The law says that we will register your identity mark unless in our opinion it does not meet certain tests. We therefore have to assess your identity marks against those tests.
We look at how the proposed identity marks can be used on ballot papers, including the different ways in which they can be used on the ballot paper at different elections, and the need for every voter to be able to cast their vote with confidence.
We will register your identity mark unless in the Commission’s opinion it:
is the same as another registered or protected identity mark which is on the same register
is likely to result in voters confusing it with another party identity mark that is already registered or protected
is likely to mislead voters as to the effect of their vote
is likely to contradict or hinder instructions or guidance given for voting
is obscene or offensive
contains certain prohibited words
contains more than six words
is not in Roman script
is likely to amount to an offence if published
As a guide, we are unlikely to register your identity mark if it:
is, or contains an acronym or abbreviation that is not well known and widely used and not spelt out
is a description that does not identify your party
links in any way to online material or contains reference to online content, such as a Twitter hashtag or a QR code
in most cases, if it contains a reference to a person’s name
is an emblem that contains text which cannot be read at the size emblems appear on ballot papers (2cm square) – at this size, we suggest that any text in an emblem is at least 1.2mm in height
We cannot confirm whether your application will be successful in advance of you submitting it. It is your responsibility to determine the details of your application and to ensure that it complies with the requirements of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA).
If your application is refused, we will notify you of our reasons in writing.