Standing for Mayor of London

Nominations
On Thursday 3rd May 2012 there will be elections for: the Mayor of London, London Assembly Constituency Members, and London Assembly London-wide list Members. The Notice of Election for all contests will be published by Tuesday 20th March 2012. This marks the official opening of nominations, and is the first opportunity for people to submit their nomination forms to be formally accepted as candidates.

Nominations close at midday on Wednesday 28th March 2012 and a list of candidates will be published on Monday 2nd April 2012.

Candidate qualification
Anyone interested in becoming a candidate in any of the contests on 3rd May must meet the legal qualifications and follow the relevant nomination process. Candidates must be:


 * at least 18 years old when nominations open on 20th March 2012
 * a citizen of the UK, Republic of Ireland, European Union or Commonwealth
 * be registered to vote in London, or have lived, worked, rented or owned property in London for the last 12 months.

There are also a number of disqualifications from standing such as:


 * holding a job which restricts you from standing as a candidate in these elections. Example jobs include being a member of staff of the Greater London Authority, London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, Metropolitan Police Authority, Transport for London, London Development Agency, and other local authority staff holding a politically restricted post
 * you are the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order or interim order
 * you have been sentenced to a term of imprisonment of three months or more (including a suspended sentence), without the option of a fine, during the five years before polling day
 * you have been disqualified under the Representation of the People Act (RPA) 1983 which covers corrupt or illegal electoral practices and offences relating to donations
 * you have been disqualified under the Audit Commission Act 1998

This is only an outline of some of the disqualifications and more information will be in the candidates and agents guidance. It is a criminal offence to make a false statement on your nomination papers and therefore if you are in any doubt, you should contact your employer, consult the legislation or, if necessary, take your own independent legal advice.

Nominating an election agent
All candidates may nominate a person to act as their election agent. That is, a person who is responsible for the proper management of the candidate’s campaign. This particularly applies to financial aspects as only the election agent can make payments for the election expenses.

You must have an agent. Therefore if you do not appoint an agent, or do not wish to, you are deemed to be your own agent.

Certain individuals – such as Returning Officers, their staff or someone not entitled to vote due to a conviction under the RPA 1983 – cannot be election agents.

You must declare your election agent and a declaration form and deadline will be provided in due course.

Standing for election for Mayor of London
Candidates who wish to stand for Mayor of London must submit the following to the Greater London Returning Officer (GLRO):


 * a completed nomination form and a signed and witnessed nomination consent form
 * 330 signatures of people on the electoral register in London supporting the nomination, consisting of 10 from each London borough and 10 from the City of London
 * a deposit of £10,000, which is returned if you get more than five per cent of first choice votes cast in the election for Mayor
 * if you are standing as the candidate for a political party, a certificate from the registered political party’s nominating officer
 * if you want to use a registered political party’s emblem on the ballot paper, a signed request

Candidates can also have an election address manifesto published in the Mayoral address booklet which is sent to all registered voters in London before polling day. To have an election address included, candidates must contribute £10,000 towards the cost of the booklet. This cost is specified in the Greater London Authority Elections (Election Addresses) Order 2003), and is non-discretionary. The GLRO will advise in the nomination packs the official methods of how payment of deposits can be made.

Standing for election for the London Assembly: Constituency Assembly Member candidates
Candidates who want to stand as a Constituency Assembly Member must submit the following to the relevant Constituency Returning Officer (CRO):


 * a completed nomination and nomination consent form which must be obtained from the CRO responsible for the constituency where the candidate wants to stand.
 * a deposit of £1,000 which is returned if you get more than five per cent of votes cast in that constituency
 * if you are standing as the candidate for a political party, a certificate of authorisation from the registered political party’s nominating officer
 * if you want to use a registered political party’s emblem on the ballot paper, a signed request

Standing for election for the London Assembly: London-wide Assembly Member candidates
Independent candidates and political parties that want to stand in the London-wide Assembly contest must submit the following to the GLRO:


 * a completed nomination form. Registered political parties who want to put forward a list of candidates must obtain a party list nomination form which they can put up to 25 names on, while independent candidates have a separate nomination form.
 * a signed and witnessed nomination consent form, which must be submitted by each of the individual candidates standing for election, regardless of whether they are independent or representing a political party.
 * a deposit of £5,000 regardless of how many names are on the form. This is returned if the party or independent candidate receives more than 2.5 per cent of the total votes cast across London in the London-wide Assembly election.
 * a request signed by a political party’s nominating officer if the party wants to use the party’s emblem on the ballot paper.