The registration of candidates for election (registration to gain ballot access) confirms a candidate’s intention to contest a specific election and is often linked to the process of nominating candidates.
It is good practise to ensure that the legal framework clearly specifies when, how, and where registration procedures must be undertaken, what the requirements for registration are, and how the verification of registration will take place. To ensure fairness, the grounds for rejection of a registration application have to be based on objective criteria and have to be clearly stated in the legal framework for elections, along with avenues of appeal against such rejection. Correctly applied, this would protect candidates against arbitrary discrimination. In order to make sure that the registration procedure, including possible appeals, is finalized well in time for the EMB to print and distribute ballot papers, it is advisable to have a clear and transparent schedule with deadlines by which appeals have to be submitted, etc.
Criteria for registration
The criteria for registering as a candidate for election are often the same or similar as for registering a political party as an organisation.
Requirements may include:
- List of signatures in support of the candidate registration. If full addresses or other forms of information that can be used as identification (voter registration number, social security number, address, profession, workplace) are required, this makes it easier for the authorities to verify that the signatures are real.
- Proof of geographical presence, often in the form of supporting signatures from a certain number of regions or districts.
- Economic Viability through payment of registration fees ranging from smaller administrative fees to more substantial sums; or through payment of monetary deposits that may or may not be returned to the political party or candidate on the basis of election results.
In addition to these legal requirements for registration, candidates must also fulfil a number of qualifications to stand as a candidate.
Clear procedure and timetable
Deciding that a political party or candidate cannot contest an election is sensitive and will arouse anger and resentment – both from the affected party or candidate and from their followers and potential voters. In order to – as much as possible – avoid such problems, the conditions and timing for registration and nomination should be communicated in detail well before the election, and the EMB should maintain close contact with the parties and candidates seeking acceptance.
A well communicated and thought-through timetable is of great help. The Electoral Management Body or other responsible agencies need time to scrutinize the registration, for example, verifying signatures of party supporters – and to give parties the chance to appeal if they feel that their registration has been unduly denied. Therefore, political parties are often required to register and candidates be nominated well in time before the election. After the scrutinizing procedure, the EMB still needs time to print the ballot papers and distribute them to the polling stations.
Nomination of candidates
The nomination of candidates (to gain ballot access) is the formal procedure by which political parties and/or individuals put candidates forward for election, and the acceptance of the EMB of that nomination. In list systems, parties put forward a list of candidates selected within the political party.
In constituency systems, candidates are nominated individually (not as part of party lists). Depending on the country, they can be nominated either by a political party or by an individual.
Legal frameworks can place requirements on the composition of party lists. Sometimes, requirements aimed at increasing the representativity of the list by, for example, requiring the party to have a certain number of women (or other traditionally under-represented groups) are placed on the list. In some cases, not only the number but the placement on the list is specified.
