Campaigners are an essential element of a healthy democracy, and their right to put their arguments to voters should be supported and protected. It is equally important, however, to ensure that the activities of campaigners do not bring into question the integrity of the electoral process.  

This Code provides a guide for campaigners, electoral administrators and police forces to what is, and is not, considered acceptable behaviour at polling stations and in the community during the lead-up to polling day.  

More detailed guidance about electoral offences can be found in the guidance for candidates and agents, which is available at: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/candidate-or-agent.

The Code has been sent to all registered political parties in Great Britain, and Returning Officers will draw it to the attention of all candidates and parties contesting the devolved elections and referendums in Scotland and Wales listed below in the Scope section of this Code.  

Some Returning Officers may identify the need to develop and seek agreement to specific local provisions which supplement the terms of this Code, in order to address identified local risks. Returning Officers must consult with local campaigners and the relevant national Nominating Officers as well as police forces to secure appropriate local agreement to such provisions, and should ensure that they are communicated and well-understood by campaigners locally.

This code covers all those actively involved in campaigning at:

• Scottish council elections
• Scottish Parliament elections
• Referendums held under Scottish Parliament legislation
• Senedd Cymru elections
• Welsh local elections
• Referendums held under Senedd Cymru legislation
• Other elections and referendums in Great Britain

This code does NOT apply to any other polls. The code of conduct for campaigners for other types of elections and referendums in Great Britain covers:

• UK general elections
• UK parliamentary by-elections
• Local elections in England
• Local referendums in England
• Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections (and Police, Fire and Crime Commissioners (PFCC elections) in England and Wales   

All references to campaigners in this code include:  

• Candidates standing at an election, their agents and their staff and supporters  
• Political party officers, 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  
• People and organisations campaigning for or against a particular outcome at a referendum

Any concerns that this code has been breached should be raised first with the candidate, political party or campaigner in question.  

Any further concerns should be drawn to the attention of the Electoral Commission. The Commission will raise them with the relevant party or campaigner if appropriate, and will 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, if that is the most convenient way for them to vote. 

Campaigners can help to inform voters about how to participate in elections. They should encourage voters in the first instance to use the online electoral registration service or they can provide voters with paper application forms to register to vote and to apply for a postal or proxy vote. Electoral Registration Officers must support you by providing you with a reasonable number of registration and absent vote application forms on request. 

Campaigners should ensure that any electoral registration forms and postal or proxy voting application forms conform fully to the requirements of electoral law, including all the necessary questions and the options open to electors.

You can download electoral registration forms from the Register to vote (paper forms) - GOV.UK and absent vote application forms from Apply to vote by post | Electoral Commission and Apply to vote by proxy | Electoral Commission. 

Campaigners should ensure that the local Electoral Registration Officer’s address is clearly provided as the return address for registration and absent vote application forms.

To ensure voters can make their own choice about how to return registration or absent vote application forms, you should always clearly provide the relevant Electoral Registration Officer’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 should send any sealed completed registration or absent vote application forms given to them to the relevant Electoral Registration Officer’s address within two working days of receipt and before the statutory deadline.

If a voter asks you to take their completed application form and return it to the Electoral Registration Officer, you should ensure that the voter has sealed the form in an envelope before taking it. You should return forms to the Electoral Registration Officer directly to minimise the risk of absent vote applications being refused because completed forms arrive after the statutory deadline before a poll (5pm on the 11th working day before the poll).

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 or their proxy apply for and 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 Electoral Registration Officers, 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.

When electors fill out their postal vote application forms, campaigners should never encourage electors to have their postal ballot pack redirected 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, and they will be best able to do so at their home address unless there are compelling reasons why receiving the postal ballot pack at the 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 be encouraged to explore other options for people to act as a proxy – including relatives or neighbours, for example – before a campaigner agrees to be appointed as a proxy.

To minimise the risk of suspicions that campaigners may be seeking to place undue pressure on electors, electors should not be encouraged to appoint a campaigner as their proxy.

Campaigners should never touch or handle anyone else’s postal voting documents.

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

If you are asked for assistance in completing a ballot paper, you should always refer the voter to the Returning Officer’s staff at the elections office who may be able to arrange a home visit if necessary. Assistance will also be available for electors at polling stations.

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

You should ensure that the voter seals both envelopes personally and immediately after completing their ballot paper and postal voting statement. If you 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.  

Wherever practical, you should encourage voters to post or deliver the completed postal ballot pack themselves. If you are approached or asked for help by a voter who is unable to post their completed postal ballot pack or make any other arrangements for it to be returned in time, you should contact the Returning Officer to ask them to arrange for it to be collected.