Information for Candidates and Election Agents – District Council Elections on Thursday, 2 May 2024

Political material in a district election is any material that can be reasonably regarded as intended to promote support for or the withholding of support for a candidate at an election.

Published political material must contain details showing who has responsibility for publishing it.

These details are called an ‘imprint’. The imprint ensures there is transparency for voters about who is campaigning.

 Imprints must include the name and address of:

• the printer
• the promoter
• any person on behalf of whom the material is being published (and who is not the promoter)

An imprint may also be required on any digital material.  The requirement to include an imprint applies to digital material that is "published". This means material made available to the public or any section of the public.

Digital material is material in electronic form that includes text, moving images, still images, speech or music.

A candidate’s political material includes material that criticises other candidates.

There are important changes to the way in which voters can hand in their postal votes if they choose not to post them with Royal Mail.

If those new rules are not followed, postal votes handed in at a polling station or to a council office will be rejected.

This short video explains the changes and the steps that can be taken to avoid postal votes being rejected.

Guidance on the display of campaign materials is available.

The election timetable is available.

Copies of boundary maps are available to download or print:

Ordnance Survey Election Maps

Location Maps

Field Dynamics 

You may want to engage with the public at public meetings, promoting your views and responding to questions from the audience.

Once you are a candidate you will be able to use available public rooms up until the day before polling day.

As a candidate you are entitled to receive a copy of the electoral register and the lists of people voting by post or by proxy (absent voter list).

Requests must be made in writing.

Information for dates and times for opening sessions and appointing postal voting agents.

Polling stations will be open on polling day between 7am and 10pm.  Any voters waiting in a queue at their polling station at 10pm will be allowed to vote, even if they haven’t yet been issued with a ballot paper.

Candidates and election agents are entitled to observe proceedings inside polling stations within the ward in which they are standing.

Candidates may appoint ten polling agents to observe the poll.

Only one polling agent for each candidate can be present in a polling station at any time, the number of polling agents permitted into a polling station at any time will be determined by the Presiding Officer on the day.

Guidance for polling agents

Location of polling stations

Tellers are people who stand outside of polling stations and record elector numbers of electors who have voted on behalf of the candidate.

Tellers have no legal status and voters can refuse to give information to them.

Tellers guidance

Tellers do's and don'ts

The verification of all ballot papers for the District and West Yorkshire Mayoral elections and the counting of the District election votes will take place on Friday 3 May 2024 at Thornes Park Athletic Stadium, Wakefield.

The counting of the West Yorkshire Mayoral election votes will take place on Saturday 4 May 2024 at Thornes Park Athletic Stadium, Wakefield.

Candidates and their appointed Election Agent will receive admission letters and wristbands to gain entry to the count to their home addresses.

Candidates are entitled to bring their spouse, partner, or a guest to attend the count.  Candidates must provide the name and address of their spouse, partner, or guest on the appointment of counting agent form.

Candidates may appoint three counting agents to observe the verification and counting of the votes within their respective ward only.

Candidate spending is spending on activities to promote your candidacy during the regulated period.  The regulated period begins on the day after the date you officially become a candidate and ends on polling day.

The earliest date you can officially become a candidate is the last date for publication of the notice of election, which will be Tuesday 26 March 2024.

Guidance on Candidate Expenses

Maximum election expenses

Forms you will need to complete your spending return

Candidate spending return excel version

Candidate spending return PDF

Candidate spending explanatory notes

All candidates and their election agents must submit a ‘declaration as to election expenses’

Candidate Declaration  

Election Agent Declaration