Electoral Nominations
Full elections are held in all wards every four years in May.
A person becomes a candidate at an election for a town, community or county Borough Councillor on the day on which they submit a valid nomination paper/their nomination is declared valid. Most candidates are nominated through a political party. However, individuals are welcome to stand in their own right. Before he/she can be accepted as a candidate you must get one person to agree to propose the nomination and another person to agree to second the proposal. Both of these people must be on the electoral register.
Criteria required to stand as a candidate
The candidate must be:
- over 18 years of age
- on the electoral register
- have lived or worked as a British/Irish/Commonwealth/European citizen, or owned property in the area for at least the past 12 months
No experience of any sort is needed to stand for any Council.
Evidence Required
To stand as a candidate at any election a nomination paper must be submitted. The nomination paper gives details of name, address and political description.
To stand as a candidate in a town or community council election, two people will need to sign the nomination paper. These two people are known as supporters. To stand as a candidate in a county borough council election, ten people need to sign the nomination paper. Everyone signing the nomination paper must be included on the Register of Electors for the area in which the election is to be held. If someone signs your nomination paper and they are not included on the relevant Register of Electors, the paper will not be valid.
Application Process
The nomination forms needed to stand as a candidate are available from our Electoral Services Office, Civic Centre, Poole, Dorset, BH15 2RU. Telephone 01202 633028, email electoral.services@poole.gov.uk.
Charges
There is no charge to stand as a candidate for election, but if you do stand at election there may be costs that have to be paid. The amount depends on the type of campaign, but there is a limit on how much can be spent.
Disqualification
The applicant may be disqualified from applying as a candidate if he/she works for the council or holds a politically restricted post with another local authority. Bankruptcy or a previous criminal conviction with a three-month or more prison sentence would also disqualify a candidate.
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