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Stand as a Parliamentary Candidate in a British General Election

laura_rob | Sep 2, 2009 |

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I will outline the basic steps needed to stand as a Parliamentary Candidate in a General Election in Great Britain.

The easiest way is to join a political party & become their official candidate, they will probably have a team of people to help you.

However if like myself, you intend to stand as an Independent Candidate it is a lot harder than most people think.

st step is to decide on what your policies are going to be. This is what you will be campaigning for should you be elected. You need to think this through very carefully because this will make or break your election campaign. Try to make your policies differ from the main parties but don't make them so they are absolutely impossible to deliver should you be elected.

2^nd step is getting backers. You currently need 10 people who are registered to vote in the constituency you are standing, to sign your nomination papers proposing you as a candidate. Although 10 people doesn't sound a lot, its harder than you think to get these 10 people.

3^rd step is get some money behind you. It costs £500 just to register your candidacy with the local council returning officer. Although this is a returnable deposit, its only returned if you get over 5% of the total votes cast in your constituency. You will also need money to pay for stuff like websites (http://www.north-tyneside-mp.com is my candidate site to give you an idea), flyers, badges, balloons & other promotional items to help publicise your bid.

4^th step is to get out campaigning. If people don't know you are standing or the reasons you are standing, its unlikely you are going to get any votes. Its very time consuming but it can be worth it in the end. If your an Independent Candidate then its advisable to be campaigning every free minute you have. Campaigning can be anything from knocking on peoples doors to handing out flyers in local shopping centres. Also try & get your name & picture in the local press as much as possible. Only for good reasons though.

5^th step is when it comes to polling day, do a final push for votes. Please be aware that you can not sit outside polling stations asking people to vote for you as this is classed as being intimidating & can get you disqualified from the election.

There you have 5 steps to Stand as a Parliamentary Candidate in a British General Election.

For more details or questions regarding standing in a Parliamentary Candidate, please email me at robert_rainey@ymail.com