Our guidance is separated out into sections, each of which deals with a different part of the process you will be involved with as a candidate or agent for local government elections in England.
When you click on a link in the navigation list to the right, it will reveal the links to the different areas of guidance for each section. When you reach the end of a page, you can use the link at the bottom right-hand side to move to the next page of guidance.
Each section provides links to relevant forms and information resources, you will find these embedded in the text. You can also access these in the ‘Resources’ link at the end of each section on the navigation tree.
If you wish to print off all of the guidance, you can do so using the link at the top of the page. Our guidance sets out the stages that candidates and their agents need to go through when standing at a local government election. The areas covered are:
Section
What it covers
What you need to know before standing as a candidate
qualifications and disqualifications to stand as a candidate
when you officially become a candidate
Candidate spending
the rules about how much candidates can spend on their campaigns
reporting on campaign spending after the election
Candidate donations
the rules about donations that candidates can accept
reporting on donations after the election
The campaign
the rules on publication and display of campaign literature
the rules about campaigning
general principles for campaigning
Nominations
the nomination process and what forms you will need to complete
submission of nomination papers
what happens after you have submitted your nomination papers
Postal votes
the processes for issuing and opening postal votes
attending postal vote opening sessions
Polling Day
polling day processes
attending polling stations
polling day dos and don’ts
Verification and count
what happens at the verification and count
attending the verification and count
After the declaration of the result
submitting spending returns
access to election documentation, including marked registers