Nomination rules
Encyclopedia
Nomination rules in election
s regulate the conditions under which a candidate or political party
is entitled to stand for election. The criteria to stand as a candidate depends on the individual legal system, however they may include the age of a candidate, citizenship, endorsement by a political party and profession. Laws restrictions, such as competence or moral aptitude, can be used in a discriminatory manner. Restrictive and discriminatory nomination rules can impact the civil rights
of candidates, political parties and voters.
In some jurisdictions a candidate or party must not only be nominated but also has to pass separate rules in order to be listed on the ballot paper. In the United States
this is called "ballot access
".
must obtain a number of signatures from the riding
they are standing in - either 50 or 100 depending on the riding. They must also pay a deposit of CAD
$1000, which can be reclaimed only if the candidate's official agent submits the Candidate's Electoral Campaign Return and related documents to the Chief Electoral Officer and unused official tax receipts to the returning officer within the time prescribed.
to the European Parliament
. In Denmark
, Germany
, Greece
, Estonia
, the Netherlands
, Sweden
, and the Czech Republic
, candidates must be nominated by political parties. In the other member states, a specified number of signatures is needed. In the Netherlands and the United Kingdom
, a deposit is required as well as signatures. In the Republic of Ireland
, candidates may be nominated either by a registered political party or by 60 members of the relevant electorate.
, the Riksdag
, county councils or municipal councils stand on the ballots of their respective parties. Parties can have one or several lists. The so called "free right of nomination" (fri nomineringsrätt) means that if a party has not protected its party label, anyone can set up a ballot for that party. This means that people could be elected for a party who do not have the support of the people behind the party. To avoid this, the party must apply for a protected label. There are no regulations for how a party whose party label isn't protected must be organised. Forming a party or running in the election is thus comparatively easy, and there have been occasions where a single individual has put up dozens of different ballots with various more or less frivolous names and himself as the only candidate. Parties pay for their own ballots unless they have received more than 1 percent of the vote in one of the last two Riksdag elections, in which case the Elections Authority pays. (Further, parties that have received more than 1 percent of the vote in one of the last two elections to the European Parliament get their ballots paid for in European elections as well.) The Elections Authority makes sure, however, that there are blank ballots where voters can write in the name of the party they want to vote for.
To be given a protected label, a party must have a constitution, a board, and must decide on its name and on applying for protected label status with the Swedish Central Elections Authority. It must also appoint someone to act on its behalf when presenting the application to the Elections Authority. These decisions must be laid down in a protocol. It must also require a number of signatures from eligible voters: 50 for municipal elections, 150 for county council elections, and 1,500 for elections to the Riksdag or the European Parliament. Finally, the name of the party must not be too close to the name of an already protected party label in order to avoid confusion.
A party with a protected label is protected against ballots with party labels that are confusingly similar to the party's own, or ballots with other candidates than those the party reports. (This does not hold for other areas than the one where the party is running - hence there can be and there are completely separate parties with the same name in different municipalities and county councils.) In return, it must ensure that its candidates have agreed in writing to run for the party.
A candidate for election to the United Kingdom Parliament, Scottish Parliament
, Welsh Assembly or Northern Ireland
assembly requires the signed assent of ten registered electors, plus a deposit of £500 which is forfeited if the candidate wins less than 5% of the vote.
A list of candidates for election in a European Parliament
constituency does not require the assent of any electors but must pay a deposit of £5,000, which is forfeited if that list wins less than 2.5% of the vote.
A candidate for local government office does not need to pay a deposit (except for mayoral elections, for which the deposit is £500), but needs the assent of either two registered electors (for parish or town elections) or ten registered electors (for all other local elections).
.
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
s regulate the conditions under which a candidate or political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
is entitled to stand for election. The criteria to stand as a candidate depends on the individual legal system, however they may include the age of a candidate, citizenship, endorsement by a political party and profession. Laws restrictions, such as competence or moral aptitude, can be used in a discriminatory manner. Restrictive and discriminatory nomination rules can impact the civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
of candidates, political parties and voters.
In some jurisdictions a candidate or party must not only be nominated but also has to pass separate rules in order to be listed on the ballot paper. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
this is called "ballot access
Ballot access
Ballot access rules, called nomination rules outside the United States, regulate the conditions under which a candidate or political party is either entitled to stand for election or to appear on voters' ballots...
".
Nomination rules in Australia
Australia- New South Wales
- Victoria
- Queensland
- South Australia
- Western Australia
- Tasmania
- Northern Territory
- Australian Capital Territory
Nomination rules in Canada
Candidates in elections to the House of CommonsCanadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
must obtain a number of signatures from the riding
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
they are standing in - either 50 or 100 depending on the riding. They must also pay a deposit of CAD
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
$1000, which can be reclaimed only if the candidate's official agent submits the Candidate's Electoral Campaign Return and related documents to the Chief Electoral Officer and unused official tax receipts to the returning officer within the time prescribed.
Nomination rules in elections to the European Parliament
EU member states may set their own rules on ballot access in electionsElections in the European Union
Elections to the Parliament of the European Union take place every five years by universal adult suffrage. 736 MEPs are elected to the European Parliament which has been directly elected since 1979. No other body is directly elected although the Council of the European Union and European Council is...
to the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
. In Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, and the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, candidates must be nominated by political parties. In the other member states, a specified number of signatures is needed. In the Netherlands and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, a deposit is required as well as signatures. In the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, candidates may be nominated either by a registered political party or by 60 members of the relevant electorate.
Nomination rules in France
Candidates for the office of President of the Republic require 500 signatures of elected individuals (mayors, MPs, regional councillors).Nomination rules in Sweden
Candidates for election to the European ParliamentEuropean Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
, the Riksdag
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
, county councils or municipal councils stand on the ballots of their respective parties. Parties can have one or several lists. The so called "free right of nomination" (fri nomineringsrätt) means that if a party has not protected its party label, anyone can set up a ballot for that party. This means that people could be elected for a party who do not have the support of the people behind the party. To avoid this, the party must apply for a protected label. There are no regulations for how a party whose party label isn't protected must be organised. Forming a party or running in the election is thus comparatively easy, and there have been occasions where a single individual has put up dozens of different ballots with various more or less frivolous names and himself as the only candidate. Parties pay for their own ballots unless they have received more than 1 percent of the vote in one of the last two Riksdag elections, in which case the Elections Authority pays. (Further, parties that have received more than 1 percent of the vote in one of the last two elections to the European Parliament get their ballots paid for in European elections as well.) The Elections Authority makes sure, however, that there are blank ballots where voters can write in the name of the party they want to vote for.
To be given a protected label, a party must have a constitution, a board, and must decide on its name and on applying for protected label status with the Swedish Central Elections Authority. It must also appoint someone to act on its behalf when presenting the application to the Elections Authority. These decisions must be laid down in a protocol. It must also require a number of signatures from eligible voters: 50 for municipal elections, 150 for county council elections, and 1,500 for elections to the Riksdag or the European Parliament. Finally, the name of the party must not be too close to the name of an already protected party label in order to avoid confusion.
A party with a protected label is protected against ballots with party labels that are confusingly similar to the party's own, or ballots with other candidates than those the party reports. (This does not hold for other areas than the one where the party is running - hence there can be and there are completely separate parties with the same name in different municipalities and county councils.) In return, it must ensure that its candidates have agreed in writing to run for the party.
Nomination rules in the United Kingdom
The following are the basic nomination rules for an individual candidate (whether Independent, or associated with a political party). To use a party name (and logo) a candidate must be authorised by a registered political party, or else they may stand as 'Independent' or with no description.A candidate for election to the United Kingdom Parliament, Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
, Welsh Assembly or Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
assembly requires the signed assent of ten registered electors, plus a deposit of £500 which is forfeited if the candidate wins less than 5% of the vote.
A list of candidates for election in a European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
constituency does not require the assent of any electors but must pay a deposit of £5,000, which is forfeited if that list wins less than 2.5% of the vote.
A candidate for local government office does not need to pay a deposit (except for mayoral elections, for which the deposit is £500), but needs the assent of either two registered electors (for parish or town elections) or ten registered electors (for all other local elections).
Nomination rules in the United States of America
See: Ballot accessBallot access
Ballot access rules, called nomination rules outside the United States, regulate the conditions under which a candidate or political party is either entitled to stand for election or to appear on voters' ballots...
.