To become nominated as a constituency candidate at a Scottish Parliament election, you need to submit a completed set of nomination papers to the place fixed by the Constituency Returning Officer (CRO), together with the deposit of £500, by 4pm, 23 working days before the poll.1
This deadline is set out in law and cannot be changed for any reason.
Nomination papers can be delivered from the day after the publication of the notice of election. The times and place for delivery of nomination papers will be set out in the notice of election published by the CRO.2
The nomination papers that you must submit to make your nomination valid are:3
the nomination form
your consent to nomination
The CRO can hold your nomination paper invalid if the particulars of your nomination are not as required by law. The CRO can also reject your nomination if they conclude that it is clearly a sham, for example, if an obviously fictitious name is provided.
You can obtain nomination papers from the CRO. Contact details can be obtained from our website. Alternatively, we have produced a set of nomination papers that you could use.
If you, your agent, or someone you trust are unable to complete the nomination form, the CRO can help by preparing the form for your signature.4
You should check with the CRO at the earliest opportunity what assistance may be available.
The CRO may also be able to offer informal checks of your completed nomination papers before you submit them. You should find out from the CRO whether they plan to offer informal checks.
Note that any information you provide on your nomination papers must be true to the best of your knowledge. It is an offence to provide a false statement on your nomination papers. Providing a false statement could invalidate your election, and is also punishable by a maximum fine of £10,000 (or unlimited if convicted on indictment) and/or imprisonment.5