Guidance for Candidates and Agents at Senedd elections

As the Nominating Officer of a registered political party you may submit a list of up to 8 candidates to stand in a constituency.1

The party must be a qualifying political party.2 A qualifying political party is one that is registered on the Commission’s register of political parties and listed as allowed to field candidates in Wales.3

To contest the election, you or someone appointed in writing to act on your behalf, needs to submit a completed set of nomination papers to the place fixed by the relevant Returning Officer (RO) with the deposit for each party list candidate by 4pm, 19 working days.4

This deadline is set out in law and cannot be changed for any reason.

The date from which you will be able to submit nomination papers, as well as the times and arrangements for delivery by hand or electronically will be set out in the notice of election published by the RO.5  

There are three nomination papers that you must submit to make the party list nomination valid:6

• the nomination form for the party list which also authorises the use of the party name
• a home address form for each candidate on the list
• a consent to nomination including a statement of party membership for each candidate on the list 

As Nominating Officer, you may also make a written request for one of the party’s emblems to appear on the ballot paper.7 For more information see our guidance on requests to use an emblem on the ballot paper.

The RO can hold the party nomination paper invalid if:8

• the party and its given party name or description are not registered with the Commission (not including the prefix Welsh or suffix Cymru)
• the party or description used has not been authorised by the delivery of a certificate of authorisation in the prescribed form.
• the paper is not subscribed as required
• the party list is not included in the party nomination paper
• the party list includes more than 8 persons
• every candidate included on the party list has ceased to stand nominated because they have died or withdrawn

The RO can decide that a particular party list candidate has ceased to stand nominated. The grounds for this decision are that:9  

• the particulars of a candidate in that list are not as required by law
• a candidate is disqualified under section 16(A1) of the Government of Wales Act 2006 from being a Member of the Senedd, and from being a candidate to be a Member of the Senedd
• a candidate in the list is, at the same election, an individual candidate or a candidate on any other party list in the same or another constituency

The RO can also reject the nomination of a party list candidate if they conclude that it is clearly a sham, for example if an obviously fictitious name is provided.

Nomination papers can be obtained from the RO. Contact details can be obtained from our website. Alternatively, we have produced a set of nomination papers that you could use:

If you (or someone appointed in writing to act on your behalf) are unable to complete the nomination form, the RO can help by preparing the form for your signature. You should check with the RO at the earliest opportunity what assistance may be available.

The RO may also be able to offer informal checks of completed nomination papers before submission. The RO will be able to confirm whether they plan to offer informal checks. 

Note that any information you provide on the nomination papers must be true to the best of your knowledge (or to the best of the knowledge of the person appointed in writing to act on your behalf). It is an offence to provide a false statement on nomination papers.10 Providing a false statement could invalidate the election of candidates on the party’s list, and is also punishable by an unlimited fine and/or imprisonment.