We use the terms “must” and “should” throughout this code. We use the term “must” when the person in question is legally required to do something and when we refer to criminal offences. We use “should” when the advice should be followed unless there is good reason not to.

All references to campaigners in this code include:

• Candidates standing at an election, their agents and their staff and supporters 
• Political party officers, staff, members and supporters campaigning at an election  
• Other people and organisations campaigning for or against a candidate, a group of candidates or a party at an election where they are employed or engaged by the candidate or political party. 

• We strongly advise all people and organisations campaigning for or against a candidate, a group of candidates or a party at an election to comply with this code, even where they are not employed or engaged by a candidate or political party. 

Any concerns that criminal offences referred to in this code have taken place should be raised with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

Any concerns that best practice set out in this Code has not been followed should be raised first with the candidate, political party or campaigner in question. Thereafter any remaining concerns should be drawn to the attention of the Chief Electoral Officer and the Electoral Commission. We will raise them with the relevant party or campaigner if appropriate and agree appropriate actions to remedy or prevent a reoccurrence of any breach.  
 

Campaigners should be free to encourage voters to register to vote and apply to vote by post, or appoint a proxy to vote on their behalf. Campaigners should only use forms produced by the Electoral Office.

Campaigners can help to inform voters about how to participate in elections. Campaigners can encourage voters to use the online electoral registration service to register to vote. If a voter can’t register online, campaigners can also provide voters with official paper application forms to register to vote from the Electoral Office website.

Campaigners can inform voters about how to participate in elections if they cannot attend their polling place.

Campaigners can provide voters with information on how to apply for a postal or proxy vote. Campaigners can provide official absent vote application forms from the Electoral Office website.

Campaigners should ensure the Electoral Office’s address is clearly provided as the return address for all paper forms.

To ensure voters can make their own choice about how to return registration or absent vote application forms, campaigners should always clearly provide the Electoral Office’s address as the return address. This will also minimise the risk of suspicion that completed applications could be altered or inadvertently lost or destroyed. 

Campaigners must not alter any completed registration or absent vote application given to them and should send them to the Electoral Office’s address immediately wherever possible and at most within two working days of receipt.

To minimise the risk of registration or absent vote applications being refused because completed forms arrive with the Electoral Office after the statutory deadline before a poll, campaigners should ensure that there is no delay in forwarding on application forms which they receive directly. Campaigners should not delay handing in completed forms until the deadline day as this is very likely to cause problems for electors. 

Campaigners should always explain to electors the implications of applying to vote by post or appointing a proxy.

It is important that electors understand that they will not be able to vote in person on polling day if they are granted a postal vote and will not be able to vote in person if their appointed proxy has already voted on their behalf. To avoid duplication and unnecessary administrative pressures for the Electoral Office, campaigners should try to ensure that electors who are included in current postal or proxy voter lists, or have already applied for a postal or proxy vote for a particular poll, do not submit an additional application. 

Campaigners should provide electors with information about the Digital Registration Number (DRN). 

They should make electors aware that they must put their DRN on the absent vote application if they registered to vote online. Campaigners must not request the DRN from the Electoral Office on behalf of electors. Electors should request their DRN at www.eoni.org.uk/drn.

Campaigners should never encourage electors to have their postal ballot pack sent to anywhere other than the address where they are registered to vote.

Electors should take care to protect their ballot paper and postal ballot pack. Electors will be best able to protect their ballot at their home address unless there are compelling reasons why receiving the postal ballot pack at the home address (where they are registered to vote) would be impractical. Electors must state on the application form the reason why they need their postal ballot pack sent to another address. 

Electors should explore all options for people to act as a proxy – including relatives or neighbours. Given the new offence of acting as proxy for more than two domestic electors, campaigners must not be appointed as a proxy for more than two domestic electors.

To minimise the risk of suspicion that campaigners may be seeking to place undue pressure on electors, electors should not be encouraged to appoint a campaigner as their proxy. A domestic elector is an elector who lives in Northern Ireland or Great Britain.

Campaigners should advise electors that there are limits on the number of people someone can act as a proxy for. 

Campaigners should advise electors that there is a limit to the number of electors someone can be a proxy for. Someone can act as a proxy for two people. If someone votes on behalf of UK voters who live overseas, they can act as a proxy for up to four people (but only two of those can live in the UK). Campaigners should therefore advise electors to check with the person they intend to appoint as their proxy how many other electors that person is currently acting as proxy for.

Campaigners should inform voters that they need photographic identification to vote at elections in Northern Ireland. 

Campaigners can help to inform voters that they must produce a suitable form of photographic identification to vote in person at a polling station for elections in Northern Ireland. The full list of accepted photographic ID can be found on the Electoral Commission’s website.

Campaigners can also encourage voters who lack a suitable form of photographic identification to apply for an Electoral Identity Card which they can use to vote at their local polling station. Campaigners should encourage voters to check whether they have a suitable photo ID before making an application for an Electoral Identity Card. Voters can find details on how to apply for an Electoral Identity Card on the Electoral Office's website.

Campaigners should inform electors that voter ID requirements for elections in Northern Ireland are different from the requirements elsewhere in the UK.

Campaigners should be aware that the voter ID requirements for elections in Northern Ireland are different from Great Britain. They should remind voters of the requirements in Northern Ireland to help avoid any confusion at polling places on polling day. Campaigners can consult the Electoral Commission’s website for information about the voter ID requirements in different parts of the UK.

In Northern Ireland voters are required to produce one of the following forms of photographic ID before being issued with a ballot paper. It does not need to be current, but the photograph must be of a good enough likeness to allow polling station staff to confirm the identity of the holder.

• A UK, Irish or EU passport (EU passports are not accepted at UK Parliamentary elections)
• A UK, Irish or EEA driving licence
• An electoral identity card issued by the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland
• A Translink Half Fare Smartpass
• A Translink Senior Smartpass
• A Translink 60+ Smartpass
• A Translink War Disablement Smartpass
• A Translink Registered Blind Smartpass
• A Biometric Immigration Document

Campaigners must never handle anyone else’s postal voting documents.

The term “postal voting document” covers a postal ballot paper, a declaration of identity, envelopes for returning postal voting documents, and an envelope containing a postal ballot pack.

It is a criminal offence for a campaigner to handle another voter’s postal voting documents. The offence applies to candidates and political parties, and those connected with, employed or engaged by candidates and parties – please see the terminology section. It carries a maximum penalty of up to two years in prison, a fine, or both; and prohibition from standing for electoral office and from voting for a period of 5 years. 

There are two exemptions to this offence: 

• Campaigners are permitted to handle the postal voting documents of a close family member or someone they (or the organisation they work for) provide care for.
• Campaigners are permitted to handle postal voting documents if that is included in the duties of a job or role they hold, and the handling is consistent with those duties. This includes postal workers and people who hold roles in organisations or communal buildings where handling post is part of the role (e.g. working in a care home).

If campaigners are asked for assistance in completing a ballot paper, they should always refer the voter to the Electoral Office’s helpline on 028 9044 6680.

Campaigners must never observe voters completing their ballot paper. If campaigners are with a voter when they complete their ballot paper, remember they must always complete it in secret.

It is a criminal offence to attempt to obtain, or to communicate, the number, official mark or other unique identifying mark from a voter’s postal ballot, or which candidate the voter has voted for. The maximum penalty for this offence is a 6-month prison sentence or a fine. (This offence applies to everyone whether they are a campaigner or not.)

If campaigners are asked to give advice, it is acceptable and often helpful to explain the voting process, but do not offer to help anyone to complete their ballot paper. Campaigners should always encourage voters themselves or a close family member to post the ballot pack. If campaigners are approached or asked for help by a voter who is unable to post their completed postal ballot pack, they should refer the voter to the Electoral Office. It is a criminal offence for a campaigner to handle another voter’s postal voting documents. 

Campaigners should encourage voters to post their completed postal ballots as early as possible using Royal Mail.

Campaigners should encourage voters to post their completed postal ballots as early as possible using Royal Mail. Failure to do so could mean that the postal vote is not counted. In Northern Ireland postal votes cannot be accepted at polling stations. If an elector is worried that they do not have time to return their ballot paper by Royal Mail, they should contact the Electoral Office.

Campaigners can put their messages to voters outside polling places.

Campaigners should be polite and courteous at all times when speaking to members of the public face to face or on social media. Campaigners should be careful to ensure that their approach is proportionate and avoid any behaviour that may be construed as harassment or intimidation. 

Campaigners should not congregate in groups around polling places where the number of campaigners and their vicinity to the polling place could be viewed by a voter as intimidating or impeding access to the polling place. 

Campaigners should recognise that some voters may perceive large groups of supporters outside polling places as intimidating. Candidates should therefore avoid congregating in large groups directly outside polling places.

Campaigners should keep access to polling places and the pavements around polling places clear to allow voters to enter.  

Campaigners must not stop, restrict or impede voters from entering or leaving the grounds of a polling place on foot or in a vehicle. Campaigners who impede voters’ access to a polling place will be directed to move by either polling station staff and/or police officers. Failure to do this may be an offence and campaigners may be prosecuted.

Campaigners should not attach any campaigning material to a polling place.

Campaigners should not attach flags, emblems, banners, posters or any other item used in connection with campaigning to a polling place or to any part of its perimeter wall or fence.

Tellers must not demand any information relating to a voter’s elector number, name or address, or ask to see or check a voter’s photo ID.

Tellers have no legal status and voters have the right to refuse to give them any information. Tellers must not have discussions with voters that may give rise to allegations of undue influence (e.g. voting intentions, party affiliations or party campaigns).

However, tellers may in certain locations approach voters for information in accordance with instructions from the Polling Station Presiding Officer. 

Tellers must always remain outside the polling station and not impede voters’ access to it.

Tellers must only enter the polling station to cast their own vote, to vote as a proxy or to accompany a disabled voter. They must always comply with the instructions of the Chief Electoral Officer or the Presiding Officer. 

Campaigners with concerns about electoral fraud and evidence to support those concerns should raise the matter with their election agent, party, or the Electoral Office.

The election agent, political party or Electoral Office may be able to explain whether an issue is an election-related crime or not. The election agent, political party or Electoral Office can also advise whether to refer the matter to the police and provide details of the police contact so that campaigners can report their allegation.

Concerns about breaches of the political finance rules should be raised directly with the Electoral Commission.

When campaigners suspect electoral fraud, they should be prepared to give the police a formal statement of allegations.

Unsubstantiated public claims (including on social media) from candidates or others about electoral fraud damages confidence in the electoral process. Therefore, any campaigner alleging fraud should give formal evidence to the police before publicising or reporting any specific allegation.

Any campaigner who has actual evidence that an electoral offence has been committed should report it directly and without delay to the PSNI. 

Report suspected criminal matters via 101. If you feel that you or others are in immediate danger, call police on 999.

Campaigners must consider their legal responsibilities in relation to handling personal data under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 when obtaining and processing voters’ data.

You are also required to understand your responsibilities for direct marketing during campaigns under the Privacy of Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).

Campaigners must ensure that they comply with the UK GDPR, PECR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Campaigners can obtain advice and guidance on their obligations in relation to Data Protection from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Specific guidance on campaigning in elections is available on the ICO website (Guidance for the use of personal data in political campaigning | ICO). If data protection issues are raised with the Electoral Commission or the Electoral Office, we will pass them onto the ICO which may lead to investigation or enforcement action.