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INDEPENDENTS
FOR ELECTION
Updated
20 January 2010
The Electoral Commission’s Factsheet
“Candidates at a
UK
Parliamentary election”
is essential reading:
from www.electoralcommission.org.uk
You
will ALWAYS receive Advice and 'Good Luck' from Independent
Community and Health Concern.
Keep in touch !
GENERAL
POINTS
- You are only allowed the one word
“Independent” on the ballot paper unless you have registered
as a political party with a title, with or without a logo, with
the Electoral Commission (EC). For example our title is “Independent
Community and Health Concern” with a heart in hands logo.
The word “Independent” is vital to separate us from the main
parties and we believe that an extended title is helpful as it gives
voters an idea of your aims and may create interest lacking from the
single word “Independent”.
- Every paper distributed in
the campaign must have a dedication on it –
for example “Printed and published by…….. on behalf of………”
plus contact details. This can be in tiny
print.
Election expenses did start
from the date the election is called but for 2010 things have
changed.
The ‘long campaign’ started on January 1st with a
limit of £25,000 plus an amount per elector and will finish on the
date Parliament is dissolved.
The ‘short campaign’ begins on the day an individual
formally becomes a candidate and ends on polling day. The limit for
this period is £7150 plus an amount per elector.
All spending during the two periods must be accounted for in the
candidate’s election expenditure returns. Details of the extra
amounts can be found in the EC’s guidance on election expenses.
It helps if you have an agent experienced
in local government or similar elections and it is wise to get to know
the local council elections officer who is your source of advice on
all matters from expenses to questions about the legality of promotion
material if in any doubt.
You are entitled to an electoral
register when Parliament is dissolved and you formally become a
candidate.
It helps if the candidate is a
local person with a reasonably high profile.
An energetic, tireless campaign
manager with a gift for organisation and inspiring or driving
others to help is essential.
The campaign manager should have a small action (executive) group of 3
or 4 like-minded individuals to bounce ideas off and to apportion
special duties and stick to them. All must be able to do without much
sleep. A larger advisory group could be helpful but must not be
allowed to deflect the executive group from their agreed course of
action.
Dedicated website and telephone
number manned 16 hours per day essential.
Teams of deliverers with
runners to take out leaflets, posters and stickers to deliverers and
notice boards to previously agreed sites.
Costs - £500 deposit and as
in 3 above but we have done it for between £5,000 and £7,000
twice. The EC guidance explains what should count as election expenses
including campaigning, printing, postage, petrol, phone, use of
premises etc. Keep careful, tight accounts and records in case when
you have been successful you are challenged by disappointed losers.
Donations – Donations over
£50 must be from permissible sources
ELECTION
MATERIAL
-
High quality,
glossy, A3 sheet folded once to make a 4-page A4 leaflet
spelling out clearly the reasons for voting for you, a little about
your beliefs and values and your views on important local and
national issues and how you as an Independent can effectively
represent your constituents. Careful wording and use of varying font
sizes, colour and white space crucial.
Some printers will fold the A4 4-page leaflet into A5 which helps
greatly when stuffing perhaps 30,000 – 40,000 into envelopes (23 x
16 cms.).
-
This leaflet
will be your free delivery, no address necessary, by Royal Mail
to every household in the constituency. Consult
nearest major RM Depot for current written regulations about the
free delivery and its date. Envelopes for delivery of this leaflet
are vital with a brief message on the front to make sure recipients
actually read the leaflets and do not immediately bin them as just
another major party electoral communication or piece of junk mail.
-
Further posh
leaflets, if affordable, will have to be delivered by the team.
-
A5 single
sheet, legible leaflets, containing the few vital points of your
candidature are essential for street canvassing and door
knocking and can be produced as required on home computers.
-
Personal
manifesto. Perhaps 8 sides black and white, home printed and
available on request and on website. This should list your views on
current issues to show readers how you are likely to vote on a wide
range of current issues, if elected, and to demonstrate that you
will represent them on all important matters.
-
Individual
letters to first time voters, (shown in register) encouraging
them actually to turn out and to enjoy the privilege of voting.
-
Consider individual
letters to postal voters to be delivered in few days before
receipt of ballot papers. Could be impractical considering the
increasing numbers of postal voters.
-
Car stickers
are very useful and can also be displayed in house front windows.
-
Posters A4 and
A3 with large font and pithy message are essential.
Location of prospective sites for posters is vital early work as
they cannot be placed anywhere on public property and elsewhere must
have the permission of the site owner.
-
Costs -
£500 deposit and as in 3 above but we have done it for
between £5,000 and £7,000 twice. The EC guidance explains what
should count as election expenses including campaigning, printing,
postage, petrol, phone, use of premises etc. Keep careful, tight
accounts and records in case when you have been successful you are
challenged by disappointed losers.
-
Donations
– Donations over £50 must be from permissible sources and must be
recorded on the election expenses return. Again further information
is in the EC guidance.
CANVASSING
AND LEAFLETING
-
Door knocking
is labour intensive and worth doing while delivering leaflets if
the candidate is with the group - especially if you know the
houses from where regular voters come.
-
Talking to
people in town centres on market days or Saturdays and outside
schools at the times parents are waiting to pick up kids can be very
profitable.
This is where the small leaflet is useful and you must have a
catch phrase to interest people as you hand them a leaflet
making sure they know you are not from a main political party.
Rosettes are useful and the choice of colour is important not
to be confused with other parties. The colour of the logo, if you
have one, could be a guide to the rosette.
We have also had small stickers with our logo on to give to
children.
-
Never waste time
talking to one person for a long time especially if you sense they
are supporting your opponents as you are unlikely to change minds.
-
When leafleting
always open the letter box with a short stick as dogs really do lurk
inside.
Make sure the leaflet goes right in as unscrupulous
opponents, if also leafleting at the same time, and yours is only
half in, could easily remove it!
-
If you are doing
a leaflet drop of second or third leaflets (as most parties will do)
the organisers should divide the whole area into streets, villages
etc with the number of domiciles in each so that teams of deliverers
know exactly which streets or areas they are covering and are given
the right number of leaflets for their area. Delivering in pairs
or small groups can be fun and much less intimidating than going
out alone, and demonstrates that you have visible support.
Remember
..
You can always get in touch with us ..
01562_753333
"Good
Luck !"
This
updated leaflet (22 January
2010) contains advice for potential
independent parliamentary candidates. It supersedes the previous one,
which was based on the 2005 election.
© Independent
Kidderminster Hospital & Health Concern 1995-2010
(webdesign@chaddesley-corbett.co.uk)
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