Guidance for Candidates and Agents at Greater London Authority elections

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Once the GLRO has formally accepted a nomination form, signatures cannot be withdrawn.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