Guidance for Returning Officers administering a Senedd election

Only certain people are entitled to inspect home address forms of candidate(s) who stand nominated.1
 
These people are:

• any person standing nominated as a candidate in the same Senedd constituency
• the election agent or subscriber of any other person standing nominated as a candidate in the same Senedd constituency
• where another person standing nominated in the same Senedd constituency is acting as their own agent, any other person nominated by them

Home address forms should be kept securely and are only available for inspection during office hours on any working day from the latest time for delivery of nomination papers until the day of poll.2
   
Where a home address form has been delivered electronically, you must take reasonable steps to ensure access for the purpose of inspection.3
 
Home address forms should be inspected under supervision. Taking extracts of the home address forms, or copies of them, is not permitted.4 Once the inspection period has passed, the home address forms are not open to inspection.
  
You should make it clear to anyone inspecting a home address form which asks for the candidate’s home address not to be published that the information on the form should only be used by the person inspecting to:5

• lodge an election petition
• make a complaint to the police that a person has made a false statement

and that any other use may be in breach of data protection legislation and so could make a person using the information for any other purpose liable to criminal prosecution.

Home address forms must be kept securely stored for a period of 35 working days after the result has been declared.6 They must be securely destroyed on the next working day after the 35 day period.
 
If an election petition relating to the election is presented within the 35 working days, the home address forms must be kept securely until the conclusion of the petition proceedings (including any appeal from such proceedings).
 
The home address form must be securely destroyed as soon as is practicable following the conclusion of the proceedings or appeal.