Guidance for Candidates and Agents at Police and Crime Commissioner elections

The nomination form

You can obtain nomination papers from the PARO. Contact details can be obtained from our website.

Alternatively, we have produced two sets of nomination papers that contain all the forms needed for nomination for the election of a Police and Crime Commissioner or a Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.


Your name and description (if you choose to use one) should be written on the nomination form before you ask subscribers to sign the form. 

The nomination form must be completed in English or, in Wales, in English or Welsh. 

The form must contain: 

Your full name1
  • This means your surname and other names in full
  • Using initials only could lead to your nomination paper being rejected. 
  • Do not use prefixes such as Mr, Mrs, Dr or Cllr as part of your name. 
  • The same applies to suffixes. However, if you have a title, you can use this as your full name. For example, if your actual name is Joseph Smith but your hereditary title is Joseph Avon, you can use the name Joseph Avon as your full name.
Signatures of 100 registered electors2  
  • Also known as subscribers from the police area. 
  • Your subscribers must be registered Police and Crime Commissioner electors, for any local authority in the police area, that is in force 25 working days before the poll. For more information see our guidance on subscribers.

Description

You can also choose to use a description on your nomination paper.  The type of description you can use depends on whether you are an independent or party candidate.  

Independent CandidatesYou can only use “Independent” as your description.  
Political Party Candidates

You can use a party name or description.

If you want to use a party name or description, you must also submit alongside your other nomination papers a certificate that shows that you are authorised to use the party’s name or description.  More information is set out in our guidance on the certificate of authorisation.

You do not have to use a description. If you choose not to use a description, you can leave the description field of the nomination form blank.
 

Last updated: 3 April 2024