To become nominated as a candidate at a UK Parliamentary general election in Northern Ireland, you need to submit a completed set of nomination papers by 4pm, 19 working days before the poll.1
You should check the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland's website for information on where you should submit your completed nomination papers.
This deadline is set out in law and cannot be changed for any reason.
The start date from which you will be able to submit nomination papers, as well as the times and place for delivery, will be set out in the notice of election published by the Returning Officer.2
The notice of election will be published on the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland's website.
There are three nomination papers that you must submit to make your nomination valid:3
The Returning Officer can hold your nomination paper invalid if the particulars of your nomination are not as required by law. The Returning Officer can also reject your nomination if they conclude it is clearly a sham, for example an obviously fictitious name is provided.
You can obtain nomination papers from the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland's website.
If you, your agent or someone you trust are unable to complete the nomination form, the EONI can help by preparing the form for your signature.4
The Electoral Office for Northern Ireland will provide candidates with the opportunity to submit draft nomination papers so they can be informally checked. Anyone can submit draft papers for checking on your behalf, they can be emailed to [email protected] or hand delivered to the nomination venue (once nominations are open). You will be advised of any errors or omissions in time to allow them to be corrected.
You must still formally submit your nomination paper in the required way and whilst the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland is happy to informally check the nomination paper beforehand this does not guarantee the nomination paper will be accepted at the formal submission
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 fine of £5,000 and/or imprisonment.5