Combined Authority and Combined County Authority Returning Officer guidance for Combined Authority Mayoral elections

An election address must:

• be submitted to you by 4pm on the nineteenth working day before the poll (i.e. by the last time for the delivery of nominations)1  
• contain matter relating to the combined authority mayoral election only2  
• contain a statement to the effect that it has been prepared by the candidate’s election agent3  
• give the name and address of the election agent 4  
• give the name and the home address of each candidate or, if they have requested not to make their home address public, the relevant electoral area as given on the home address form5
• be printed on no more than two sides of A5 paper.6 If the election address exceeds one side of A5, be accompanied by a second version of the address that must not exceed one side of A5 paper. If there are more than 15 candidates at the election, the version to be included in the booklet must be this second version7  
• comply with any typographical layout, margin and colour requirements that you determine8  
• comply with any other requirements with a view to facilitating the reproduction of the address as a page or pages of the election booklet as you determine 9

An election address must not:

• contain any advertising material (other than material promoting the candidate as a candidate at the combined authority mayoral election)10  
• contain any material referring to any other candidate for election at the combined authority mayoral election11
• contain any material appearing to you to be included with a view to commercial gain12  
• contain a representation of an emblem of a registered political party registered with the Commission unless the address was prepared on behalf of that party’s authorised candidate (i.e. the candidate’s nomination was accompanied by the nomination deadline by a valid certificate of authorisation)13  
• contain a party description or joint description registered with the Commission unless the candidate’s address was prepared on behalf of that party or those parties jointly (i.e. the candidate’s nomination was accompanied by the nomination deadline by a valid certificate of authorisation or certificates of authorisation for joint candidates)14

An election address may (as long as it meets the above requirements):

• include a picture of the candidate
• be formatted as the candidate wishes including using any combination of words, pictures and artwork15

If the address is to contain a photograph of the candidate, the candidate must provide two identical copies of that photograph. One copy must be signed on the back by the candidate.16 If the address is to contain anything else as part of that address, you may reasonably require any number of copies of it in connection with the reproduction of the election address.17

You must consider whether all of the above requirements have been complied with. If any requirement has not been complied with you must not include that election address in the booklet.18