General election: information for candidates and agents

The notice of election will be published on Monday 3 June and will be displayed on our public and legal notices page. 

All nominations papers must be hand delivered to the Acting Returning Officer. Nominations papers cannot be accepted if received by post or sent electronically.

You can submit your nomination forms from Tuesday 4 June to Friday 7 June between 10am and 4pm without an appointment. The original version of the nomination form must be delivered by hand to the Town Hall in Weston-super-Mare.

You should refer to the Electoral Commission guidance on what documentation can be sent via fax or email.

We are also offering an informal nominations papers check from Tuesday 4 to Thursday 6 June. These appointments will need to be booked in advance. Please email candidates@n-somerset.gov.uk for further information or to book an appointment.

Nomination packs for this election can be found on the Electoral Commission website.

The Register of Electors is available to political parties, candidates and elected representatives from Thursday 30 May.

Candidates can request a copy of the register for the constituency they intend to stand for after the dissolution of Parliament, by written request to candidates@n-somerset.gov.uk or to the Acting Returning Officer.

A copy of the Register of Electors is available for inspection at the Town Hall for candidates to check electoral numbers for proposers, seconders or assentors to the nomination form.

Campaign conduct issues are a matter for the Electoral Commission and not the Acting Returning Officer.

Please refer to of the guidance for candidates and agents on the Electoral Commission's website.

If you need to report campaign material on North Somerset Council property, then please email our highways department: adam.wood@n-somerset.gov.uk.

The opening of postal votes will take place at the Town Hall in Weston-super-Mare. The final postal vote session on Thursday 4 July will take place at Hutton Moor Leisure Centre in Weston-super-Mare.   

• Saturday 22 June 2024, Town Hall – the machine slitting of the outer envelopes only will take place between 9am and 10am, with the postal vote opening itself starting at 10am
• Wednesday 26 June 2024 at 3pm, Town Hall
• Saturday 29 June 2024 at 10am, Town Hall
• Tuesday 2 July 2024 at 3pm, Town Hall
• Thursday 4 July 2024 at 10am, Hutton Moor Leisure Centre

If it is your intention to attend any of the opening of postal vote sessions, or to appoint an agent to attend on your behalf,  please email candidates@n-somerset.gov.uk in advance.  

The verification and count for both the Weston-super-Mare constituency and the North Somerset constituency will start as soon as practicable after the close of poll at 10pm at Hutton Moor Leisure Centre.  

The verification is where the number of ballot papers in the ballot boxes are checked against the ballot paper accounts that have been submitted by the Presiding Officers from the polling stations to ensure we are in receipt of the correct number of ballot papers. Ballot papers will be verified faced up and all candidates, election agents, appointed counting agents and guests are permitted to attend the verification.

The counting of the votes will also be held at Hutton Moor Leisure Centre immediately following the conclusion of the verification, and will go on into the early hours of Friday morning.

The deadline to appoint polling agents, counting agents and guests to the count is Thursday 27 June. This date is fixed in law and offers us no flexibility. Attendees that have not registered and therefore have not been included on the attendance list will not be admitted.  

More information will be made available here in due course.