Assembly election in Northern Ireland

Anyone who wants to stand as a candidate at the Northern Ireland Assembly election must be: 

• at least 18 years old on the day of nomination
• a British or Irish citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen, or a citizen of a European Union country. 

A candidate is not required to be registered as an elector or live in the constituency where they wish to stand. 

There are rules that disqualify a candidate from standing. The Electoral Office for Northern Ireland has produced guidance for candidates and agents which contains the rules for disqualification. 
 

Prospective candidates must submit the following to their nomination venue by 1pm on 8 April:

• a completed nomination, home address and consent to nominations forms
• a deposit of £150 

To stand on behalf of a registered political party, the party must be registered on the Electoral Commission’s register of Northern Ireland political parties. The deadline has passed to register a political party, or amend the details of an existing party for the upcoming Northern Ireland Assembly election.

Candidates standing on behalf of a party will need to get their permission and submit: 

• a signed  certificate of authorisation from the party 
• a request to use the party description/emblem 

Candidates not standing on behalf of a party may use the description ‘Independent’ or no description at all and cannot use an emblem.

The Electoral Office for Northern Ireland will publish the full list of candidates standing on 6pm Friday 8 April (or as soon as practical thereafter).  

The full list of candidates will be published on the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland’s website.
 

Candidates can start campaigning at any time. They do not have to wait until they are validly nominated to declare that they will run for election, ask people to support them or publish campaign material. 

Election spending limits apply from the day after a person officially becomes a candidate. 

At all elections it is illegal to make a false statement about the personal character of a candidate in order to influence the result of the elections. Rules about defamation also apply to election materials. 

The police may investigate allegations of the electoral offence of making a false statement. Defamation issues are a matter for the civil courts. 

The Electoral Commission does not have a regulatory role in relation to the content of campaign material of what candidates say about each other. 
 

It is not required that news reports, features and editorials in print or online are impartial. They are not subject to electoral law. Political impartiality in broadcast media is covered by the editorial guidelines for each broadcaster. 

TV, radio and online debates between party leaders are a matter for the relevant broadcaster or newspaper. The Electoral Commission has no regulatory role relating to party leader debates. 
 

Imprint rules have changed recently. By law, candidates, parties and non-party campaigners must use imprints on all their printed campaign materials. 

An imprint includes the name and address of the printer and promoter (the person who authorised the material to be printed). It must be included on all printed material such as posters, placards and leaflets. This is so that the source of the campaign material is clear to electors. It is an offence to not include an imprint on printed election material. 

Although it is not currently a legal requirement, the Electoral Commission recommends that candidates, parties and non-party campaigners place an imprint on electronic materials (e.g. websites, emails and social media platforms) wherever possible. Voters need to know who is targeting them with political messages online. The UK Government’s Elections Bill would introduce an imprint requirement for online material. 
For more information on imprints rules, please see our guidance for:

• Imprints on candidate material
• Imprints on party material 
• Imprints on non-party material

This year the Electoral Commission will run a public awareness campaign on digital campaigning in Northern Ireland. The campaign aims to improve voter confidence by helping people understand who is targeting them online and what the rules are for parties, candidates and campaign groups at an election.

Once someone becomes a candidate, they are entitled to receive, free of charge, a copy of the full electoral register and the lists of people voting by post or proxy (the absent voters list) for the constituency that they are contesting. 

Candidates may only use the full electoral register to help them complete their nomination form, to campaign and to check that donations they receive come from a permissible source. 

Candidates must not release any details that appear in the electoral register (this is different from information on the open register, which is available for general sale). 

The regulated period for these elections begins the day after someone officially becomes a candidate and ends on polling day, 5 May. 

The earliest that someone can officially become a candidate is 28 March 2022.

There is a spending limit that applies to candidate spending on activities promoting their candidacy (or criticise other candidates) in the run up to the election.

The spending limit for Northern Ireland Assembly election candidates is:

• £8,700 plus 6p per registered parliamentary elector in a borough constituency or plus 9p per registered parliamentary elector in a county constituency. 

The constituencies of Belfast East, Belfast South, Belfast North and Belfast West are borough constituencies. All other constituencies in Northern Ireland are county constituencies. 

The spending limit for joint candidates is different. Please see our candidate guidance for further information. 
 

Candidate spending includes any expense incurred for the purposes of the candidate’s election during the regulated period, whether on goods, services, property or facilities. 

Candidate spending includes, among other things, the cost of:

• advertising of any kind, such as posters, newspaper adverts, websites or social media
• unsolicited material sent to voters, such as letters, leaflets or emails that are not sent in response to specific queries

Activities that do not count include, among other things:

• use of someone’s personal car or other means of transport acquired principally for that person’s personal use and provided free of charge
• costs that are reasonably attributable to the candidate’s disability

More details are available in our guidance for candidates. 
 

It is the responsibility of the candidate’s agent or the candidate, if they act as their own agent, to fully and accurately report spending.

Both the candidate and the agent should ensure they understand the rules and that all spending is properly authorised, recorded and reported. Both the candidate and the agent must make a declaration that their reporting is accurate. Making this statement falsely is an offence. 

Exceeding the spending limit can be a criminal offence. Allegations relating to candidate spending offences, are generally made to the police to consider.

Whilst the Electoral Commission has a statutory duty to monitor compliance with laws relating to candidate and agent expenses, it is not legally empowered to investigate and impose sanctions for these offences. 
 

A donation is money, goods, property or services that are given to a candidate, without charge or on non-commercial terms, which has a value of over £50.

Anything with a value of £50 or less does not count as a donation.
 

Candidates must only accept donations over £50 from permissible sources. This applies to cash donations and donations in kind. 

Donations that are not from a permissible source must be returned to the donor within 30 days. After that, the donation may be forfeited. Permissible donors in Northern Ireland include individuals listed on NI or GB electoral register (including overseas electors and those leaving bequests), and UK registered companies.

The full list of permissible donors is available in the candidate guidance.
 

Candidates must complete and submit a return of spending and donations to the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland no later than 35 working days after the result for their constituency is declared.

If there is no spending to report, the candidate or their agent must submit a nil return. 
 

The regulated period for the Northern Ireland Assembly election began on 5 January and ends on polling day, 5 May.

Political parties have a maximum spending limit of £306,000, if they contest every constituency in Northern Ireland. 

There are 18 constituencies in Norther Ireland. A party’s spending limit is based on a £17,000 limit per constituency that they contest. Parties do not have to attribute their spending between constituencies. 

For more information on party spending limits and what activities count towards the spending limit, see our guidance for political parties.

Non-party campaigners are individuals or organisations that campaign in the run up to an election but are not standing as parties or candidates.

There are two types of non-party campaigns: 

• General campaigns are campaigns for or against a political party or particular categories of candidate 
• Local campaigns are campaigns for or against one or more candidates in a particular constituency 

Different rules apply to the two types of campaign.

General non-party campaigners’ spending limit depends on their registration status. Unregistered general non-party campaigners can spend up to £10,000 campaigning. Campaigners that intend to spend over £10,000 must register with the Commission. Registered non-party campaigners have a limit of £15,300.

Local non-party campaigners have a spending limit of £700.  The Commission does not regulate local campaigns.  Complaints about breaches of the rules that apply to these should be made to the police. 

For an overview see the Electoral Commission’s guidance on non-party campaigner rules.
 

Parties can only accept donations worth more than £500 towards their campaign from a permissible source. 

Political parties must continue to report any donations they receive on a quarterly basis that total over £7,500 to the Electoral Commission. Local accounting units must report donations that total over £1,500. 

For more information see the Electoral Commission’s guidance on donations, including guidance on permissible sources.

Political parties must report their spending to the Electoral Commission. The deadline for reporting spending of £250,000 or less is 5 August. The deadline for reporting spending over £250,000 is 5 November. Donations and loans are reported by parties on a quarterly basis, when they exceed a certain threshold or are impermissible. There are no additional requirements on parties at the Northern Ireland Assembly election. 

Non-party campaigners: Like political parties, registered non-party campaigners can only accept donations of over £500 given for regulated activity, if they are from a permissible source. They must report any donations that total over £7,500 to the Electoral Commission. These donations are reported along with spending after the poll. Registered non-party campaigners must submit their return to the Electoral Commission by 5 August. 

The Commission’s website contains further guidance for political parties and campaigners in Northern Ireland. 

The deadline to apply to register to vote is 11:59pm on Thursday 14 April. 

People can register to vote online at gov.uk/register-to-vote 

If people are unable to register online, they can still complete a paper registration form and return it to the Electoral Office. The form can be downloaded from the Electoral Office website or they can contact the Electoral office on 028 9044 6680 and they will post a form to them. 

A person can vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly election if they are:

• included on the electoral register
• at least 18 years of age on the day of election
• a British, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizen or a citizen of the European Union.

In some cases it is possible to register at two different addresses. For example, if you are a student living away from home and split your time equally between two addresses. However, it would be an offence for a person to vote twice at the Northern Ireland Assembly election.

Service personnel and their spouses or civil partners, serving in the UK or overseas, can register either as a ‘Service Voter’ or as an ordinary voter online at GOV.UK. The way they choose to register to vote will depend on their personal circumstances.

Registering as a service voter may be useful if based overseas or there is a possibility that they will be posted overseas in the future, as it allows them to be registered for five years at a fixed address in Northern Ireland. 
 

Those who have not been convicted and sentenced (remand prisoners) can vote. Convicted prisoners, detained because of their sentence, cannot. In some limited circumstances, prisoners released on temporary licence may meet the criteria to register to vote. 

The Commission’s voter registration campaign for Northern Ireland launched on 14 March and runs until the registration deadline on 14 April. A separate voter registration campaign is also running in England, Scotland and Wales. 

Advertising is spread across a range of channels, including; TV, radio, digital and outdoor billboard. The campaign targets the whole electorate with a focus on groups we know from the recent Canvass of electors in Northern Ireland are less likely to be registered. 

We have produced a range of voter registration and voter information resources that our partners can use to raise awareness of the election and extend the reach of our campaign, particularly with under-registered groups and groups who face additional barriers registering and voting.
 

Before polling day, voters will be sent a poll card, which includes details of where their polling station is. Voters can only vote at the polling station specified on this card. They do not need to take their poll card with them to the polling station but doing so will speed up the process. Voters can search for their polling station on the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland’s website.

Polling station will be open between 7am and 10pm on Thursday 5 May. 

Any voter who is in a queue at the polling station at 10pm will be able to vote.

Voters must present one of the following forms of photo identification to confirm their identity before they can be issued with a ballot paper:

• a UK, Irish or EU passport
• a UK, Irish or EEA driving licence
• a Translink 60+ Smartpass
• a Translink Senior Smartpass
• a Translink Blind Person's Smartpass
• a Translink War Disabled Smartpass
• an Electoral Identity Card

The identification does not need to be ‘current’ but the presiding officer must be satisfied that the photograph matches that of the person intending to vote.

If voters do not have one of the other accepted forms of photo ID, they can apply for an Electoral Identity Card. This is produced by the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland. You must be on the electoral register to get a card. 

You can apply for an Electoral Identity Card in person or by post. The deadline to apply for an Electoral Identity Card is 22 April.

Voter can find out more information on the Electoral Office website. 

The Electoral Office for Northern Ireland will be following the latest public health guidance to make sure polling stations are safe places to vote on 5 May. 

For the latest guidance visit the Electoral Office website or email info@eoni.org.uk.
 

There is nothing in law which states whether a pen or a pencil should be used to mark a ballot paper. Pencils have been used to mark ballot papers for practical reasons: for example, with ink pens there is a chance the ink may dry or spill. Also, ink may cause some transfer of the mark the voter has made on the ballot paper when they fold it, thus potentially leading to a rejection as it may make the voters intention unclear. Should a voter wish to, they are able to use a pen to mark their ballot paper.

The law relating to obtaining information in polling stations and disclosing such information is complex. Given the risk that someone taking a photo inside a polling station may be in breach of the law, whether intentionally or not, our advice is against taking any photos inside polling stations.

Voters who are unable to go to the polling station on polling day can apply to vote by post or proxy.

They must complete a postal or proxy vote application form specifying the reason why they are applying. Voters can apply because of illness, disability, holiday, work or education arrangements. The deadline to apply to vote by post or proxy is 5pm on 12 April. 

Voters who registered to vote online will have been given a Digital Registration Number (DRN). They will need to provide their DRN on their application to vote by post or proxy. They can request their DRN by completing an online form on the Electoral office for Northern Ireland’s website or they can call their helpline on 028 9044 6680. 

The Digital Registration Number (DRN) is a unique number issued to voters by the Electoral Office once they successfully register online. 

The number is sent with the confirmation of a successful registration. The DRN is used to check the identity of postal or proxy vote applicants. It is important that voters keep hold of this number as it is necessary for applying for a postal or by proxy vote if registered to vote online). 
 

Postal ballot papers are treated differently in electoral law compared to polling station ballot papers. A postal voter may take a picture of their own postal ballot paper and publicise it (including via social media). 

However, whilst the postal voter themselves may publicise the information, if someone else persuades or induces them to make this information available, they would be committing an offence. If there are any suggestions or allegations that this could be happening, the person making the complaint should report the matter to the police.
 

Postal voting is not available on demand in Northern Ireland. When making an application a person must give a valid reason for their application along with their date of birth, national insurance number, signature and Digital Registration Number (if they registered online). 

The Electoral Commission has developed guidance that says parties, candidates and campaigns should not assist in completing a ballot paper, handle or take any completed ballot papers from voters. 

The UK Government’s Elections Bill would ban parties and campaigners from handling completed postal votes and postal vote envelopes. This is not currently a legal requirement for these elections, so at this time the law does not prohibit postal votes from being handled by candidates, parties and campaigners.
 

The electoral system used in elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly is the single transferable vote (STV) system.

The instructions on the ballot paper will tell voters to rank the candidates in order of preference. Mark a ‘1’ next to their first choice, ‘2’ next to their second, ‘3’ by their third, and so on. They can vote for as few or as many candidates as they like – it’s entirely their choice. 

It is a legal requirement to provide a tactile voting device at every polling station. This allows someone who is blind or partially sighted to mark the ballot paper themselves, once the details on the ballot paper have been read out either by their companion or the Presiding Officer. In addition, a large print version of the ballot paper must be displayed inside the polling station for the assistance of voters who are partially sighted. Enlarged hand-held copies, marked as ‘sample’, must also be available to anyone who requires them.

The Representation of the People Act 1983 specifies a number of criminal offences relating to electoral fraud. Offences include:

Personation – It is an offence to vote as someone else (whether that person is living, dead or fictitious), either by post or at a polling station, in person or as a proxy. 

Undue influence / intimidation – A person is guilty of undue influence if they attempt to influence someone’s vote by: 

• using or threatening force, violence or restraint
• inflicting or threatening injury, damage, loss or harm
• impeding or preventing someone from freely exercising their right to vote – even where the attempt is unsuccessful

Bribery – A person is guilty of bribery if they directly or indirectly offer any reward (financial or otherwise) in order to induce any voter to vote or refrain from voting.  

Treating – A person is guilty of treating if either before, during, or after an election they offer food, drink or entertainment to corruptly influence any voter. Treating requires a corrupt intent - it does not apply to ordinary hospitality.

False statements – It is an offence to make or publish a false statement of fact about the personal character or conduct of a candidate in order to affect the return of a candidate at an election. False statements that are not about a candidate’s personal character or conduct are not illegal under electoral law, but could be considered as libel or slander. It is an offence to knowingly provide a false statement on a nomination paper.

Multiple voting and proxy voting offences – There are various offences regarding multiple voting and proxy voting, including voting (whether in person, by post or by proxy) when you are not allowed to and voting more than once in the same election.

False information in connection with registration and absent voting – It is an offence to supply false registration information to an Electoral Registration Officer. It is also an offence to supply false information for a postal or proxy vote.
 

The PSNI is responsible for investigating any allegations that an offence may have taken place. 

The Chief Electoral Officer works closely with the PSNI to prevent and detect electoral fraud.

Anyone, including candidates, politicians and members of the public, who has evidence of electoral fraud taking place should report it to the police immediately, using the 101 non-emergency number, unless there is a crime in progress. People can also choose to contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.