you will be asked to indicate which qualifications you meet. You should indicate on the form all those qualifications that apply to you.

Meaning of an eligible commonwealth citizen

An eligible Commonwealth citizen is a Commonwealth citizen who either:

• does not need leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom, or
• has indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom
   

Meaning of qualifying EU citizens 

A person is a qualifying EU citizen if they are a citizen of a country with which the UK has a bilateral Voting and Candidacy Rights (VCR) treaty and are resident in the UK with any form of leave to remain, or do not require such leave.  

Currently the UK holds bilateral treaties with the following countries: 

Meaning of EU citizens with retained rights 

A person is an EU citizen with retained rights if they are a citizen of a country with which the UK does not have a bilateral Voting and Candidacy Rights (VCR) treaty but they have been legally resident in the UK since before the UK left the EU on 31/12/2020 (the Implementation Period Completion Date – IPCD) 
The member states of the European Union which do not currently have a bilateral VCR treaty with the UK and are not Commonwealth countries are: 

To be able to use this qualification, your name must appear on any one of the local government electoral registers in Greater London at the time of your nomination and throughout your term of office should you be elected.1 Unlike the other qualifications that must only be satisfied on the day of your nomination and on polling day, this is an ongoing qualification. We therefore recommend that if you meet any of the other qualifications as well, you also indicate this on your home address form and consent to nomination, which are two of the required nomination papers.

To be able to use this qualification, you must have occupied as owner or tenant any land or other premises in Greater London during the whole of the 12 months before the day of your nomination and before polling day.1

You must occupy 'land or other premises' to meet this qualification. The inclusion of the words 'other premises' can be taken as something other than land (i.e. some form of structure). Because 'land' and 'other premises' are alternatives it is, in theory, possible for a person to meet this qualification by occupying land only. There are some structures that might, arguably, fall outside the term 'premises' (e.g. a tent, caravan, house boat or mobile home). However, a person occupying such a structure need only establish occupancy of the land on which, for example their tent, is located.

If the land or premises crosses the Greater London boundary, the land/premises is in that area with respect to both Greater London and the adjoining local authority.

You must also occupy the land or other premises as an 'owner' or 'tenant'. Ownership may be established by showing title to the land or premises in question. Tenancy is established by showing a lease or in certain circumstances another legal interest over the land. In a number of circumstances, a lease will survive even though it has expired and the parties have failed to sign a new lease, and the tenancy survives through tacit agreement between the parties. Therefore, there may be circumstances in which a person's tenancy of land or premises might need to be established by evidence other than a current lease.

You must also have 'occupied' the land or premises. Therefore, in addition to establishing legal ownership or legal tenancy, you must establish that you have actually occupied the land or premises. This is a question of fact in each case. The interpretation of the term 'occupy' in other legal contexts suggests that it is not necessary for a person to be personally resident on the land or premises (which may in any event be covered by the qualification of 'lived in Greater London'). 

However, it does require something to be actually done on the land or premises – an empty unlocked house cannot be described as 'occupied', for example. It also requires a sufficient degree of control to exclude or prevent others from interfering with the land or premises. If you have sub-let all of your land or premises to another person, this will point against you having 'occupied' it yourself.

Finally, you must have occupied the land or premises 'during the whole of the twelve months preceding' the day on which you are nominated and polling day. Whether an absence will prevent you from claiming that you have occupied the land or premises for the preceding year should be worked out by taking into account all other factors: for instance, whether you have allowed others to occupy the land or premises in your absence, and the reason for your absence.

To be able to use this qualification, your main or only place of work must have been in Greater London during the 12 months prior to your nomination and prior to polling day itself. You do not have to be in paid employment to qualify, as long as you satisfy the requirement of your main or only place of work being in Greater London.1  

Assembly Members whose main or only job is being an Assembly Member would be able to use this qualification, provided that their place of work is within Greater London.

To be able to use this qualification, you are not required to have lived at the same address for the whole of the 12 months before the day on which you are nominated, but you must have lived in Greater London during the whole of those 12 months.1

If in the last 12 months you have lived at more than one address in Greater London, you should declare on the home address form all of the addresses at which you have lived during that period. This qualification also requires you to live in Greater London from the date of nomination to polling day.

There is no restriction, other than that set out in 'Can I stand for election in more than one London Assembly constituency?', on standing in more than one contest at the GLA election.  

However, if a candidate who stands for election in both the Mayor of London election and the London Assembly Member constituency election and is successful in both, they will be returned as the Mayor of London but not as a Constituency Assembly Member.

If a candidate is returned either as the London Mayor or as an Assembly Constituency Member, they can not also be returned as a London-wide Assembly Member.

Apart from meeting the qualifications for standing for election, you must also not be disqualified.

The full range of disqualifications is complex and if you are in any doubt about whether you are disqualified, you must do everything you can to check that you are not disqualified before submitting your nomination papers. 

You must be sure that you are not disqualified as you will be asked to sign one of the required nomination papers to confirm that you are not disqualified. 

It is a criminal offence to make a false statement on your nomination papers as to your qualification for being elected, so if you are in any doubt you should contact your employer, consult the legislation or, if necessary, take your own independent legal advice. 

The Returning Officer will not be able to confirm whether or not you are disqualified.  

There are certain people who are disqualified from being elected as the Mayor of London or a Constituency / London-wide Assembly Member. You cannot be a candidate if at the time of your nomination and on polling day: 

• You are a member of staff of the GLA.1 For further information, see Working for the GLA.
• You hold an office or appointment designated by the Secretary of State2 as disqualifying you from being the Mayor of London or a Constituency or London-wide Member of the London Assembly. The Order listing the disqualifying offices and appointments is The Greater London Authority (Disqualification) Order 2000 (as amended). 
• You are a paid officer of a London borough council3 who is employed under the direction of that council’s executive (where executive arrangements are operating) or of committees or joint committees whose membership includes the Mayor of London. For further details, see Certain paid officers at London borough councils.  
• You hold a politically restricted post in a ‘local authority’.4 More information is set out in our guidance on politically restricted posts.
• You are the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order or interim order.5 More information is set out in our guidance on bankruptcy restrictions or interim orders. 
• You have been sentenced to a term of imprisonment of three months or more (including a suspended sentence), without the option of a fine, during the five years before polling day,6 and the ordinary period allowed for making an appeal or applications in respect of the conviction has passed. A person who is in the process of making an appeal or application in relation to the conviction is not disqualified at any time before the end of the day on which the appeal or application is disposed of, abandoned or fails by reason of non-prosecution.7   
• You have been disqualified under the Representation of the People Act 19838   
  • The disqualification for an illegal practice begins from the date a person has been reported guilty by an election court or convicted and lasts for three years. 
  • The disqualification for a corrupt practice begins from the date a person has been reported guilty by an election court or convicted and lasts for five years, unless at any time within that period a court determines that the conviction should not be upheld, in which case the disqualification ends at that time.
  • The disqualification of no return and declaration after election of Mayor of London begins 6 weeks following the day of which the deadline for delivery of returns
• You are subject to the notification requirement of or under Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, and the ordinary period allowed for making an appeal or application in respect of the order or notification has passed.  A disqualification set under s.21A of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 will only apply to a person who is subject to any relevant notification requirements or relevant order made on or after 28 June 2022. A person who is in the process of making an appeal or application in relation to the disqualification is not disqualified at any time before the end of the day on which the appeal or application is disposed of, abandoned or fails by reason of non-prosecution.9   
• For polls on or after 2 May 2024 - you have been convicted of an intimidatory criminal offence10 motivated by hostility towards a candidate, future candidate or campaigner or holder of a relevant elective office. The effect of a disqualification order is that the person will be disqualified from standing for, being elected to, and holding any relevant elective office for five years.

A person may be disqualified from being or becoming a member of certain authorities following a conviction under the Localism Act 2011.11     

A person may also be disqualified from election if they have been disqualified from standing for election following a decision of the First-tier Tribunal (formerly the Adjudication Panel for England), or the Adjudication Panel for Wales.

You are disqualified from standing as a candidate if you are a member of staff of the GLA.1 This disqualification applies on both the date of your nomination and on polling day. If you were employed by the Authority, you must have resigned and served any notice period before the date of your nomination to avoid having a contract of employment with the GLA at that time.

You are disqualified from standing for election as Mayor of London or as an Assembly Member if you are a paid officer of a London borough council and you are employed under the direction of:1

• any of that council’s committees or sub-committees the membership of which includes the Mayor or one or more persons appointed on the nomination of the GLA acting by the Mayor
• a joint committee the membership of which includes one or more members appointed on the nomination of that council and one or more members appointed on the nomination of the GLA acting by the Mayor
• the executive or any committee of the executive of that council, where that council is operating executive arrangements and the membership of which includes the Mayor or one or more persons appointed on the nomination of the GLA acting by the Mayor
• a member of the executive of that council, where the council is operating executive arrangements and that member is also the Mayor or a person appointed on the nomination of the GLA acting by the Mayor

As a general rule, if you work for a London borough council or an organisation funded by the council, you should seek advice from your council’s human resources department to help you establish whether any of the above apply to you. Sometimes employment relationships can be complex and, if this is the case for you, we recommend that you seek your own legal advice.

If you are an employee of a local authority anywhere in Great Britain you must check that you do not hold a politically restricted post. If you hold a politically restricted post, you are disqualified from standing for election as Mayor or as a London Assembly Member.1  

In this context, the term ‘local authority’ includes other public bodies such as the GLA, Transport for London, the London Commissioner, any Mayoral Development Corporation (at the time of writing, the London Legacy Development Corporation and Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation), the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime and elected local policing bodies (Police & Crime Commissioners) and London boroughs.

The posts that are politically restricted are:

• the Head of the Paid Service
• the statutory chief officers (the chief finance officer, chief education officer, chief officer at certain fire brigades or the director of social services)
• non-statutory chief officers (including a person who, as respects all or most of the duties of their post, is required to report directly or is directly responsible to the local authority or any committee or sub-committee of the authority or the head of the authority’s paid service)
• deputy chief officers (a person who, as respects all or most of the duties of their post, is required to report directly or is directly accountable to one or more of the chief officers)
• the monitoring officer 
• officers exercising delegated powers
• assistants to political groups
• a sensitive post which meets one or both of the following duties-related criteria:
  • giving advice on a regular basis to the authority (including committees, sub-committees and joint committees on which the authority is represented)
  • speaking on behalf of the authority on a regular basis to journalists or broadcasters

You should check with the HR department of your employer if you are not sure whether your organisation is a ‘local authority’ for this purpose or if you are unsure whether you hold a politically restricted post.

Ni allwch sefyll mewn mwy nag un etholaeth yn yr un etholiad cyffredinol ar gyfer Senedd y DU.1

The election agent is the person responsible for the proper management of your election campaign and, in particular, for its financial management. 

Everyone must have an election agent.1   

Once appointed, payments for election expenses can only be made by or through the election agent.2 See our guidance for more information about candidate spending.

Who can be an election agent?   

There are no particular qualifications needed to be an election agent and you can be your own agent if you wish.

However, the following people are not allowed to be election agents:3  

• the GLRO, a Constituency Returning Officer or a member of their staff
• a partner or clerk of the GLRO, a CRO or a member of their staff
• anyone not entitled to vote at the election as a result of the report of an election court or a conviction for a corrupt or illegal practice under the Representation of the People Act 1983

Other agents

You can also appoint other agents to observe the following electoral processes, which both you and your election agent are also entitled to observe:

• the opening of postal votes 
• the poll
• the count

The election agent is the person responsible for the proper management of your election campaign and, in particular, for its financial management.1 You must have an election agent.  If you do not appoint an agent, you will become your own agent by default.2

Because of the responsibilities attached to the role of an election agent you should consider carefully who you are going to appoint and make sure that they understand their obligations. You can be your own agent if you wish.

You, or someone on your behalf, must declare in writing the name and address of your election agent to the CRO by 4pm on the 24th working day before the poll.3 The declaration should be signed by you (or the person making the declaration on your behalf) and by the agent to show their acceptance of the appointment. The original signed version must be submitted in person or by post, but may not be submitted by fax, e-mail or other electronic means. 

It is helpful to also provide a contact telephone number and email address for your election agent so that they can be easily contacted by the CRO.

The CRO  will provide a declaration form you can use. If you do not appoint someone else as your agent by the deadline, you will automatically become your own agent.4   

Your agent must have an office address to which any legal notices can be delivered and therefore must be a physical address5 – PO boxes or similar mailboxes cannot be used. 

Your agent's office address must be:6  

• within Greater London, or
• within a UK Parliamentary constituency that is within or adjoins Greater London

The agent's office address will often be their home address, but it could be the local party office or an office set up for the election. If the person who will be your agent does not want their home address published they should arrange to have an office address.

If you act as your own election agent, unless you provide an office address, your home address as provided on the home address form will be published on the notice of election agents.7    

This is the case even where you have chosen to withhold your home address from the statement of persons nominated and ballot paper.

If that address is outside the qualifying area for an agent’s office address, you should provide an alternative address within the area. 

The following section provides guidance on candidate spending at Greater London Authority elections.

This guidance covers:

• how much you can spend in the lead up to the election
• which activities count as candidate spending
• what records you must keep
• how to account for different types of spending

Most of the rules are the same for all candidates, whether they are standing to be Mayor of London, a constituency member or a London-wide member. Where the rules differ, we make this clear throughout the guidance. For example, the different types of candidates have different spending limits and different reporting obligations.

See Who is responsible for candidate spending? for more information about the responsibilities of the agent and candidate.

There are four types of candidates in the elections to the Greater London Authority.

The different types of candidates have different spending limits, reporting deadlines, and may have different regulated periods. You should read this guidance carefully to ensure that you understand your reporting obligations.

Mayor of London

• Candidates for Mayor of London stand across the whole of London. You may represent a party or stand as an independent.

London Assembly

• Constituency candidates stand in one of the 14 constituency seats in London. You may represent a party or stand as an independent.
• Independent candidates for a London-wide seat stand across the whole of London. There are 11 London-wide seats on the London Assembly.
• Candidates standing on a party list for a London-wide seat also stand across the whole of London. A party can name up to 25 candidates on the list.

There is one spending limit for all the candidates standing on the party list, and the party list as a whole has a single election agent.

Spending on promoting any candidate on the list counts towards the spending total for the list as a whole.

Any spending which promotes the party in general in the Greater London Authority elections also counts towards the spending total for the party list.

We call the time when the spending laws apply the ‘regulated period’.

The regulated period

The regulated period begins on the day after the date you officially become a candidate and ends on polling day, 2 May 2024.1

When does a person officially become a candidate?

Candidates standing on a party list for London-wide seats

You officially become a candidate on the date the agent for the party list submits the list to the Greater London Returning Officer. This will be from the date stated on the notice of election until close of nominations, which is 4pm on Wednesday 27 March 2024.2

All other candidates including those for Mayor of London

The earliest date you can officially become a candidate is the last date for publication of the notice of election, which will be Tuesday 19 March 2024.3

You will become a candidate on this date if you or others have already announced your intention to stand.4  For example, your party may have issued a press release when you were selected, or you might have mentioned your intention at a residents’ meeting.

If your intention to stand has not been announced by 19 March 2024, you will officially become a candidate on the earlier of:

• the date your intention to stand is announced
• the date when you submit your nomination papers5

This must be prior to the close of nominations, which is 4pm on Wednesday 27 March 2024.6

There are rules to make sure that spending can be controlled and accurately recorded and reported.

It is your responsibility to fully and accurately report candidate spending. You should ensure you understand the rules and that all spending is properly authorised, recorded and reported.

Once an agent is appointed, only the following people are allowed to incur election spending:

• the agent
• the candidate, and
• anyone authorised by the candidate or agent

By ‘incur’ we mean making a legal commitment to spend the money. If you authorise someone to incur candidate spending, you must do so in writing and be clear how much they can spend and on what.1

The agent rather than the candidate must make payments for most candidate spending.2  There are four exceptions:

• the candidate can pay for items before the agent is appointed3
• the candidate can pay up to a certain amount of personal expenses for travel and accommodation4
• the agent can authorise in writing someone to pay for minor expenses such as stationery or postage. The authorisation must include the amount of the payment.5
• the agent can give written authorisation for someone to incur spending on behalf of the candidate so that the spending does not count towards that person’s ‘permitted sum’ in the police area on campaigning for the candidate (see Local campaigning).6  The person authorised to incur the spending is also able to make the payments for that spending.7

If any payments are made by anyone other than the candidate, agent or sub-agent – for example by a person authorised in writing to incur spending – then this will be a donation to the candidate if it is over £50 (and it is not reimbursed by the agent).8  See Candidate donations for more on donations.

Candidates who are not standing on a party list can also act as their own election agents.9  In contrast, there is one spending limit for all the candidates standing on the party list, and the party list as a whole has a single election agent.10  You should make sure that your volunteers and campaigners are aware of these rules and know who can and cannot incur or pay costs.

You must keep within the spending limit. You must keep records of your spending and donations so that you can complete your spending and donations return after the election.

During the regulated period, spending on any of the following activities will count as candidate spending if the activity promotes the candidate:

• advertising of any kind.1  For example, the costs of a statement included in the information booklet produced by London Elects, posters, newspaper adverts, websites, or videos
• unsolicited material sent to voters.2  For example, letters, leaflets, or emails you send that aren’t in response to specific queries
• transport costs.3  For example, hire cars or public transport for your campaigners
• public meetings.4  For example, reimbursing expenses of attendees, hiring premises and paying for goods, services or facilities for a public meeting
• staff costs.5  For example, an agent’s salary, or staff seconded to you by their employer. You do not need to include time spent on your campaign by volunteers
• accommodation.6  For example, your campaign office
• administrative costs.7  For example, telephone bills, stationery, photocopying and the use of databases

This includes:

• all costs associated with an activity. For example, if you are producing leaflets or advertising, you must include the design and distribution costs
• items or services bought before the regulated period that you use during the regulated period
• some items or services given to you free of charge or at a discount that you make use of during the regulated period. See Notional spending for more information.

This spending must be reported in your spending return after the election. More details on each category are given on the following pages.

General costs

This includes the cost of use, or hire, of any:

• agency, individual or organisation
• services provided by any agency, individual or organisation
• premises or facilities
• equipment

that is used to:

• prepare, produce or facilitate the production of advertising material
• disseminate advertising material by distribution or otherwise

Software

It includes the cost of any software, of any kind, for use on any device to:

• design and produce advertising material in-house
• disseminate or facilitate dissemination of advertising material

whether that material is distributed digitally, electronically or via other means.

Services, facilities and equipment

It includes the cost of use, or hire, of any:

• agency, individual or organisation
• services provided by any agency, individual or organisation
• premises or facilities
• equipment 

used to

• prepare, produce or facilitate the production of digital or electronic advertising material
• distribute or facilitate the dissemination of that advertising material via any means 

including any cost attributable to increasing the visibility of content by any means.

Websites and other digital material

It includes the costs of:

• hosting and maintaining a website or other electronic/digital material that promotes the candidate 
• designing and building the website
• a portion of any website or material that is set up to obtain funds for the candidate but also promotes the candidate during the regulated period 

Material for sharing

It includes the cost of preparing, producing or facilitating the production of advertising material for:

• downloading and use by others
• posting on and promoting the candidate via any kind of social media channel or platform

Downloadable material

If you put material on a website for people to print off for their personal use, such as window posters or petition forms, the design and website costs count as candidate spending. You do not need to count people’s print costs against your spending limit unless people are printing documents on your behalf.

If the material could be printed and distributed to voters – for instance a leaflet – you will need to make it clear how you expect people to use it. 

If you authorise wider use of the material, the production costs may count as candidate spending whoever does the printing.   

Networks

It includes the cost of accessing, purchasing, developing and maintaining any digital or other network which:

• facilitates distribution or dissemination of advertising material by any means
• promotes or increases the visibility of advertising material by any means 

Other costs that are included

It includes the cost of any rights or licensing fee for any image used in producing advertising material.

It includes the cost of:

• paper or any other medium on which advertising material is printed
• physically displaying advertising in any location, for example cable ties or glue for putting up posters

It includes the cost of purchase, hire or use of:

• photocopying equipment
• printing equipment

for use in the candidate’s election campaign, except where:

• the equipment was acquired by the candidate principally for the candidate’s own personal use
• it is provided by another individual, the equipment was acquired by that individual for their own personal use and the candidate is not charged for the use of it

Where paper, photocopying equipment or a printer is purchased or hired principally for use in the campaign, the full cost must be reported.

It includes the cost of purchase and use of any other equipment in connection with:

• preparation, production or facilitating the production of the advertising material
• dissemination by distribution or otherwise of the advertising material

It includes the cost of food and/or accommodation for any individual who provides services in connection with advertising material for the candidate that is paid for or reimbursed by the candidate, the candidate’s party or another third party.

Information booklet

Candidates for Mayor of London can choose to have a ‘mini-manifesto’ in the information booklet produced by London Elects.

If you do, you must record the amount you pay as election spending. 

More details on the information booklet will be available from London Elects in due course.

• costs that are reasonably attributable to the candidate’s disability1
• anything (except adverts) appearing in a newspaper, periodical or on a licensed broadcast channel2
• facilities you use because you are entitled to do so as a candidate, such as a public room for a meeting3
• volunteer time including time spent by your staff that you do not pay them for4
• use of someone’s main residence, provided free of charge5
• use of someone’s personal car or other means of transport, acquired principally for that person’s personal use and provided free of charge6
• use of someone’s computing or printing equipment acquired principally for that person’s personal use and provided free of charge7
• reasonable expenses attributable to the protection of persons or property, for example hiring security, using a PO Box to avoid publicising a home or office address on imprints, or purchasing antivirus software for protecting campaign computers8

Personal expenses include the reasonable travel and living expenses (such as hotel costs) of the candidate.1  Personal expenses do not count towards the spending limit but you must report them on your spending return.2

Personal expenses may include car hire for the candidate if the candidate does not already own a car, or if their car is not suitable for campaigning. For example, if you are standing in a rural electoral area, it may be reasonable to hire a four-wheel drive vehicle to access remote areas.

A candidate can only pay up to a certain amount of personal expenses. The agent must pay any sums above this amount.

The amounts are:

• £5,000 for a candidate to be Mayor of London3
• £600 for a candidate to be a constituency member4
• £900 for candidates to be a London-wide member5

Candidates must provide a written statement of their personal expenses to their agent within 21 days of the result being declared.6

In some instances, people spend money to promote a candidate without providing or transferring something for the candidate’s use or benefit during the campaign. Likewise, people may spend money to criticise a candidate or encourage voters not to support them.

Organisations or individuals, who are not standing as candidates at the elections, who campaign for or against a candidate in a ward or other electoral area are known as ‘local non-party campaigners’. This is also known as spending under section 75 of the Representation of the People Act 1983.

Local non-party campaigners can spend up to £50 plus 0.5p per elector campaigning for or against a candidate in the electoral area in question. This is known as the permitted sum. It applies once the candidate is officially a candidate (see When does a person officially become a candidate?).

The number of electors is the number of electors registered to vote on the last day for publication of the notice of election in the electoral area in question.1  You should ask London Elects for the specific number of registered electors on this day to calculate your permitted sum.

A local non-party campaigner cannot spend more than this permitted sum without the agent’s written authorisation to incur the additional spending, which will count towards the candidate’s spending limit.2

If a local non-party campaigner incurs spending over the permitted sum, then this additional spending must be reported by them to the Returning Officer within 21 days of the result being declared.3  There is a separate return and declaration that must be completed for the local non-party campaigner to report authorised expenses.

The authorised expenses must also be included in the candidate’s spending return.4  Money that is incurred by campaigners in local campaigns that has been authorised by the agent is candidate spending and counts towards the spending limit.5

The authorised expenses may also be paid by the person authorised to incur them.6  If they do make the payments, and the spending is over £50, then this will be a donation to the candidate and must be reported in the spending return.7

See Incurring and making payments for candidate spending and Candidate donations for more information.

Non-party campaigners planning a local campaign should read our guidance for local non-party campaigners.

Local campaigning by parties

Parties must also be aware that any spending by the party on local campaigning for one of their candidates that is not authorised by the agent, will count as party spending.8  At elections covered by party regulated period, this spending must be included in the party's spending return.9

By law there must be a UK Parliamentary general election by 28 January 2025. This means that it is likely that campaigning at the Greater London Authority elections in May 2024 will be covered by a party regulated period.

In contrast, any authorised expenses will only need to appear in the local campaigning forms and candidate spending return as above.

Sometimes, you may need to split your costs between activities that count as candidate spending and those that don’t.

For example, between:

• items used both before and during the regulated period
• your campaign spending and other activities such as an office that you share with your party
• leaflets that promote both your party’s Mayoral candidate and a constituency candidate

In all cases you should make an honest assessment, based on the facts, of the proportion of expenditure that can fairly be attributed to your candidate spending.

For example, if you are sharing a party office, the telephone bill may only provide a breakdown of the cost of calls over a certain value.

In these cases, you should consider the best way of making an honest assessment on the information you have. For example, you could compare the bill with one that does not cover a regulated period.  

It is your responsibility to report your candidate spending fully and accurately. You should ensure you understand the rules and that all spending is properly authorised, recorded, and reported.

After the election, you will have to sign a declaration to declare that it is complete and correct to the best of your knowledge and belief.1

It is an offence to knowingly make a false declaration.2

If you are still not sure, call or email us for advice.

Splitting costs between campaigns for different candidates

If your party is standing candidates for more than one role at the Greater London Authority, you are likely to produce materials and hold events that promote more than one candidate.

In these cases, you will need to split spending between the different contests. You should do so by making an honest assessment, based on the facts, of the proportion of the cost that can be fairly attributed to each candidate’s spending, as above.

If you are not acting as the agent for all the candidates, you should agree the split with any other agents concerned.

Spending by candidates standing on a party list does not need to be split as there is a single limit for the whole list.

Political parties will often spend money at elections, promoting the party in general as well as particular candidates.

At the Greater London Authority elections, parties who stand candidates on a London-wide list have their own spending limit for campaigning. This covers spending promoting party list candidates, as well as spending promoting the party in general.

Sometimes spending by parties to promote the party is also spending promoting a candidate. In these cases, the spending may be reportable by the candidate.

What is spending to promote the candidate?

If an activity is aimed at voters in the electoral area in which the candidate is standing to promote or secure the election of that candidate, then it is spending to promote the candidate.

For example, activity promoting a party will be regarded as promoting a candidate whenever the item either:

• identifies the specific candidate
• identifies the specific electoral area in which the candidate is standing

Where material is distributed across a number of electoral areas, you will need to apportion the costs of the activity.

Where material:

• features a candidate
• is distributed across a wider area than just the specific electoral area in which that candidate is standing

a proportion of the cost of that material will be regarded as used for the purposes of the candidate’s election.

The proportion that will be regarded as used for the purposes of the candidate’s election is the cost of distribution in that candidate’s specific electoral area.

If you are in any doubt as to whether spending is or will be candidate or party spending, you should contact us.

For more information on political party campaign spending, see our guidance on party campaign spending.

Please see Splitting spending for further information on apportioning spending.

Spending by the party that promotes the candidate

Spending that should be partially attributed to both the party and the candidate

Spending that doesn’t promote the candidate

Please see the next section for guidance on assessing how to report spending.

After the election, the candidate must provide a written statement of their personal expenses to their agent within 21 days of the result being declared.1

The agent must meet deadlines for:

• receiving and paying invoices
• sending a spending and donations return to the Returning Officer

Both the agent and the candidate must also submit declarations that the return is complete and accurate.2

You must still submit a return and declarations even if you haven’t spent any money.3  This is called a ‘nil return’.

You can find these deadlines, and more information on reporting, in After the election.

The following section provides guidance on candidate donations at Greater London Authority elections.

This guidance covers:

• what counts as a donation
• who you can accept donations from
• the checks you need to make on different types of donors
• how to value different types of donations
• best practices for crowdfunding donations
• the information you need to record

• Encourage people who are not on the electoral register to apply for registration. The deadline for registering to vote in time for the GLA elections is 12 working days before the poll.1 Individuals can register online at https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. 
• Remind voters who wish to vote in person that they will be required to produce an accepted form of photographic ID to prove their identity before they will be issued with a ballot paper. Where an individual does not have or does not wish to use an accepted form of photographic ID, they can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate. See our website for more information on the accepted forms of photographic ID and Voter Authority Certificates.
• Help voters with information about postal and proxy voting and encourage voters to apply online at https://www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote or https://www.gov.uk/apply-proxy-vote. The deadline for applying for a postal vote for the elections is 5pm, 11 working days before the poll.2 The deadline for applying for a proxy vote for the elections is 5pm, 6 working days before the poll,3 although in some circumstances electors may apply for an emergency proxy up to 5pm on polling day.4 An elector can apply for an emergency proxy if, after 5pm, 6 working days before the poll, they have had a medical emergency or have been called away on business or the photographic ID that they intended to use in the polling station becomes unavailable and they do not have an alternative form of accepted photographic ID.

Find more information about who can register to vote and postal and proxy voting on our website.

• Make sure any application forms you develop include all the required information, otherwise the applications will be rejected. In particular, you must make sure that the signature and date of birth fields on postal and proxy application forms are in the correct format and that there is a field for applicants to include their National Insurance number. You should use our absent voting application forms as a guide and you should liaise with the ERO who may be able to provide you with forms you can use. To help ensure that voters applications are received and processed as quickly as possible, you can also let them know that they can apply for an absent vote online at https://www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote and https://www.gov.uk/apply-proxy-vote.
• Inform voters to return their completed application forms to the ERO as soon as practicable. Campaigners should not collect completed paper applications from voters and should not ask voters to send completed applications to campaigners’ addresses.
• Never handle or take any completed ballot paper or postal ballot pack from voters.
• Make sure your supporters follow the Code of conduct for campaigners in Great Britain – this will help them to avoid situations where their honesty or integrity could be questioned.
• Make sure your supporters are courteous when dealing with other candidates and their supporters.
• Be aware of the deadlines for appointing an election agent, and agents to attend postal vote opening sessions, polling stations and the count. Deadlines are set out in our guidance for postal voting, polling day and the verification and count.
• Check our guidance on how postal vote openings, the voting process and the count will work so that you know what you can expect to happen 
• Check that your systems for recording spending and donations are working. For more information see our guidance on donations and election spending.
   

• Knowingly make a false statement about the personal character of a candidate.1  
• Pay canvassers.2 Canvassing means trying to persuade an elector to vote for or against a particular candidate or party.

More information on election offences and how to report these can be found in our guidance on offences.

If either you or your election agent have made a mistake and have acted in contravention of the rules, you can apply for relief from the consequences of having made a mistake. See our guidance on what to do if you have made a mistake for more information.

For polls on or after 2 May 2024

The Elections Act 2022 introduced legislation which restricts the handling of postal voting documents by campaigners. The legislation will be in force for polls held on or after 2 May 2024. 

You will need to make sure your supporters are aware that it is an offence to handle completed ballot papers or postal ballot packs for voters who are not close family or someone they care for3 and to follow the Code of conduct for campaigners in Great Britain. This will help them to avoid situations where their honesty or integrity could be questioned.

Rhaid i chi wneud y canlynol:

• Defnyddio argraffnodau ar eich holl ddeunydd ymgyrchu argraffedig ac unrhyw ddeunydd ymgyrchu electronig a ddylunnir i'w argraffu'n lleol. 1  Dylech sicrhau bod yr argraffnod yn glir ac yn weladwy. Ceir rhagor o wybodaeth yn ein canllawiau ar ddefnyddio argraffnodau.
• Cydymffurfio â rheolau cynllunio sy'n ymwneud â byrddau hysbysebu a baneri mawr 2  – dylech ofyn i'r awdurdod lleol perthnasol am gyngor.
• Sicrhau bod posteri awyr agored yn cael eu tynnu'n ddi-oed ar ôl yr etholiad – rhaid i chi wneud hyn o fewn pythefnos i ddiwedd yr etholiad. 3

Dylech wneud y canlynol:

• Cynnwys argraffnod ar unrhyw ddeunydd ymgyrchu nas argreffir, gan gynnwys gwefannau.
• Ystyried sut i sicrhau bod eich ymgyrch yn hygyrch i bob pleidleisiwr – er enghraifft pleidleiswyr anabl neu bleidleiswyr nad Cymraeg na Saesneg yw eu hiaith gyntaf, neu efallai y bydd angen darparu deunydd ymgyrchu Cymraeg mewn fformat penodol. Gallech gysylltu â grwpiau anabledd yn eich ardal leol am gyngor.

Rhaid i chi beidio â gwneud y canlynol:

• Cynhyrchu deunydd sy'n edrych fel y cardiau pleidleisio a anfonir at bleidleiswyr. 4
• Talu pobl i arddangos eich hysbysebion (oni fyddant yn arddangos hysbysebion fel rhan o'u busnes arferol). 5
   

Access by Mayor of London candidates, Constituency Assembly Member candidates and individual candidates at the London-wide Assembly Member election

Candidates at the election of the Mayor of London, Constituency Assembly Member candidates, and individual candidates at the London-wide Assembly Member election are entitled to receive a copy of the electoral register and lists of people voting by post or proxy (‘the lists of absent voters’) once they officially become a candidate.1

• Mayoral and individual candidates at the London-wide Assembly elections are entitled to copies for the whole of the Greater London Authority area
• Constituency candidates are entitled to copies covering the constituency they are standing in

Access to the electoral register may be helpful before a candidate officially becomes a candidate and is eligible to receive it. For example, one of the requirements to become a validly nominated candidate at the election of the Mayor of London is to obtain subscribers in support of the nomination.

Candidates at the election of the Mayor of London who wish to use the register to prepare for their nomination in advance of the time they officially become a candidate, may inspect the electoral register under supervision at the relevant local authority. However, only hand written notes may be taken.

Access by party lists

The election agent of a registered political party that has submitted a list of candidates for the London-wide Assembly Member election is entitled to a copy of the electoral register and lists of absent voters for the whole of Greater London.2 The register and lists can only be supplied to the election agent after the party has submitted a list of candidates for the London-wide Assembly election.

Registered political parties are, however, entitled to obtain and use the electoral register and absent voters lists at any time for electoral purposes and, in the case of the register, for the checking of donations.

There are two registers

Using information received from the public, registration officers keep two registers.

The electoral register 
The electoral register lists the names and addresses of everyone who is registered to vote in public elections. The register is used for electoral purposes, such as making sure only eligible people can vote. It is also used for other limited purposes specified in law, such as detecting crime (e.g. fraud), calling people for jury service, checking credit applications.

The open register (also known as the edited register)
The open register is an extract of the electoral register, but is not used for elections. It can be bought by any person, company or organisation. For example, it is used by businesses and charities to confirm name and address details. Electors can request not to have their name and address included in the open register.

Copies of the electoral register and lists of absent voters can be obtained from the relevant Electoral Registration Officer (ERO). The ERO will have been appointed for each local authority area within Greater London to maintain the electoral registers. You can find their contact details on our website.

The request must be made in writing1 and we have made a register request form and an absent voters’ lists request form available for this purpose.

The register and lists will be supplied in electronic format unless you specifically request a paper copy.

The version of the electoral register and lists supplied will be the ones current at the time of your request. You may also request the updates to the electoral registers and lists that are published in the lead-up to the poll, including the list of newly registered electors when it is published five working days before the poll.

Any person found breaching the restrictions on use of the electoral register could face an unlimited fine. For more information see our guidance on restriction on the use of the electoral register

The electoral register and lists of absent voters contain people’s personal data and so their use is very carefully controlled.

The register and the absent voting lists can be used to:

• help with campaigning
• check that donations are permissible

Additionally, candidates at the Mayor of London election can use the register to complete their nomination form.

You must not release to any person any details that appear only in the electoral register and not on the open register which is available for general sale. You must not use the electoral register and lists of absent voters for any other purpose not listed above.1  

If copies of the electoral register or lists of absent voters have been supplied to party list candidates and/or campaign workers, they must also comply with the requirements above. 

You must ensure that you keep both the electoral register and the lists of absent voters secure.2 Once you no longer need the register and lists of absent voters for any electoral purpose, you should securely destroy any copies supplied to you as a candidate in accordance with the Information Commissioner’s guidelines.

You may want to engage with the public at public meetings, promoting your views and responding to questions from the audience.

Any candidate at the Mayor of London election, as well as any Constituency Assembly Member candidate and individual candidate at the London-wide Assembly election is entitled to use publicly funded rooms and schools for public meetings from the point they officially become a candidate until the day before polling day.1

A party list candidate has this right once the party’s nomination form and list of candidates has been submitted.2  

Candidates at the election of the Mayor of London and all London Assembly Member candidates can use rooms throughout Greater London. 

Constituency Member candidates are entitled to use rooms in the constituency they are contesting (or, if they are unavailable, rooms in an adjoining constituency).

You should contact the owner of the premises to make a booking, giving reasonable notice to reduce the risk of the request being refused. Your right to use the room does not include hours during which a school is used for educational purposes or when any prior letting of a room has been agreed.

There is no hire charge for using these rooms, but you must pay for any expenses incurred, such as heating, lighting and cleaning, and for any damage to the premises.

The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) keeps a list of the location and availability of meeting rooms in their area. They will make this list available for inspection by candidates and election agents (and persons authorised by them) from the day the notice of election is published. 

Contact details for EROs can be found on our website.

If you are a Mayoral candidate, you have an opportunity to tell voters about yourself and your policies in the Mayoral booklet produced by the Greater London Returning Officer (GLRO). It is called an election address.1 An election address is a campaign statement that a mayoral candidate makes to the electorate to persuade electors to vote for them.

The GLRO will produce a booklet with the election addresses of all candidates who want to be included in it and who have contributed to the production cost of the booklet. The booklet will be sent to all households in London before polling day.

The fee for including an address in the booklet is £10,000. This goes towards printing and distribution costs.
Payment must be made by one of the following:

• a UK banker’s draft made out to ‘Greater London Authority’
• electronic funds transfer
• legal tender (cash in British pounds only). Payments made by cash will be subject to money laundering checks

The GLRO will advice on the deadline for payment to be made for the address to be included in the booklet.

There are strict guidelines on what candidates are permitted to include in their addresses.2 Every address must be signed off by the GLRO before it is accepted for inclusion in the booklet.

More detailed guidelines on Mayoral addresses will be issued by the GLRO and included in the nominations pack.

The following table shows a number of electoral and non-electoral offences of which you should be aware. You should seek your own legal advice where necessary.

The Elections Act 2022 introduced legislation which made changes to some electoral offences. The table below highlights the offences that will change when the legislation is in force for polls held on or after 2 May 2024.
 

If you are concerned that electoral fraud may have been committed, you should first speak to the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) or the relevant Returning Officer (CRO/GLRO). 

They may be able to explain whether or not electoral fraud has been committed, and can refer your concerns to the police if necessary. They can also provide you with the details of the police contact for the relevant police force so that you can report the allegation yourself.

If you have evidence that an electoral offence has been committed you should contact the police immediately, using the 101 non-emergency number unless there is a crime in progress, in which case you should use the standard 999 emergency line. 

Every police force has a dedicated Single Point of Contact Officer who will be able to provide advice to ensure that your allegations are properly investigated. You should be prepared to give them a statement and substantiate your allegation. 

If you do not want to give a statement to the police, you can report your concerns anonymously on the Crimestoppers website or by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

You can find contact details of EROs on our website.

The names and contact details of the Constituency Returning Officers are available on the London Elects website and the GLRO can be contacted through London Elects.

Please note that if your allegation relates to party, election or registered campaigner finance matters, such as spending or donations, then you should follow the advice given on our website.

The following sections provide guidance on standing as a candidate at the Mayor of London election.

The guidance covers:

• the nomination process, including what forms you need to complete
• when and how you need to submit your nomination papers
• what happens after you submit your nomination papers

There are specific rules that candidates need to follow, depending on whether they are standing as a political party candidate or standing as an independent candidate. These differences will be clearly highlighted throughout the guidance.

Guidance on standing for other elections can be found on our website. 

To become nominated as a candidate at the Mayor of London election, you need to submit a completed set of nomination papers to the place fixed by the Greater London Returning Officer (GLRO) with a £10,000 deposit by 4pm, 24 working days before the poll.1   

This deadline is set out in law and cannot be changed for any reason. 

The start date from which you will be able to submit nomination papers, as well as the times and place for delivery, will be set out in the notice of election published by the GLRO.2       

There are three nomination papers that you must submit to make your nomination valid:3  

• the nomination form
• a home address form
• your consent to nomination

The GLRO can hold your nomination paper invalid if the particulars of your nomination are not as required by law.4 The GLRO can also reject your nomination if they conclude it is clearly a sham, for example an obviously fictitious name is provided.

You can obtain all of the relevant nomination papers from the GLRO.

If you, your agent or someone you trust are unable to complete the nomination form, the GLRO can help by preparing the form for your signature.5  

London Elects will offer informal checks of your completed nomination papers before you submit them. You will be able to book an appointment by contacting London Elects.

Note that any information you provide on your nomination papers must be true to the best of your knowledge. It is an offence to provide a false statement on your nomination papers.6 Providing a false statement could invalidate your election, and is also punishable by an unlimited fine and/or imprisonment.

Your name, address and description (if you choose to use one) should be written on the nomination form before you ask subscribers to sign the form.  

The nomination form must be completed in English. 

The form must contain: 

Your full name1

• this means your surname and other names in full
• using initials only could lead to your nomination paper being rejected
• do not use prefixes such as Mr, Mrs, Dr or Cllr as part of your name
• the same applies to suffixes. However, if you have a title, you can use this as your full name. For example, if your actual name is Joseph Smith but your hereditary title is Joseph Avon, you can use the name Joseph Avon as your full name

Signatures of 330 registered electors2    

• also known as subscribers
• you need 10 subscribers from each London borough and 10 from the City of London 
• your subscribers must be on the local government electoral register that is in force on the last day for publication of the notice of election - or more information on subscribers see our guidance on signatures of subscribers.

Description

You can also choose to use a description on your nomination paper. The type of description you can use depends on whether you are an independent or party candidate.  

You do not have to use a description. If you choose not to use a description, you can leave the description field of the nomination form blank.

Each nomination form needs to be signed (subscribed) by 330 electors – 10 from each London Borough and 10 from the City of London.

The electors must be of voting age by polling day and be on the register that is in force on the last day for publication of notice of election.1 Each subscriber must sign under the heading of the local authority in which they are registered.

An elector must not subscribe more than one valid nomination form for the same Mayor of London election.

You should therefore always enquire, before asking a subscriber to sign your form, if they have already signed someone else's.

If your nomination form is subscribed by someone who has signed another candidate’s form and that form is submitted first, your nomination will be held invalid.

When the nomination form is formally submitted, if it contains the signatures of more than the required number of electors assenting to the nomination, only the first 10 signatures from each London borough or the City of London will be accepted. If any of these subscribers is invalid, the GLRO must hold the nomination form invalid, regardless of whether the form contains more than the required 10 signatures from each London borough and the City.

There may be some electors on the register who have registered anonymously because of risks to their safety. Anonymously registered electors may not subscribe nomination forms. 

Anonymous electors are shown on the register with just their poll number and the letter 'N' (rather than with their name and address).

Nomination forms should not be altered once they are subscribed. All of your details should be completed before you invite anyone to subscribe your nomination. 

Once the GLRO has formally accepted a nomination form, signatures cannot be withdrawn.

The elector number

The elector number of each subscriber, as it appears on the electoral register, must be entered on the nomination form.2 The elector number includes the distinctive numbers or letters of the polling district, which can usually be found at the front of the register. 

The ERO for each London borough and the City of London will be able to advise you how the register is laid out.

Entitlement to the electoral register

As a Mayoral candidate, you will be entitled to a free copy of the electoral registers for the Greater London area.3   

You should use the registers to ensure that your nomination form is properly subscribed. 

In line with data protection legislation and the electoral provision under which you have obtained the register, you must ensure that you keep the electoral register secure and, once you have finished with it, ensure that it is securely destroyed.

Data protection considerations

When collecting subscriber information, you should point out what the information will be used for and how personal data will be processed and kept secure. The lawful basis to collect the information in this form is that it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest and exercise of official authority as set out in Representation of the People Act 1983 and associated regulations.

You should also explain that the information will be shared with GLRO. For further information on data protection and processing you should refer to the GLRO’s privacy notice on their website.

Data protection legislation applies to the processing of all personal data. Please contact the Information Commissioner’s Office for further information about how the current data protection legislation may affect you as a candidate.

The Elections Act 2022 introduced legislation which permits greater flexibility in the names a candidate can put on their nomination paper (and therefore, the ballot paper). This new legislation will be in force for the scheduled polls on 2 May 2024. 

If you:

• commonly use a surname or forename that is different from any other surname or forename you have 
• use one or more forenames or surname in a different way from the way they are stated on your nomination form

you may state your commonly used name or names on your nomination form in addition to your full names that you have provided.1

Any commonly used name(s) would then appear on:

• the statement of persons and parties nominated
• and, in the case of individual candidates not standing on behalf of a political party, the notice of poll, and 
• the ballot papers

Decisions on Commonly Used Names

The GLRO will disallow commonly used names that are likely to mislead or confuse electors, or are obscene or offensive.2  If the name(s) are not permissible, the GLRO will write to the candidate stating the reason for rejection.3 In those cases, the candidate’s actual name will be used instead.

If either the commonly used forename or surname box on the nomination paper is left blank, then the candidate’s actual forename or surname, depending on which commonly used name box has been left blank, will be used.

It is an offence to give a false statement on nomination forms.4 Therefore if candidates choose to provide a commonly used name they must ensure that it is a forename or surname which they commonly use.
 

You must formally consent to your nomination in writing. 1

The content of the consent to nomination form is fixed by law and you must return the entire form in order for your nomination to be valid.

On the form you will be asked to state that you are qualified and not disqualified from standing. 

You must meet at least one of the qualifications to stand for election.2 On the consent to nomination form you should state as many of the qualifications as apply.  

You must also state your date of birth.3

You are not allowed to sign the consent form earlier than one calendar month before the deadline for submitting your nomination papers.4  

Your signature must be witnessed and the witness must attest the form.5

The witness’s full name and home address in full must be provided on the home address form.6

There are no restrictions on who can be a witness to the consent to nomination.

The home address form must state:1  

• your full name 
• your home address in full
• your qualifying address, or, where you have declared on your consent to nomination that you meet more than one qualification, your qualifying addresses
• which of the qualifications your qualifying address or addresses relate to
• the full name and the home address in full of the witness to your consent to nomination form

Your home address:

• must be completed in full
• must not contain abbreviations
• must be your current home address 
• must not be a business address (unless you run a business from your home)

The qualifying address:2  

Where you have selected one of the following options on the consent to nomination you must state:

• option (a) on the consent to nomination - the address in full where you are registered as a local government elector for Greater London
• option (b) on the consent to nomination - a description and the address of that land or premises in Greater London which you have occupied as owner or tenant
• option (c) on the consent to nomination - the address of your place of work in Greater London
• option (d) on the consent to nomination - the address or addresses in Greater London in full of where you have resided

Choosing not to publish your home address

You may choose for your home address not to be published on the statement of persons nominated or the ballot paper. 

In this case the home address form must contain, as well as your full name and home address:3

• a statement, signed by you, which states that you require your home address not to be made public
• the name of the relevant area in which your home address is situated (if your home address is in the UK)
• if you live outside the UK, the name of the country in which your home address is situated

If you act as your own election agent, unless you provide an office address, your home address as provided on the home address form will still be published on the notice of election agents.4 This is the case even where you have chosen to withhold your home address from the statement of persons nominated and ballot paper.

What is the relevant area?

The relevant area means:

• For home addresses in England:
  • if the address is within a district for which there is a district council, that district;
  • if the address is within a county in which there are no districts with councils, that county;
  • if the address is within a London borough, that London borough;
  • if the address is within the City of London (including the Inner and Middle Temples), the City of London; and
  • if the address is within the Isles of Scilly, the Isles of Scilly
• For home addresses in Wales:
  • if the address is within a county, that county;
  • if the address is within a county borough, that county borough
• For home addresses in Scotland:
  • the local government area in which the address is situated
• For home addresses in Northern Ireland:
  • the local government district in which the address is situated

This section provides specific information for candidates standing on behalf of a political party on the additional information required to be submitted as part of their nomination papers.

To stand on behalf of a registered political party, the party must be registered on the Commission’s register of political parties and be listed as allowed to field candidates in England,1 and you will also need to submit the following papers:

• The certificate of authorisation
• Request to use an emblem

Political parties authorise candidates to stand for them by issuing a certificate of authorisation. This must state that the named candidate can stand on their behalf and allow them to use one of the following:1  

• the exact party name as registered with the Commission
• one of the party’s registered descriptions
• your choice of either the registered party name or one of the registered descriptions.

Particular care should be taken by the Nominating Officer (or someone authorised to act on their behalf) when completing the certificate of authorisation. If the certificate explicitly authorises a particular party name/description and this does not match the party name/description on the nomination paper, the whole nomination will be invalid.2

The certificate of authorisation must be signed by the registered Nominating Officer of the political party or by someone authorised by the Nominating Officer to act on their behalf.3 It must be received by the Greater London Returning Officer by the nominations deadline, 4pm on the twenty-fourth working day before the poll.4

If you are standing on behalf of two or more parties, you will need a certificate of authorisation from the Nominating Officer of each of the registered parties (or people authorised to act on their behalf).5 Joint descriptions are listed on the Commission’s register of political parties on the registration page for the relevant parties.

If you have been authorised by a political party to use the party name or a registered description on the ballot paper, you can also request that one of the party's official emblems is printed on the ballot paper next to your name. 

You must make the request for an emblem in writing and deliver it to the Greater London Returning Officer (GLRO). The request must be received by the GLRO by 4pm, 24 working days before the poll.1

A party can register up to three emblems. You may want to check with your party (e.g. the nominating officer or someone authorised to act on their behalf) which emblem to use. Make sure you request a current emblem.

Candidates standing on behalf of two or more registered parties and using a joint description can use an emblem that has been registered by one of the relevant parties.2 The request must be made in writing and delivered to the GLRO by the close of nominations, i.e. 4pm, 24 working days before the poll.3 The GLRO will supply you with a form you can use to make this request.

The request should state both the name of the political party and the description of the emblem to be used, as listed on the Commission’s online register of political parties. Registered emblems cannot be varied in any way. 

It is your responsibility to ensure that your nomination papers, including the home address form and the consent to nomination and, where relevant, the certificate of authorisation and emblem request form, are delivered to the Greater London Returning Officer (GLRO) at the place specified on the notice of election by 4pm, 24 working days before the poll.1 If you are appointing an election agent, you will also need to submit their appointment form by this deadline.2

We recommend that you, your agent, or someone you trust delivers them, so you can be sure they are delivered to the GLRO in time.

You should contact the GLRO as soon as possible to find out what arrangements are in place for submitting nomination papers. You will be able to contact the GLRO via London Elects.

The nomination form, the home address form and consent to nomination must be delivered by hand and cannot be submitted by post, e-mail or other electronic means.1   

The certificate of authorisation and the emblem request form may be submitted by post, but may not be submitted by fax, email or other electronic means.2

The original version of each completed paper must be submitted.3

For example, a certificate of authorisation which has been sent as an attachment to an email to be printed out, would make it a ‘copy document’ and not the original document.

Although you are not required to, you are advised to submit all your nomination papers at the same time and at an appointment, booked in advance, with London Elects.

All Mayoral candidates have an opportunity to make an election address telling voters about their policies.4 This will be included in the Mayoral booklet produced by the Greater London Returning Officer.

You should submit your nomination papers as early as possible to give you sufficient time to submit new nomination papers should your first set contain any errors.

London Elects will offer informal checks. You will be able to book an appointment for an informal check by contacting London Elects.

Usually, nomination papers can only be delivered during normal office hours. The Greater London Returning Officer (GLRO) will confirm the exact details of when and where nomination papers can be delivered on the notice of election.

The notice of election will be published no later than 30 working days before the poll and will state the earliest date on which you can submit nomination papers.1  

The notice of election will be published on London Elects’ website and in each Assembly constituency.

After you have submitted your nomination papers you will be sent a notice by the GLRO to let you know whether or not your nomination is valid.2

If, after you have submitted your nomination papers you change your mind and no longer want to stand for election, you can withdraw, provided you do so by 4pm, 24 working days before the poll.3

For your nomination to be valid, the sum of £10,000 must be deposited with the Greater London Returning Officer (GLRO) by the deadline for the delivery of nominations by 4pm on the twenty-fourth working day before the poll.1 The deposit can be made using:2  

• a UK banker’s draft 
• legal tender (cash in British pounds only). Payments made by cash will be subject to money laundering checks

The GLRO will also accept a deposit made by electronic funds transfer, which is preferred for security reasons, and will advise you of the bank account in which the funds should be deposited. The GLRO does not intend to accept payment of deposits by cheque, debit or credit card.

Where payment is made by electronic transfer, candidates or their agents are responsible for ensuring cleared funds are received by the GLRO by the deadline for the delivery of nominations, 4pm on the twenty-fourth working day before the poll. This deadline is set out in law and cannot be changed for any reason. You are strongly advised to have made the deposit by the time that you submit your nomination papers.

Unless the person making the deposit is your election agent and you have notified the GLRO of their appointment, the person making the deposit must at the time they make it give their name and address to the GLRO.3

After the election, the deposit will be returned if you poll more than 5% of the total number of votes polled by all Mayoral candidates in the election.4 Those candidates who have polled less than, or equal to, 5% of the total number of valid votes cast will lose their deposit.
 

If a candidate stands for election as the Mayor of London and as a candidate in a London Assembly Member constituency election and is successful in both, they will be returned as the Mayor of London but not as a Constituency Assembly Member.

If a candidate is returned either as the Mayor of London or as an Constituency Assembly Member, they will not also be returned as a London-wide Assembly Member. 

You may withdraw as a candidate by signing and submitting a withdrawal notice, which must be witnessed by one other person.1 There are no restrictions on who may submit the notice, but it must be delivered by hand. Your witness must also sign the notice. You can obtain a notice of withdrawal from the Greater London Returning Officer.  

If you are outside the UK and want to withdraw, your election agent can sign the withdrawal notice on your behalf. The withdrawal must be accompanied by a written declaration signed by your election agent confirming your absence. 

If you are outside the UK and stand nominated by more than one nomination form, the declaration must be accompanied by a written statement signed by you authorising your agent to give this notice while you are absent from the UK. The withdrawal notice must be submitted by the deadline for withdrawals (i.e. by 4pm on 24 working days before the poll).  

After the withdrawal deadline it is not possible to withdraw from the election, and your name will appear on the ballot paper. If the election is uncontested, you will be declared elected.

If you withdraw as a candidate, your deposit will be returned.

Nomination and consent to nomination forms

Nomination forms and consent to nomination forms that have been delivered to the Greater London Returning Officer are open to inspection by anyone from 24 hours after the close of nominations until the day before the poll. Inspections take place during normal office hours, and anyone inspecting these forms can take a copy of them.1

The home address form2

Only certain people are entitled to inspect home address forms. These people are:

• any (other) person standing nominated as a candidate in the same mayoral election as you
• the election agent of any other person standing nominated as a candidate in the same mayoral election as you (or, if the candidate is acting as their own agent, any person nominated by them)
• any two persons (but no more) who have subscribed a nomination paper for any other person standing nominated as a candidate in the same mayoral election as you

If you have been nominated by more than one nomination paper, the subscribers who are entitled to inspect are those that appear on the nomination paper chosen by you. If you do not choose a nomination paper, this will be the first paper delivered.

Inspections of the home address form can take place during normal office hours from 24 hours after the close of nominations until the day before the poll, however, no-one is permitted to take an extract from them or make a copy of them. 

The procedure to be followed in the event of the death of a candidate in a Mayor of London election depends on whether the candidate who dies is an independent or a registered party candidate. 

Should a fellow candidate die during the campaign, the Greater London Returning Officer will provide you with further guidance.

Registered party candidate1  

If a registered party candidate dies then the poll is cancelled. 

Independent candidate2  

If an independent candidate dies, then the poll still proceeds – unless there are only two persons who are standing as candidates and the death would make the election uncontested. In that case, the poll will be cancelled.

Information about the death of an agent can be found in our guidance on appointing an election agent.

The following sections provide guidance on standing as a Constituency Assembly Member candidate at elections to the London Assembly.

The guidance covers:

• The nomination process, including what forms you need to complete
• When and how you need to submit your nomination papers
• What happens after you submit your nomination papers

There are specific rules that candidates need to follow, depending on whether they are standing as a political party candidate or standing as an independent candidate. These differences will be clearly highlighted throughout the guidance.

Guidance on standing for other elections can be found on our website.  

To become nominated as a Constituency Member candidate at the elections to the London Assembly, you need to submit a completed set of nomination papers to the place fixed by the relevant Constituency Returning Officer (CRO), with a deposit of £1,000 by 4pm, 24 working days before the poll.1    

This deadline is set out in law and cannot be changed for any reason. 

The start date from which you will be able to submit nomination papers, as well as the times and place for delivery, will be set out in the notice of election published by the CRO.2      

There are three nomination papers that you must submit to make your nomination valid:3

• the nomination form 
• the home address form
• your consent to nomination

The CRO can hold your nomination paper invalid if the particulars of your nomination are not as required by law.4 The CRO can also rejected your nomination if they conclude it is clearly a sham, for example an obviously fictitious name is provided.

You can obtain nomination papers from the CRO for the constituency in which you wish to stand. You can obtain contact details for CROs from London Elects.

The CRO may also be able to offer informal checks of your completed nomination papers before you submit them. You should find out from the CRO whether they plan to offer informal checks.

Note that any information you provide on your nomination papers must be true to the best of your knowledge. It is an offence to provide a false statement on your nomination papers.5 Providing a false statement could invalidate your election, and is also punishable by an unlimited fine and/or imprisonment. 

The Elections Act 2022 introduced legislation which permits greater flexibility in the names a candidate can put on their nomination paper (and therefore, the ballot paper). This new legislation will be in force for the scheduled polls on 2 May 2024. 

If you:

• commonly use a surname or forename that is different from any other surname or forename you have 
• use one or more forenames or surname in a different way from the way they are stated on your nomination form

you may state your commonly used name or names on your nomination form in addition to your full names that you have provided.1

Any commonly used name(s) would then appear on:

• the statement of persons and parties nominated
• and, in the case of individual candidates not standing on behalf of a political party, the notice of poll, and 
• the ballot papers

Decisions on Commonly Used Names

The Constituency Returning Officer (CRO) will disallow commonly used names that are likely to mislead or confuse electors, or are obscene or offensive.2 If the name(s) are not permissible, the CRO will write to the candidate stating the reason for rejection.3 In those cases, the candidate’s actual name will be used instead.

If either the commonly used forename or surname box on the nomination paper is left blank, then the candidate’s actual forename or surname, depending on which commonly used name box has been left blank, will be used.

It is an offence to give a false statement on nomination forms.4 Therefore if candidates choose to provide a commonly used name they must ensure that it is a forename or surname which they commonly use.

The home address form must state:1  

• your full name
• your home address in full
• your qualifying address, or, where you have declared on your consent to nomination that you meet more than one qualification, your qualifying addresses
• which of the qualifications your qualifying address or addresses relate to
• the full name and the home address in full of the witness to your consent to nomination form

Your home address:

• must be completed in full
• must not contain abbreviations
• must be your current home address 
• must not be a business address (unless you run a business from your home)

The qualifying address:2

Where you have selected one of the following options on the consent to nomination you must state:

• option (a) on the consent to nomination - the address in full where you are registered as a local government elector for Greater London
• option (b) on the consent to nomination - a description and the address of that land or premises in Greater London which you have occupied as owner or tenant
• option (c) on the consent to nomination - the address of your place of work in Greater London
• option (d) on the consent to nomination - the address or addresses in Greater London in full of where you have resided

Choosing not to publish your home address

You may choose for your home address not to be published on the statement of persons nominated or the ballot paper. 

In this case the home address form must contain, as well as your full name and home address:3

• a statement, signed by you, which states that you require your home address not to be made public
• the name of the relevant area in which your home address is situated (if your home address is in the UK)
• if you live outside the UK, the name of the country in which your home address is situated

If you act as your own election agent, unless you provide an office address, your home address as provided on the home address form will still be published on the notice of election agents.4 This is the case even where you have chosen to withhold your home address from the statement of persons nominated and ballot paper.

What is the relevant area?

The relevant area means:

• For home addresses in England:
  • if the address is within a district for which there is a district council, that district;
  • if the address is within a county in which there are no districts with councils, that county;
  • if the address is within a London borough, that London borough;
  • if the address is within the City of London (including the Inner and Middle Temples), the City of London; and
  • if the address is within the Isles of Scilly, the Isles of Scilly
• For home addresses in Wales:
  • if the address is within a county, that county;
  • if the address is within a county borough, that county borough
• For home addresses in Scotland:
  • the local government area in which the address is situated
• For home addresses in Northern Ireland:
  • the local government district in which the address is situated

This section provides specific information for candidates standing on behalf of a political party on the additional information required to be submitted as part of their nomination papers.

To stand on behalf of a registered political party, the party must be registered on the Commission’s register of political parties and be listed as allowed to field candidates in England,1 and you will also need to submit the following papers:

• The certificate of authorisation
• Request to use an emblem

Political parties authorise candidates to stand for them by issuing a certificate of authorisation. This must state that the named candidate can stand on their behalf and allow them to use one of the following:1

• the exact party name as registered with the Commission
• one of the party’s registered descriptions
• your choice of either the registered party name or one of the registered descriptions.

Particular care should be taken by the Nominating Officer (or someone authorised to act on their behalf) when completing the certificate of authorisation. If the certificate explicitly authorises a particular party name/description and this does not match the party name/description on the nomination paper, the whole nomination will be invalid.2

The certificate of authorisation must be signed by the registered Nominating Officer of the political party or by someone authorised by the Nominating Officer to act on their behalf.3 It must be received by the Constituency Returning Officer by the nominations deadline, 4pm on the twenty-fourth working day before the poll.

If you are standing on behalf of two or more parties, you will need a certificate of authorisation from the Nominating Officer of each of the registered parties (or people authorised to act on their behalf).4 Joint descriptions are listed on the Commission’s register of political parties on the registration page for the relevant parties.
 

If you have been authorised by a political party to use the party name or a registered description on the ballot paper, you can also request that one of the party's official emblems is printed on the ballot paper next to your name.   

You must make the request for an emblem in writing and deliver it to the Constituency Returning Officer (CRO). The request must be received by the CRO by 4pm, 24 working days before the poll.1    

A party can register up to three emblems. You may want to check with your party (e.g. the nominating officer or someone authorised to act on their behalf) which emblem to use. Make sure you request a current emblem.

Candidates standing on behalf of two or more registered parties and using a joint description can use an emblem that has been registered by one of the relevant parties.2 The request must be made in writing and delivered to the CRO by the close of nominations, i.e. 4pm, 24 working days before the poll.3 The CRO will supply you with a form you can use to make this request. 

The request should state both the name of the political party and the description of the emblem to be used, as listed on the Commission’s online register of political parties. Registered emblems cannot be varied in any way. 
 

It is your responsibility to ensure that your nomination papers, including the home address form and the consent to nomination, certificate of authorisation and emblem request form, are delivered to the place specified on the notice of election by 4pm, 24 working days before the poll.1 If you are appointing an election agent, you will also need to submit their appointment form by this deadline.2

We recommend that you, your agent, or someone you trust delivers them, so you can be sure they are delivered to the Constituency Returning Officer (CRO) in time.

You should contact the CRO as soon as possible to find out what arrangements are in place for submitting nomination papers. You can obtain contact details for CROs from London Elects. 

The nomination form, the home address form and consent to nomination must be delivered by hand and cannot be submitted by post, e-mail or other electronic means.1

The certificate of authorisation and the emblem request form may be submitted by post, but may not be submitted by fax, email or other electronic means.2   

The original version of each completed paper must be submitted.3    

For example, a certificate of authorisation which has been sent as an attachment to an email to be printed out, would make it a ‘copy document’ and not the original document.

You should submit your nomination papers as early as possible to give you sufficient time to submit new nomination papers should your first set contain any errors.

Usually, nomination papers can only be delivered during normal office hours. The Constituency Returning Officer (CRO) will confirm the exact details of when and where they can be delivered on the notice of election.

The notice of election will be published no later than 30 working days before the poll and will state the earliest date on which you can submit nomination papers.1   

In most cases, the notice of election will be published on the CRO’s local authority website.

After you have submitted your nomination papers you will be sent a notice by the CRO to let you know whether or not your nomination is valid.2

If, after you have submitted your nomination papers you change your mind and no longer want to stand for election, you can withdraw, provided you do so by 4pm, 24 working days before the poll.3
 

For your nomination to be valid, the sum of £1,000 must be deposited with the Constituency Returning Officer (CRO) by the deadline for the delivery of nominations by 4pm on the twenty-fourth working day before the poll.1 The deposit can be made using:2  

• a UK banker’s draft 
• legal tender (cash in British pounds only). Payments made by cash will be subject to money laundering checks

The CRO may also accept a deposit made by a debit or credit card or an electronic transfer, which is preferred for security reasons. However, they may refuse to do so.

If you are considering paying the deposit in one of these ways, you should discuss with the CRO at the earliest opportunity whether the payment method is acceptable.

If the CRO allows the deposit to be paid by credit or debit card, there may be a fee charged by the bank or credit card company for the transaction, in which case you will be required to pay any additional fees as well as the £1,000 deposit.

Unless the person making the deposit is your election agent and you have notified the CRO of their appointment, the person making the deposit must at the time they make it give their name and address to the CRO.3

The deposit will be returned if you poll more than 5% of the valid votes cast in the constituency.4 Those candidates who have polled less than, or equal to, 5% of the total number of the valid votes cast will lose their deposit.

At scheduled elections, if you are validly nominated in more than one Assembly constituency, you must withdraw from all constituencies but one before the deadline for withdrawals (i.e. by 4pm, 24 working days before the poll).

If you do not withdraw from all but one constituency, you will be deemed to have withdrawn from all of the constituencies.1

Will the election be contested or uncontested?    

The election is uncontested if either:1  

• only one valid nomination is received
• all valid nominations are properly withdrawn by the deadline except one, the election is uncontested. 

If the election is uncontested, the Constituency Returning Officer (CRO) must declare the remaining validly nominated candidate elected2 as soon as possible after the deadline for withdrawals and will give public notice of the name and description (if any) of the elected candidate.    

Even if the election is uncontested, elected candidates must still make a declaration as to their election spending. You can find more information about submitting spending returns and taking up office in our guidance.

Publish the statement of persons nominated 

The CRO will publish a statement of persons nominated for the Constituency Member by 4pm, 22 working days before the poll.3    

The statement must include:4    

• the full or commonly used names, as the case may be, of all candidates validly nominated
• the names of candidates who no longer stand nominated, if any (i.e. invalid and withdrawn candidates), with the reason why they are no longer standing
• the address of each candidate, or if they have requested not to make their home address public, the name of the relevant area in which their home address is situated (or the country if their home address is situated outside the UK)
• each candidate's description (if any)

The following sections provide guidance for Nominating Officers submitting a list of candidates for election as London-wide Assembly Members at the Greater London Authority elections.

The guidance covers:

• the nomination process, including what forms you need to complete
• when and how you need to submit your nomination papers
• what happens after you submit your nomination papers

Guidance on standing for other elections can be found on our website.  

As the Nominating Officer of a registered political party you (or someone authorised to act on your behalf) may submit a list of up to 25 candidates.

The party must be registered on the Commission’s register of political parties and be listed as allowed to field candidates in England.

To contest the London-wide Assembly Member election, you or someone authorised to act on your behalf, needs to submit a completed set of nomination papers to the place fixed by the Greater London Returning Officer (GLRO) with a deposit of £5000 by 4pm, 24 working days before the poll.1    

This deadline is set out in law and cannot be changed for any reason. 

The start date from which you will be able to submit nomination papers, as well as the times and place for delivery, must be set out in the notice of election published by the GLRO.2     

There are three nomination papers that you must submit to make the party list nomination valid:3

• the nomination form for the party list, including:
  • the names of each candidate on the list
  • a statement signed by the person who has issued the nomination form declaring that the nomination form has been issued by the party’s Nominating Officer or someone authorised to act on their behalf 
  • the name of the authorised description under which the registered party will stand for election
• a home address form from each candidate
• consent to nomination from each candidate on the list

The party may also make a written request for one of the party’s emblems to appear on the ballot paper.4 For more information on the emblem request form, see our guidance on requests to use an emblem on the ballot paper.

You can obtain all of the relevant nomination papers from the GLRO. Contact details can be found here.

London Elects will offer informal checks of your completed nomination papers before you submit them. You will be able to book an appointment by contacting London Elects.

Note that any information you provide on the nomination papers must be true to the best of your knowledge (or to the best of the knowledge of the person authorised to act on your behalf). It is an offence to provide a false statement on your nomination papers.5 Providing a false statement could invalidate the election of candidates on the party’s list, and is also punishable by an unlimited fine and/or imprisonment.

The nomination form must be completed in English. 

The form must contain: 

The full name of each candidate on the list in the order they are to be elected, up to a maximum of 25 candidates1    

• this means their surname and other names in full
• using initials only could lead to the candidate’s nomination being rejected
• do not use prefixes such as Mr, Mrs, Dr or Cllr as part of the name

The same applies to suffixes. However, if a candidate on the party list has a title, they can use this as their full name. For example, if their actual name is Joseph Smith but their hereditary title is Joseph Avon, they can use the name Joseph Avon as their full name. 

A description2

The nomination form must include a description authorised by you (or by someone authorised in writing on your behalf).

You can authorise the use of either the party’s name registered with the Commission or one of the party’s registered descriptions.

You should take particular care when completing the descriptions field on the nomination form. The party name or chosen description used on the nomination form must exactly match the party name/description on the Commission's online register of political parties.3 If it does not, the whole nomination will be rejected.

Authorisation to use the party name or a registered description4

The nomination form must include the authorised party name or description. This must be signed by you (or by a person authorised in writing on your behalf).

The Elections Act 2022 introduced legislation which permits greater flexibility in the names a candidate can put on their nomination paper (and therefore, the ballot paper). This new legislation will be in force for the scheduled polls on 2 May 2024. 

If a candidate:

• commonly uses a surname or forename that is different from any other surname or forename they have 
• uses one or more forenames or surname in a different way from the way they are stated on the  nomination form

you may state their commonly used name or names on the nomination form in addition to the full names that you have provided.1

Any commonly used name(s) would then appear on:

• the statement of persons and parties nominated
• and, in the case of individual candidates not standing on behalf of a political party, the notice of poll, and 
• the ballot papers

Decisions on Commonly Used Names

The Greater London Returning Officer (GLRO) will disallow commonly used names that are likely to mislead or confuse electors, or are obscene or offensive.2 If the name(s) are not permissible, the GLRO will write to the candidate stating the reason for rejection.3 In those cases, the candidate’s actual name will be used instead.

If either the commonly used forename or surname box on the nomination paper is left blank, then the candidate’s actual forename or surname, depending on which commonly used name box has been left blank, will be used.

It is an offence to give a false statement on nomination forms.4 Therefore if candidates choose to provide a commonly used name they must ensure that it is a forename or surname which they commonly use.

Candidates on a party list must each formally consent to their nomination in writing.1

The content of the consent to nomination form is fixed by law and you must return the entire form in order for your nomination to be valid.

On the form candidates will be asked to state that they are qualified and not disqualified from standing. 

Candidates must meet at least one of the qualifications to stand for election.2 On the consent to nomination form they should state as many of the qualifications as apply.  

Candidates must also state their date of birth.3  

Candidates are not allowed to sign the consent form earlier than one calendar month before the deadline for submitting nomination papers.4

The signature must be witnessed and the witness must attest the form.5   

The witness’s full name and home address in full must be provided on the home address form.6

There are no restrictions on who can be a witness to the consent to nomination.

While the absence of a consent to nomination for a candidate on the party list does not invalidate a party list’s nomination, if a consent form for a particular candidate on the list is not submitted by 4pm on the twenty-fourth working day before the poll, the GLRO will remove the person from the list.

The nomination paper must be accompanied by a home address form for each candidate included on the party list.

The home address form for each candidate must state:1

• their full name 
• their home address in full
• their qualifying address, or, where they have declared on their consent to nomination that they meet more than one qualification, their qualifying addresses
• which of the qualifications their qualifying address or addresses relate to
• the full name and the home address in full of the witness to their consent to nomination form

Their home address:

• must be completed in full
• must not contain abbreviations
• must be their current home address 
• must not be a business address (unless they run a business from their home)

The qualifying address:2

Where the candidate has selected one of the following options on the consent to nomination they must state:

• option (a) on the consent to nomination - the address in full where they are registered as a local government elector for Greater London
• option (b) on the consent to nomination - a description and the address of that land or premises in Greater London which they have occupied as owner or tenant
• option (c) on the consent to nomination - the address of their place of work in Greater London
• option (d) on the consent to nomination - the address or addresses in Greater London in full of where they have resided

Choosing not to publish their home address

The candidate may choose for their home address not to be published on the statement of persons nominated or the ballot paper. 

In this case the home address form must contain, as well as the candidate’s full name and home address:3

• a statement, signed by the candidate, which states that they require their home address not to be made public
• the name of the relevant area in which their home address is situated (if their home address is in the UK)
• if the candidate lives outside the UK, the name of the country in which their home address is situated

If the party, or someone authorised on their behalf, does not appoint an election agent; the first named candidate on the party list becomes the election agent. If this is the case, that candidate’s home address as provided on the home address form will still be published on the notice of election agents.4 This is the case even where that candidate has chosen to withhold their home address from the statement of persons nominated and ballot paper.

What is the relevant area?

The relevant area means:

• For home addresses in England:
  • if the address is within a district for which there is a district council, that district;
  • if the address is within a county in which there are no districts with councils, that county;
  • if the address is within a London borough, that London borough;
  • if the address is within the City of London (including the Inner and Middle Temples), the City of London; and
  • if the address is within the Isles of Scilly, the Isles of Scilly
• For home addresses in Wales:
  • if the address is within a county, that county;
  • if the address is within a county borough, that county borough
• For home addresses in Scotland:
  • the local government area in which the address is situated
• For home addresses in Northern Ireland:
  • the local government district in which the address is situated

You or the person authorised to act on your behalf can also request that one of the party's official emblems is printed on the ballot paper.1

If the party has more than one emblem, the request should state the description of the emblem to be used, as listed on the Commission’s online register of political parties. Registered emblems cannot be varied in any way. 

It is your responsibility to ensure that the nomination papers, including home address forms for each candidate and the consents to nomination are delivered to the place specified on the notice of election by 4pm, 24 working days before the poll.1     

The nomination form may only be delivered by you as Nominating Officer (or someone authorised in writing to act on your behalf).2

You should contact the Greater London Returning Officer (GLRO) as soon as possible to find out what arrangements are in place for submitting nomination papers. You will be able to contact the GLRO via London Elects. 

The nomination form, the home address forms and consents to nomination must be delivered by hand and cannot be submitted by post, e-mail or other electronic means.1

The emblem request form may be submitted by post, but may not be submitted by fax, email or other electronic means.2

The original version of each completed paper must be submitted.3   

For example, a consent to nomination which has been sent as an attachment to an email to be printed out, would make it a ‘copy document’ and not the original document.

Although you are not required to, you are advised to submit all your nominations papers at the same time and at an appointment, booked in advance, with London Elects.  
 

You should submit the party list nomination papers as early as possible to give you sufficient time to submit new nomination papers should your first set contain any errors.

The Greater London Returning Officer (GLRO) will confirm the exact details of when and where they can be delivered on the notice of election.

The notice of election will be published no later than 30 working days before the poll and will state the earliest date on which you can submit nomination papers.1  

The notice of election will be published on the London Elects website and in each Assembly constituency.

After you have submitted the party list nomination papers you will be sent a notice by the GLRO to let you know whether or not the party list nomination is valid.2 The GLRO will also send a notice to each of the candidates.3

If, after you have submitted the nomination papers you no longer wish the party list to contest the election, you can withdraw the full party list, provided you do so by 4pm, 24 working days before the poll. 

You, or a person authorised by you, may also withdraw one or more candidates included on the party list.4 Individual candidates included on the list may also withdraw,5 provided they do so by the same deadline. For more details see our guidance on withdrawing. 

For the nomination to be valid, the sum of £5,000 must be deposited with the Greater London Returning Officer (GLRO) by the deadline for the delivery of nominations by 4pm on the twenty-fourth working day before the poll.1 The deposit can be made using:2  

• a UK banker’s draft 
• legal tender (cash in British pounds only). Payments made by cash will be subject to money laundering checks

The GLRO will also accept a deposit made by electronic funds transfer, which is preferred for security reasons, and will advise you of the bank account in which the funds should be deposited. The GLRO does not intend to accept payment of deposits by cheque, debit or credit card.

Where payment is made by electronic transfer, you are responsible for ensuring cleared funds are received by the GLRO by the deadline for the delivery of nominations, 4pm on the twenty-fourth working day before the poll. This deadline is set out in law and cannot be changed for any reason. You are strongly advised to have made the deposit by the time that you submit the nomination papers.

After the election, the deposit will be returned if the party polls more than 2.5% of the valid votes cast across London in the London-wide Assembly Member election.3 Any party that polls less than, or equal to, 2.5% of the total number of the valid votes cast will lose their deposit.

The deposit is £5,000 regardless of how many names are on the nomination form.

If a candidate stands for election as the Mayor of London and as a candidate in a London Assembly Member constituency election and is successful in both, they will be returned as the Mayor of London but not as a Constituency Assembly Member. 

If a candidate is returned either as the Mayor of London or as an Constituency Assembly Member, they will not also be returned as a London-wide Assembly Member. 

You (or someone authorised in writing by you) may withdraw the whole party list, by signing and submitting a withdrawal notice.1 There are no restrictions on who may submit the notice, but it must be delivered by hand.  

A candidate on the party list may also withdraw from the election.2 They can do this by submitting a withdrawal notice, which must be witnessed by one other person. Their witness must also sign the notice.

You can obtain a notice of withdrawal from the Greater London Returning Officer.

If the full party list is withdrawn, the deposit will be returned.3

If a candidate on the list wishes to withdraw and they are outside the UK, the election agent can sign the withdrawal notice on their behalf.4 The withdrawal must be accompanied by a written declaration stating that they are absent from the UK and a written statement signed by them confirming that they have authorised the person giving the notice to withdraw their nomination.

The withdrawal notice must be submitted by the deadline for withdrawals (i.e. by 4pm on 24 working days before the poll).  

After the withdrawal deadline it is not possible to withdraw from the election.

Will the election be contested or uncontested?    

The election is uncontested if either:1    

• the number of candidates standing for election (whether on a party’s list or individual London-wide Assembly candidates) is the same or less than the number of London-wide Assembly seats, or 
• all of the candidates shown on the statement of persons and parties nominated are on the party list of the same registered political party

In these circumstances, the Greater London Returning Officer (GLRO) will allocate the London-wide Assembly seats in accordance with the rules. 

Publication of statement of persons / parties nominated

The GLRO will publish a statement of persons and parties nominated by 22 working days before the poll.2   

The statement will be published on London Elects’ website and must include:3

• each registered party which is validly nominated
• each individual candidate which is validly nominated
• the full name of each candidate or where a party list or individual candidate have given a commonly used name; that name (instead of the other surname or forename)
• the addresses of all candidates or if they have requested not to make their home address public, the name of the relevant area in which their home address is situated (or the country if their home address is situated outside the UK)
• the description ‘Independent’ (if applicable) of any candidates not standing on behalf of a political party 
• the names of parties or persons who no longer stand nominated, if any (i.e. invalid and withdrawn candidates or parties), with the reason why they are no longer standing  

Nomination and consent to nomination forms

Nomination forms and consent to nomination forms that have been delivered to the Greater London Returning Officer are open to inspection by anyone from 24 hours after the close of nominations until the day before the poll. Inspections take place during normal office hours, and anyone inspecting these forms can take a copy of them.1

The home address form2

Only certain people are entitled to inspect home address forms. These people are:

• any (other) person standing nominated as an individual candidate or list candidate in the same electoral area
• the election agent of any other person standing nominated as a list or individual candidate in the same electoral area
• an individual candidate acting as their own election agent or a list candidate acting as the election agent for candidates included in that list, a person nominated by them
• you, as the nominating officer of a registered party standing also nominated in the same electoral area (or a person authorised in writing by you)

Inspections of the home address form can take place during normal office hours from 24 hours after the close of nominations until the day before the poll, however, no-one is permitted to take an extract from them or make a copy of them. 

In the event of a candidate dying, there is no provision for the poll to be cancelled.  

If a candidate on a party list dies, the party list will be unaffected, except that the Greater London Returning Officer (GLRO) will remove the deceased candidate’s name from the party list.1  

Death occurred after declaration of results

If an already elected candidate dies after the declaration of the result, the procedure to be followed will depend on whether they were a party list or an independent candidate.

• Party list candidate
  • the next person on the party’s list will be invited by the GLRO to replace the deceased member.
• Individual candidate 
  • the vacancy will remain unfilled until the next ordinary election.

Information about the death of an agent can be found in our guidance on appointing an election agent.

The following sections provide guidance on standing as an individual candidate at the London-wide Assembly Member election.

The guidance covers:

• The nomination process, including what forms you need to complete
• When and how you need to submit your nomination papers
• What happens after you submit your nomination papers

Guidance on standing for other elections can be found on our website.

To become nominated as an individual candidate at the London-wide Assembly Member election, you need to submit a completed set of nomination papers to the place fixed by the Greater London Returning Officer (GLRO) with a deposit of £5,000 by 4pm, 24 working days before the poll.1   

This deadline is set out in law and cannot be changed for any reason.

The start date from which you will be able to submit nomination papers, as well as the times and place for delivery, will be set out in the notice of election published by the GLRO.2

There are three nomination papers that you must submit to make your nomination valid:3

• the nomination form
• a home address form
• your consent to nomination

London Elects will offer informal checks of your completed nomination papers before you submit them. You will be able to book an appointment by contacting London Elects.

Note that any information you provide on your nomination papers must be true to the best of your knowledge. It is an offence to provide a false statement on your nomination papers.4 Providing a false statement could invalidate your election, and is also punishable by an unlimited fine and/or imprisonment.

The nomination form must be completed in English.

The form must contain:

Your full name1

• This means your surname and other names in full. 
• Using initials only could lead to your nomination paper being rejected.
• Do not use prefixes such as Mr, Mrs, Dr or Cllr as part of your name. 
• The same applies to suffixes. However, if you have a title, you can use this as your full name. For example, if your actual name is Joseph Smith but your hereditary title is Joseph Avon, you can use the name Joseph Avon as your full name.

Description2  

If you want the word ‘Independent’ to appear on the ballot paper underneath your name, you need to state this on the nomination form. No other descriptions are allowed for candidates who are not standing on behalf of a registered political party. 

Alternatively, you may choose not to have a description at all by leaving this part of the form blank. You do not have to use a description. If you choose not to use a description, you can leave the description field of the nomination form blank. 

You can obtain all of the relevant nomination papers from the GLRO. Contact details can be found here.

The Elections Act 2022 introduced legislation which permits greater flexibility in the names a candidate can put on their nomination paper (and therefore, the ballot paper). This new legislation will be in force for the scheduled polls on 2 May 2024. 

If you:

• commonly use a surname or forename that is different from any other surname or forename you have 
• use one or more forenames or surname in a different way from the way they are stated on your nomination form

you may state your commonly used name or names on your nomination form in addition to your full names that you have provided.1

Any commonly used name(s) would then appear on:

• the statement of persons and parties nominated
• and, in the case of individual candidates not standing on behalf of a political party, the notice of poll, and 
• the ballot papers

Decisions on Commonly Used Names

The Greater London Returning Officer (GLRO) will disallow commonly used names that are likely to mislead or confuse electors, or are obscene or offensive.2 If the name(s) are not permissible, the GLRO will write to the candidate stating the reason for rejection.3 In those cases, the candidate’s actual name will be used instead.

If either the commonly used forename or surname box on the nomination paper is left blank, then the candidate’s actual forename or surname, depending on which commonly used name box has been left blank, will be used.

It is an offence to give a false statement on nomination forms.4 Therefore if candidates choose to provide a commonly used name they must ensure that it is a forename or surname which they commonly use.

You must formally consent to your nomination in writing.1

The content of the consent to nomination form is fixed by law and you must return the entire form in order for your nomination to be valid.

On the form you will be asked to state that you are qualified and not disqualified from standing.

You must meet at least one of the qualifications to stand for election.2 On the consent to nomination form you should state as many of the qualifications as apply.

You must also state your date of birth.3

You are not allowed to sign the consent form earlier than one calendar month before the deadline for submitting your nomination papers.4

Your signature must be witnessed and the witness must attest the form.5

The witness’s full name and home address in full must be provided on the home address form.6

There are no restrictions on who can be a witness to the consent to nomination.

The home address form must state:1  

• your full name 
• your home address in full
• your qualifying address, or, where you have declared on your consent to nomination that you meet more than one qualification, your qualifying addresses 
• which of the qualifications your qualifying address or addresses relate to
• the full name and the home address in full of the witness to your consent to nomination form

Your home address:

• must be completed in full
• must not contain abbreviations
• must be your current home address
• must not be a business address (unless you run a business from your home)

The qualifying address:2  

Where you have selected one of the following options on the consent to nomination you must state:

• option (a) on the consent to nomination - the address in full where you are registered as a local government elector for Greater London
• option (b) on the consent to nomination - a description and the address of that land or premises in Greater London which you have occupied as owner or tenant
• option (c) on the consent to nomination - the address of your place of work in Greater London
• option (d) on the consent to nomination - the address or addresses in Greater London in full of where you have resided

Choosing not to publish your home address

You may choose for your home address not to be published on the statement of persons nominated or the ballot paper. 

In this case the home address form must contain, as well as your full name and home address:3

• a statement, signed by you, which states that you require your home address not to be made public
• the name of the relevant area in which your home address is situated (if your home address is in the UK)
• if you live outside the UK, the name of the country in which your home address is situated

If you act as your own election agent, unless you provide an office address, your home address as provided on the home address form will still be published on the notice of election agents.4 This is the case even where you have chosen to withhold your home address from the statement of persons nominated and ballot paper.

What is the relevant area?

The relevant area means:

• For home addresses in England:
  • if the address is within a district for which there is a district council, that district;
  • if the address is within a county in which there are no districts with councils, that county;
  • if the address is within a London borough, that London borough;
  • if the address is within the City of London (including the Inner and Middle Temples), the City of London; and 
  • if the address is within the Isles of Scilly, the Isles of Scilly 
• For home addresses in Wales:
  • if the address is within a county, that county;
  • if the address is within a county borough, that county borough
• For home addresses in Scotland:
  • the local government area in which the address is situated
• For home addresses in Northern Ireland:
  • the local government district in which the address is situated

It is your responsibility to ensure that your nomination papers, including the home address form and the consent to nomination are delivered to the place specified on the notice of election by 4pm, 24 working days before the poll.1 If you are appointing an election agent, you will also need to submit their appointment form by this deadline.

We recommend that you, your agent, or someone you trust delivers them, so you can be sure they are delivered to the Greater London Returning Officer (GLRO) in time. The GLRO may request that the person delivering the nomination papers has written authorisation from you.

You should contact the GLRO as soon as possible to find out what arrangements are in place for submitting nomination papers. You will be able to contact the GLRO via London Elects.
 

The nomination form, the home address form and consent to nomination must be delivered by hand and cannot be submitted by post, e-mail or other electronic means.1

The original version of each completed paper must be submitted.2  

For example, a consent to nomination which has been sent as an attachment to an email to be printed out, would make it a ‘copy document’ and not the original document. 

Although you are not required to, you are advised to submit all your nominations papers at the same time and at an appointment, booked in advance, with London Elects. 
 

You should submit your nomination papers as early as possible to give you sufficient time to submit new nomination papers should your first set contain any errors.

The Greater London Returning Officer (GLRO) will confirm the exact details of when and where they can be delivered on the notice of election.

The notice of election will be published no later than 30 working days before the poll and will state the earliest date on which you can submit nomination papers.1

The notice of election will be published on the London Elects website and in each Assembly constituency.

After you have submitted your nomination papers you will be sent a notice by the GLRO to let you know whether or not your nomination is valid.2  

If, after you have submitted your nomination papers you change your mind and no longer want to stand for election, you can withdraw, provided you do so by 4pm, 24 working days before the poll.

For your nomination to be valid, the sum of £5,000 must be deposited with the Greater London Returning Officer (GLRO) by the deadline for the delivery of nominations by 4pm on the twenty-fourth working day before the poll.1 The deposit can be made using:2

• a UK banker’s draft 
• legal tender (cash in British pounds only). Payments made by cash will be subject to money laundering checks

The GLRO will also accept a deposit made by electronic funds transfer, which is preferred for security reasons, and will advise you of the bank account in which the funds should be deposited. The GLRO does not intend to accept payment of deposits by cheque, debit or credit card.

Where payment is made by electronic transfer, candidates or their agents are responsible for ensuring cleared funds are received by the GLRO by the deadline for the delivery of nominations, 4pm on the twenty-fourth working day before the poll. This deadline is set out in law and cannot be changed for any reason. You are strongly advised to have made the deposit by the time that you submit your nomination papers.

Unless the person making the deposit is your election agent and you have notified the GLRO of their appointment, the person making the deposit must at the time they make it give their name and address to the GLRO.3

After the election, the deposit will be returned if you poll more than 2.5% of the valid votes cast across London in the London Member election.4 If you poll less than, or equal to, 2.5% of the total number of valid votes cast, you will lose their deposit.

If a candidate stands for election as the Mayor of London and as a candidate in a London Assembly Member constituency election and is successful in both, they will be returned as the Mayor of London but not as a Constituency Assembly Member. 

If a candidate is returned either as the Mayor of London or as an Constituency Assembly Member, they will not also be returned as a London-wide Assembly Member. 

You may withdraw as a candidate by signing and submitting a withdrawal notice, which must be witnessed by one other person.1 There are no restrictions on who may submit the notice, but it must be delivered by hand. Your witness must also sign the notice. You can obtain a notice of withdrawal from the Greater London Returning Officer.

If you are outside the UK and want to withdraw, your election agent can sign the withdrawal notice on your behalf. The withdrawal must be accompanied by a written declaration stating that you are absent from the UK.2

The withdrawal notice must be submitted by the deadline for withdrawals (i.e. by 4pm on 24 working days before the poll).  

After the withdrawal deadline it is not possible to withdraw from the election, and your name will appear on the ballot paper. 

If you withdraw as a candidate, your deposit will be returned.3

Will the election be contested or uncontested?    

The election is uncontested if either:1   

• the number of candidates standing for election (whether on a party’s list or individual London-wide Assembly candidates) is the same or less than the number of London-wide Assembly seats, or 
• all of the candidates shown on the statement of persons and parties nominated are on the party list of the same registered political party

In these circumstances, the Greater London Returning Officer will allocate the London-wide Assembly seats in accordance with the rules.

Publication of the statement of persons / parties nominated

The GLRO will publish a statement of persons and parties nominated by 22 working days before the poll.2  

The statement will be published on the London Elects website and must include:3  

• each registered party which is validly nominated
• each individual candidate which is validly nominated
• the full name of each candidate or where a party list or individual candidate have given a commonly used name; that name (instead of the other surname or forename)
• the addresses of all candidates or if they have requested not to make their home address public, the name of the relevant area in which their home address is situated (or the country if their home address is situated outside the UK)
• the description ‘Independent’ (if applicable) of any candidates not standing on behalf of a political party
• the names of parties or persons who no longer stand nominated, if any (i.e. invalid and withdrawn candidates or parties), with the reason why they are no longer standing

Nomination and consent to nomination form

Nomination forms and consent to nomination forms that have been delivered to the Greater London Returning Officer are open to inspection by anyone from 24 hours after the close of nominations until the day before the poll. Inspections take place during normal office hours, and anyone inspecting these forms can take a copy of them.1

The home address form2

Only certain people are entitled to inspect home address forms. These people are:

• any (other) person standing nominated as an individual candidate or list candidate in the same electoral area
• the election agent of any other person standing nominated as a list or individual candidate in the same electoral area 
• an individual candidate acting as their own election agent or a list candidate acting as the election agent for candidates included in that list, a person nominated by them
• the Nominating Officer of a registered party standing also nominated in the same electoral area (or a person authorised in writing by that nominating officer)

Inspections of the home address form can take place during normal office hours from 24 hours after the close of nominations until the day before the poll, however, no-one is permitted to take an extract from them or make a copy of them. 

In the event of a candidate dying, there is no provision for the poll to be cancelled.

If a candidate on a party list dies, the party list will be unaffected, except that the Greater London Returning Officer (GLRO) will remove the deceased candidate’s name from the party list.1

Death occurred after declaration of results

If an already elected candidate dies after the declaration of the result, the procedure to be followed will depend on whether they were a party list or an independent candidate.

Party list candidate 

If they were a party list candidate, the next person on the party’s list will be invited by the GLRO to replace the deceased member.

Individual candidate

If the deceased London Member was returned as an individual candidate at the London-wide Member election, the vacancy will remain unfilled until the next ordinary election.

Information about the death of an agent can be found in our guidance on appointing an election agent.

The following can apply to vote by post in Greater London Authority elections by submitting an application to the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) at their London borough:

• a person aged 18 or over, who is registered to vote
• a person aged 18 or over who has applied to be registered to vote 
• a person who has been appointed to vote as a proxy on behalf of someone else

The application must be received by the ERO by 5pm, 11 working days before the poll.1    

The ERO has no discretion to extend the deadline for whatever reason.

Postal ballot packs will be sent to electors from around two weeks before polling day. 

Electors who registered close to the registration deadline will be issued with their postal ballot packs once their names have been added to the final register update on the fifth working day. Electors who applied for their postal vote close to the application deadline will be issued with their postal ballot packs once their application has been determined. 

Electors will then mark their ballot papers, complete the postal voting statement by providing their signature and date of birth, and return them to the Returning Officer before the close of poll (i.e. 10pm on polling day).

While the Constituency Returning Officer (CRO) is ultimately responsible for the issue and opening of postal votes across their constituency, they can appoint deputies within their constituencies to administer these processes at London borough level. These deputies are known as Borough Returning Officers (BROs). In relation to postal voting we use Returning Officer (RO) for processes that will be administered by either BROs or CROs. 

Candidates, election agents and postal voting agents are not entitled to attend the issue of postal votes. 

Postal ballot packs contain the following: 

• Envelope A is the envelope that the elector returns their ballot paper in. It is marked with the letter ‘A’ and the words ‘ballot paper envelope’
• Envelope B is the envelope that the elector will use to return the ballot paper envelope and the postal voting statement. It is marked with the letter ‘B’ and the address of the Returning Officer
• The postal voting statement contains the elector’s name, the numbers of the ballot papers issued to them, instructions on how to vote by post and space for the elector to sign and provide their date of birth
• The ballot paper for the election of the:
  • Mayor of London
  • Constituency Assembly Member
  • London-wide Assembly Member

If the elections are combined with another poll, the Constituency Returning Officer may have decided to combine the issue of postal votes.

In that case, the postal ballot pack will also contain the ballot paper for the other electoral event(s).

Who can attend the opening of postal votes

The following people are entitled to attend the opening of returned postal votes:

• You
• your election agent or a person appointed by you to attend in their place1
• a sub-agent, but only if they are attending instead of an election agent2   
• postal voting agents you have appointed to attend openings.3 For details on how to appoint these agents see our guidance on appointing postal voting agents.

Duty to maintain secrecy during postal vote opening sessions

Ballot papers will be kept face down throughout a postal vote opening session.4 Anyone attending an opening session must not:

• obtain 
• attempt to obtain
• communicate at any time to another person:
  • any information relating to the number or other unique identifying mark on the back of a ballot paper5
  • any information as to the official mark on a postal ballot paper before the close of poll6  
• disclose how any particular ballot paper has been marked or pass on any such information gained from the session7

It follows therefore that keeping a tally of how ballot papers have been marked is not allowed.

Anyone found guilty of breaching these requirements can face an unlimited fine, or may be imprisoned for up to six months.8

You may appoint agents to attend postal vote openings. 

Anyone, apart from the following people listed below, can be appointed as a postal vote agent:

• the Greater London Returning Officer (GLRO), Constituency Returning Officer (CRO) or a member of their staff 
• a partner or clerk of the GLRO, a CRO or a member of their staff
• anyone not entitled to vote at the election as a result of the report of an election court or a conviction for a corrupt or illegal practice under the Representation of the People Act 1983  

A person may be appointed as a postal voting agent for more than one candidate. 

You and your election agent can automatically act as one of these agents without the need of an official appointment.1

The CRO will tell you the maximum number of postal voting agents you can appoint.2 All candidates will be allowed to appoint exactly the same number. 

The request to appoint postal voting agents must be made in writing to the CRO.3  

The request must contain the names and addresses of the people being appointed.4 The CRO will provide forms you can use for this, or you can use the Commission’s  postal voting agent appointment form.

Appointment forms for postal voting agents need to be submitted to the CRO by the time fixed for the opening of postal votes they want to attend.5  

The CRO will give you at least 48 hours’ notice before the scheduled start of each postal vote opening session.6

If an agent dies or becomes incapable of acting, you may appoint another agent in their place by submitting the relevant appointment form to CRO.7 Any new appointment in these circumstances must be made without delay. 

More information on what postal voting agents can and cannot do and what they can expect to see at postal vote opening sessions can be found in our guidance what does a postal voting agent do and the stages of the postal vote opening process.

It is likely that several opening sessions will take place before polling day, as well as on polling day itself.

The Returning Officer must:

• give Mayoral, constituency and individual London-wide Assembly member candidates, as well as the election agent of a party list, at least 48 hours’ notice of when and where the sessions will take place.1
• set out how many postal voting agents will be allowed to attend each session.

There will be a final opening session after the polls have closed to open any postal votes handed in to polling stations. The Returning Officer will advise Mayoral, constituency and individual London-wide Assembly member candidates, as well as the election agent of a party list, of the location for the final opening.

For more information on the process carried out at the opening of postal votes see Stages of the postal vote opening process.

Most people choose to vote in person at their polling station. Any person on the polling station’s electoral register can vote at the polling station in the Greater London Authority elections, unless:

• they are a registered postal voter
• they are a registered proxy voter and their proxy has already voted for them or has applied to vote on their behalf by post
• they are not 18 years of age or older on polling day
• they are registered as an overseas elector

Electors will receive a poll card before the elections telling them where and when they can vote. Electors do not need to take their poll card to the polling station in order to vote, unless they are registered anonymously due to a risk to their safety.

Photographic ID requirements

Electors voting in a polling station will be required to show photographic ID before they are issued with ballot papers. The accepted forms of photographic ID are:1

• a passport issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, a British Overseas Territory, an EEA state, or a Commonwealth country (including an Irish Passport Card)
• a driving licence issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or an EEA state
• a biometric immigration document
• an identity card bearing the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram (a PASS card)
• a Ministry of Defence Form 90 (Defence Identity Card)
• a Blue Badge
• a national identity card issued by an EEA state
• an Older Person’s Bus Pass funded by the UK Government
• a Disabled Person’s Bus Pass funded by the UK Government
• an Oyster 60+ Card funded by the UK Government
• a Freedom Pass
• a Scottish National Entitlement Card for the purpose of concessionary travel
• a 60 and Over Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
• a Disabled Person’s Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
• a Senior SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
• a Registered Blind SmartPass or Blind Person’s SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
• a War Disablement SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
• a 60+ SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
• a Half Fare SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland
• an Electoral Identity Card issued in Northern Ireland 

Expired photographic ID documents can still be used as accepted photographic ID at the polling station, as long as the photograph is still a good likeness of the elector.

Where an elector does not have one of the accepted forms of photographic ID, they can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate in a number of ways: 

• online at https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate 
• in writing on a paper application form
• in person, if the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) is offering this service at their office

Anonymous electors wishing to vote in person will be required to apply for an Anonymous Elector’s Document. An application for an Anonymous Elector’s document can only be made in writing, using a paper application form. Your local ERO will be able to provide the elector with this form on request. The application form can then be returned to the ERO by the elector by post, by hand or by emailing a scanned copy.

Candidates and agents should not handle completed applications for Voter Authority Certificates or Anonymous Elector’s Documents. Further information is provided in our code of conduct for campaigners in Great Britain.

Return of postal ballot packs

Registered postal voters cannot be issued with a ballot paper at the polling station, but they can return their completed postal ballot pack to their polling station on polling day. Alternatively, they may return their postal vote to any polling station in the ward or by hand to the Returning Officer (RO) at the elections office.

If the RO has issued postal ballot packs for more than one election on the same day, they will provide information to the electors to explain where their postal ballot packs can be returned to. 

Postal ballot packs returned to polling stations must be handed to polling station staff and not placed in the ballot box. 

For polls held on or after 2 May 2024

The Elections Act 2022 introduced legislation which restricts the handling of postal voting documents by campaigners. The legislation will be in force for polls held on or after 2 May 2024.

It is an offence for a political campaigner to handle completed ballot papers or postal ballot packs for voters who are not close family or someone they care for.2

It also sets a limit for the number of postal votes that can be handed in to a polling station or handed to the RO and introduces a requirement the completion of a form when doing so. 

A person can hand in postal votes on behalf of five other electors as well as their own.

A person who hands in a postal vote is required to complete a form containing information required by law. Failure to complete the form will result in the rejection of the postal votes that are handed in at a polling station or handed to the RO.

The voting process can be summarised as follows.

Polling station staff will:

• ask voters for their name and address before making sure that they are eligible to vote by checking against the register of electors
• ask the voter to produce their photographic ID
• verify the photographic ID 
• mark a straight line against the voter’s entry on the register of electors
• call out the name and electoral number of the elector
• write the elector number on a list (the Corresponding Numbers List) next to the numbers of the ballot paper to be issued
• ensure that the ballot papers includes the official mark (e.g. a barcode or watermark )
• fold the ballot paper and then hand it unfolded to the elector so that they can see all of the options on the ballot paper

The elector will then: 

• take the ballot paper to the polling booth, and
  mark the ballot paper in private, unless assisted by a companion or the Presiding Officer
• fold the marked ballot paper and show the ballot paper number and unique identifying mark on the back of the ballot paper to the Presiding Officer
• place the ballot paper into the ballot box and then leave the polling station

The polling station will have facilities for any voter who wishes to have their ID checked in private.

Where the voter does not bring ID or brings an incorrect form of ID, the voter will be able to return to the polling station with an acceptable form of photographic ID. Once an acceptable form of ID is shown, the voter will be issued with a ballot paper.

Where the election has been combined with another electoral event, polling station staff will be issuing the ballot papers for all electoral events that the voter is eligible to vote at.

This means that sometimes electors may not be receiving all of the ballot papers being issued in the polling station, as they may not be entitled to vote at every electoral event. 

If polls have been combined, different ballot boxes will be used for each GLA contest and any other election(s) taking place. 

Accessibility in polling stations

The Constituency Returning Officer has a responsibility to ensure that voting is accessible. They must provide each polling station with a range of equipment as is reasonable for the purposes of enabling or making it easier for disabled voters to vote independently and in secret.

The Presiding Officer can assist anyone who is unable to mark the ballot paper themselves.1

Alternatively, a voter may bring along someone they know and trust to assist them in marking their vote.2 The person assisting the voter must be aged 18 or over, and can only assist a maximum of two voters at the election.

Any person attending the polling station to assist an elector must complete a declaration to the Presiding Officer before they aid the elector in the polling booth.

You may appoint people as agents to attend the polling stations.1

What does a polling agent do?

While a polling agent can observe the poll, they do not have to be present in a polling station for polling and related procedures to take place. Polling agents have a number of important roles to play on polling day. They can:

• be present in the polling station before the opening of the poll to watch the Presiding Officer show the empty ballot box(es) before they are sealed
• detect personation and prevent people voting more than once in the election (other than as proxies). Personation is when an individual votes as someone else, whether that person is living, dead or fictitious.
• be present when the Presiding Officer marks ballot papers at the request of an elector who needs assistance marking their ballot papers because of a disability or an inability to read or write
• report to you or your election agent any improper activities and keep notes, if required, for giving evidence in court
• be present at the close of poll when the various packets of documents are sealed
• attach their seal to any packets made up by the Presiding Officer at the close of poll, including the ballot box. Polling agents’ seals cannot be attached to ballot boxes at the start of, or during, the poll. 

You and your election agent can also do anything that a polling agent is entitled to do.2

Anyone can be appointed as a polling agent, provided that they are not:

• the Greater London Returning Officer (GLRO), a Constituency Returning Officer (CRO) or a member of their staff
• a partner or clerk of the GLRO, CRO or a member of their staff
• anyone not entitled to vote at the election as a result of the report of an election court or a conviction for a corrupt or illegal practice under the Representation of the People Act 1983

The same person may be appointed as a polling agent for more than one candidate.1 Both you and your election agent can also automatically act as one of those agents without the need of an official appointment.2    

The number of agents who may be appointed to any particular polling station is limited to four,3 or such greater number as the CRO decides to allow. If more than that number are appointed, the CRO will draw lots to determine those people who may attend. Only one polling agent for each candidate can be present in a polling station at any time, but a polling agent can be appointed to attend multiple polling stations. Your right to attend will remain unaffected by this.

Polling agents must be appointed by not later than the fifth working day before the poll.4 The request to appoint polling agents must be made in writing to the CRO.5 It must contain the names and addresses of the people being appointed. The CRO will provide forms you can use for this, or you can use the Commission’s polling agent appointment forms.

If an agent dies or becomes incapable of acting, you may appoint another agent in their place by submitting the relevant appointment form to the CRO.6 Any new appointment in these circumstances must be made without delay.

Tellers are people who stand outside polling places and record the elector numbers of electors who have voted. They can then identify likely supporters who have not voted and encourage them to vote before the close of poll.

Tellers have no legal status and voters can refuse to give information to them. The Constituency Returning Officer (CRO) is in charge of the conduct of the election. If they are concerned by the activities of tellers, they can ask tellers to comply with agreed behaviour or leave the polling place. 

We have produced a factsheet of tellers’ dos and don’ts, as well as more comprehensive guidance on the activities of tellers. The guidance aims to ensure that everyone knows precisely what is and is not acceptable and is designed to promote appropriate standards of conduct. 

The CRO may also provide their own version of guidance to tellers.

Mae gan unrhyw un sy'n bresennol mewn gorsaf bleidleisio ddyletswydd i gynnal cyfrinachedd y bleidlais.1  Yn benodol, rhaid sicrhau na chaiff y wybodaeth ganlynol ei datgelu:

•    enw neu rif etholiadol y rhai sydd wedi neu heb bleidleisio
•    y rhif neu farc adnabod unigryw arall ar y papur pleidleisio

Hefyd, rhaid i unrhyw un sy'n bresennol mewn gorsaf bleidleisio sicrhau nad yw'n ceisio canfod sut mae pleidleisiwr wedi pleidleisio na phwy y mae ar fin pleidleisio drosto.

Gall asiant pleidleisio farcio ar ei gopi ef o'r gofrestr etholwyr y pleidleiswyr hynny sydd wedi gwneud cais am bapur pleidleisio. Os bydd yr asiant pleidleisio yn gadael yr orsaf bleidleisio yn ystod yr oriau pleidleisio, bydd angen iddo adael y copi wedi'i farcio o'r gofrestr yn yr orsaf bleidleisio er mwyn sicrhau na thorrir gofynion cyfrinachedd.

Gall unrhyw un y'i dyfernir yn euog o dorri'r gofynion cyfrinachedd wynebu dirwy anghyfyngedig, neu hyd at chwe mis yn y carchar.

Yng Nghymru, i gael rhagor o wybodaeth, darllenwch  gofynion cyfrinachedd gorsafoedd pleidleisio yn Saesneg ac yn Gymraeg.

Yn Lloegr, i gael rhagor o wybodaeth, darllenwch ofynion cyfrinachedd gorsafoedd pleidleisio.

You should:

• make sure that any tellers working for you follow our tellers’ dos and don’ts and any guidance issued by the Constituency Returning Officers (CROs) and the Greater London Returning Officer (GLRO).
• make sure your campaigners follow the Code of conduct for campaigners in Great Britain which sets out what is, and is not, considered acceptable behaviour at polling stations and in the community.
• comply with requests by polling station staff, CROs or the GLRO about campaigning near polling stations - you should, however, be allowed to put your message to voters on polling day, including in public spaces outside polling places.
• make sure that any agents who are attending polling stations, postal vote opening sessions or the count understand the rules about the secrecy of the ballot - for more information, see our documents setting out the secrecy requirements for the poll, postal voting and the count.

You must not:

• campaign near polling stations in a way that could be seen by voters as aggressive or intimidating (for example, large groups of supporters carrying banners, or vehicles with loudspeakers or heavily branded with campaign material).
• breach the requirements on secrecy of the ballot.1 This is an essential part of any modern democracy and breaches are taken seriously.
• seek to identify and publicise how votes have been marked on individual ballot papers, particularly if you (or your agents) attend postal vote opening sessions.
• publish exit polls or any other data based on information given by people about how they voted after they have cast their vote, including a postal vote, before the close of poll.2

The verification of all three contests will take place on Friday 3 May 2024, followed by counting the votes on Saturday 4 May 2024. This may change if any unscheduled polls are due to take place on the same day.

The Constituency Returning Officer or Greater London Returning Officer (as appropriate) will notify you of the exact time and location and will request that you provide a list of who will be attending with you. See our guidance on who can attend the count and appointing counting agents for more information. They will issue instructions or an invitation with any requirements they have in place for attendance which you should ensure are followed by yourself and anyone else attending with you. 

The Constituency Assembly member results will be announced at the relevant count venue. The Mayoral and London-wide Assembly member results will be announced at City Hall.

You and your election agent are entitled to observe the count.1    

Constituency Assembly member candidates and their election agents (or a sub-agent instead of an election agent) have the right to be present at their constituency count. 

London-wide Assembly member and Mayoral candidates and their election agents (or a sub-agent instead of an election agent) have the right to attend all the count venues and the central count collation venue at City Hall.

Additionally, you can invite one other person to attend. This person is in attendance as your guest. They have no powers or functions.  

You may also appoint counting agents to attend the count on your behalf.2   
 

Counting agents have a number of important roles to play at the count:

• they observe the counting process and make sure that it is accurate
• they can draw to the attention of count staff any doubtful ballot papers
• if they disagree with a decision by the Constituency Returning Officer (CRO) to reject a ballot paper, they can ask the CRO to mark on the ballot paper “rejection objected to”
• if a count is suspended for any reason, counting agents can add their seals when the CRO seals the ballot boxes and envelopes

You and your election agent can do anything a counting agent is allowed to do. 

You may appoint other people as agents to attend the count.1  

Anyone, apart from those listed below can be appointed as a counting agent. 

The following people are not allowed to be counting agents: 

• the Greater London Returning Officer (GLRO), Constituency Returning Officer (CRO) or a member of their staff 
• a partner or clerk of the GLRO, CRO or a member of their staff 
• anyone not entitled to vote at the election as a result of the report of an election court or a conviction for a corrupt or illegal practice under the Representation of the People Act 1983

The same person may be appointed as a counting agent for more than one candidate.2    

Both you and your election agent can also automatically act as one of those agents without the need of an official appointment.3    

The CRO will manage the process for appointing counting agents for the three contests in the Greater London Authority elections. 

The CRO will tell you the maximum number of counting agents you can appoint.  

The request to appoint these agents must be made in writing to CRO, and must contain the names and addresses of the people being appointed.4 The CRO can provide forms you can use for this, or you can find counting agent appointment forms on the Commission’s website.

The deadline for appointing counting agents is by no later than the fifth working day before the poll.5

If an agent dies or becomes incapable of acting, you may appoint another agent in their place by submitting the relevant appointment form to the CRO. Any new appointment in these circumstances must be made without delay.6

For more information on what agents can and cannot do and what they can expect to see at the count, guidance can be found in What does a counting agent do?

Anyone attending the count has a duty to maintain the secrecy of the count. In particular, anyone attending must not:1

• ascertain or attempt to ascertain the number or other unique identifying mark on the back of any ballot paper
• communicate any information obtained at the count as to the candidate for whom any vote is given on any particular ballot paper

Stage 1 - Check in

The Constituency Returning Officer’s (CRO’s) staff will deliver the ballot boxes from the polling station to the count venue.

Each polling station will have at least three ballot boxes, as separate ballot boxes are being used for each contest. 

The CRO’s staff check in the ballot boxes as they arrive at the count venue.

Stage 2 – Verification

At the verification stage, each ballot box is processed separately from any other ballot box. 

One by one, all ballot boxes are emptied onto tables and the empty boxes are shown to agents.

Staff count the number of ballot papers in each ballot box from each polling station.

Staff verify that the number of ballot papers in each ballot box matches the number of papers issued, as recorded on the Presiding Officers’ ballot paper accounts.

Any ballot paper found in the ‘wrong’ ballot box is still valid and will be moved to the correct box during verification.

During the verification stage the ballot papers are kept 'face up'.

In the event of any discrepancies between the numbers of ballot papers in the ballot box, against the paperwork completed by the Presiding Officer, the CRO establishes the reasons for any discrepancies and produces a final verified total.

The CRO produces a statement of the verification. Agents can view or copy this statement if they wish.

After the conclusion of the verification stage, the verified boxes will be stored securely until the commencement of the count on Saturday 4 May 2024. Candidates and agents can attach their seals to boxes if they wish.

Stage 3- Counting of the votes 

For each separate contest:

• before the count can start, the CRO will mix all ballot papers from across the constituency
• staff sort the ballot papers by candidate / party (for the London-wide Assembly member election) 
• staff count the number of votes cast for each candidate / party (for the London-wide Assembly member election) 

Throughout the process the CRO will adjudicate on any doubtful ballot papers. Any ballot papers containing a valid vote will be returned to the relevant contest.

For each separate contest the CRO will share the provisional result with you and the agents. You or your election agent can ask the CRO to recount the votes.

The CRO can refuse to recount if they think the request is unreasonable

A London wide recount is not permitted.