Guidance for Candidates and Agents at Senedd elections

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Unsolicited material addressed to voters

General costs

Examples include the costs of:

  • services provided by any agency, individual or organisation
  • premises or facilities
  • equipment
  • image rights or licensing fees
  • paper or other materials

used in connection with unsolicited material to voters. This includes the costs of producing and distributing the material by any means.

For example, the cost of envelopes and stamps or the purchase of a system for sending emails.

It includes the cost of accessing, developing and maintaining any digital or other network which promotes or increases the visibility of unsolicited material on any platform.

For example, a candidate pays a developer to create an app that facilitates targeting of their material on a social media channel.

It includes the cost of oversight and maintenance of all social media, digital or other forms of distribution of unsolicited material. This includes the maintenance of all social media accounts, including if they are maintained by another entity/individual.

Computing and printing equipment

Where paper, photocopying equipment or a printer is purchased or hired principally for use in the campaign, the full cost must be reported.

It includes costs associated with computing or printing equipment in connection with unsolicited material to voters.

These costs are reportable except where:

  • computing or printing equipment was acquired by the candidate principally for their own personal use1  
  • computing or printing equipment is provided by another individual, the equipment was acquired by that individual for their own personal use and the candidate is not charged for the use of it2

Example A

The candidate buys a printer to print leaflets they will deliver to voters in the electoral area. As the printer is bought specifically for use in the campaign, the full cost of buying the printer must be reported.

Example B

A volunteer allows the campaign to use their home office equipment and printer for free. This is not candidate spending as there is an exemption for using someone’s personal computing or printing equipment where the candidate is not charged. This should not be reported.

Voter information and databases

This includes costs of:

  • IT software or contact databases
  • data sets or other data analytics
  • any information, by whatever means

used to facilitate the sending of unsolicited material to voters. This includes obtaining, developing and maintaining this data.

For example, the purchase of email addresses to target voters

It includes the cost of accessing, obtaining or developing data sets, including data analytics to target voters by whatever means, including the cost of agencies, organisations or others that identify groups of voters, by whatever means.

For example, the cost of any agency paid to analyse social media content to facilitate targeting of voters in a specific electoral area and the cost of modelling by an agency based on that analysis.

It includes the cost of any services to identify voters that are purchased, developed or provided before the regulated period, but are used to target voters during the regulated period.

Where information or access to information is obtained from a third party, the commercial cost of obtaining that information from the third party is included.

Election address

Each candidate is entitled to free postage to deliver two election addresses to voters in the constituency. The address must only contain matters relating to the election.3

The costs of producing these election addresses must be reported as candidate spending. Postage costs for the election addresses do not count as candidate spending.4

Other costs

You also do not have to include the costs of people's food or accommodation costs while they are providing you with services relating to unsolicited material, if they meet the costs themselves. For example, if your volunteers buy themselves lunch while delivering leaflets to voters.

However, any food or accommodation expenses you or someone else buys for them, or reimburses them for, do count as your spending.

Costs that are excluded

You do not have to report any costs associated with the obtaining of data as permitted under any statute or regulation.

For example, candidates are entitled to a copy of the electoral register.

Last updated: 22 April 2026