Guidance for the GLRO administering the GLA elections

An election agent is the person responsible for the proper management of the election campaign and, in particular its financial management.

Each registered party submitting a party list at the London-wide Assembly Member election must have an election agent.

The notice of the appointment of election agent must be delivered to you, by the latest time for the delivery of notices of withdrawal, which is by 4pm on the last day for delivery of nomination papers.1

We have produced form for the notification of elections agents as part of the set of nomination papers for the Greater London Authority elections. 

You should communicate information on the election processes, the code of conduct and standard points of behaviour to the election agent at the earliest opportunity. In particular any information you provide should provide links to and highlight the new postal vote handling and the new undue influence and intimidation rules.

Can a candidate be their own agent?

A candidate on a party list can be appointed as election agent for that party list.

If an agent is not appointed by the deadline for withdrawals, the candidate who is first on the party’s list automatically becomes the election agent for that party.2  

The candidate who is first of the party list also becomes the election agent for that party if: 

• the agent’s appointment is revoked, or
• the agent dies, and a replacement is not appointed on the day of the death or on the following day3  

Election agent’s office address

The election agent must have an office to which all claims, notices, legal process and other documents may be sent.4 The office address must be a physical address – PO boxes or similar mailboxes cannot be used.  

The location of the office for the London-wide Assembly Member election must be in one of the following locations:5

• within the parliamentary constituency where the candidate is standing
• within a constituency which adjoins the constituency where the candidate is standing 
• within London, within a London borough which is part of, or adjoins the, the constituency where the candidate is standing 

The election agent’s office address is often be the same as their home address. Alternatively it might be the local political party office or an office especially set up for the election. 

Where the first-named candidate on a party list becomes the election agent as a result of no-one else having been appointed, the office address is deemed to be the address given on the statement of persons and parties nominated6 i.e. the one provided on the home address form. 

This is the case even where a candidate has chosen to withhold their home address from the statement of persons nominated and ballot paper. You should make this clear to the candidates.

If the address is outside the qualifying area, you should contact the candidate and request that they provide an alternative address within the area.