Guidance for Candidates and Agents at Senedd elections

For the nomination to be valid, a deposit must be made by you as the Nominating Officer or by a person appointed in writing to act on your behalf1 for the party list. This must be deposited with the Returning Officer (RO) by the deadline for nominations, 4pm, 19 working days before the poll.2

£500 must be deposited for the first party list candidate appearing on the list.3
 
£200 must be deposited for each of the next five candidates appearing on the party list.4

The deposit can be made using:5

• Legal tender (cash in British pounds only)
• a UK banker’s draft.

The RO may also accept a deposit made by a building society check, a debit or credit card or an electronic funds transfer. However, they may refuse to do so. If you are considering paying the deposit in one of these ways, you should discuss with the RO at the earliest opportunity whether the payment method is acceptable.

If the RO allows the deposit to be paid by credit or debit card, there may be a fee charged by the bank or credit card company for the transaction, in which case you will be required to pay any additional fees as well as the deposit.

Where the deposit is made by you, you must state that fact to the RO. Anybody else who makes the deposit must at the time they make it give their name and address to the RO (unless they are the party list’s election agent and that name and address has been previously given to the RO).6

Parties that poll 5% or more of the total valid votes cast in the constituency will have their deposit returned. Those parties that have polled less than 5% of the total number of the valid votes cast will lose their deposit.7