Guidance for Candidates at Parish council elections in England

Print full guidance

Maintaining the security and integrity of the election

  • Candidates are one of the key public faces of the election, and your conduct will be scrutinised in detail by your opponents, the media and voters.
  • Voters should be able to trust that you will comply with the law and maintain the security and integrity of the election process.
  • You should make sure that your supporters fully understand the law and know what they need to do to ensure that:
    • voters can participate freely in this election; and
    • other candidates and their supporters can participate safely in this election and be free from intimidation
  • More information about security guidance for candidates and agents is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/security-guidance-for-may-2021-elections. 
  • The police can only investigate allegations of electoral fraud where there is evidence to show that an offence has taken place, so you should always be able to substantiate any claims or allegations when you refer them to the police.
  • You should also consider the impact on public trust and confidence of making false or unsubstantiated allegations about the conduct of other campaigners.
  • Neither the Returning Officer nor the Commission regulate these offences. For details of how to report any allegations see our guidance on Reporting allegations of electoral fraud. 
     
Last updated: 29 November 2024