Anyone that has the right to participate in an election as a candidate (because they have the right to passive suffrage and have fulfilled certain additional requirements) and wishes to do so, should formally communicate this to the authority in charge of the electoral process. It is up to the latter to verify whether they actually do meet the requirements and publicly name the candidates that will that compete in the relevant election.
The registration and naming of the candidates therefore fulfil several functions:
- They permit verification of whether those who wish to stand as candidates, meet all the necessary requirements.
- The contenders in the elections are formally named.
- They imply the recognition of a set of rights the contenders are entitled to: to obtain certain forms of public aid (financing of the campaign, presence in mass media, use of premises or public installations, etc.), depending on the case.
- They lead to all the physical preparations that have to guarantee the smooth running of the elections.
As a rule, over and above the right to passive suffrage, certain additional requirements are demanded from those who wish to be named as candidates. Thus an effort is made to ensure the seriousness of the candidate's aims, as well as to avoid a proliferation of candidacies without the minimum structure required to compete in the elections, which would serve no other purpose
than to create confusion and increase the public resources needed for the electoral process, costly as it is.
Thus, proof of minimum political and social support is required, a manifesto by a party or political group upon presentation or, where applicable, a certain number of citizens' signatures.
In addition, it may be necessary to justify what influence the candidate has in the constituency he wishes to stand for.
Often a deposit is demanded, which is relinquished should the votes received be so sparse that it proves the weakness of the candidacy, though in no case should it be such a burden that it literally limits electoral participation.
