Standing for election: Electoral Commission consults on the rules

As the story from the Electoral Commission says:

A consultation on standing for election in the United Kingdom has been launched by the Electoral Commission, the independent elections watchdog.

The paper is seeking views on a range of issues including the size of deposits required to stand in elections, access to election broadcasts for independent candidates, and the rules around disqualifications.

The consultation highlights a number of inconsistencies in the current system, such as:

• Candidates being required to pay a £5000 deposit to run for election as a Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), but only £500 to stand as an MP.
• The signatures of 10 registered electors being required on the nomination form of a UK Parliamentary candidate, but none for the nomination form of a Scottish or European Parliamentary candidate.
• Council employees being unable to stand in their authority’s elections in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, compared to Scotland where they can stand and must only resign if they are elected.

There are some very weighty issues in there: should election addresses continue in their current form and who should get TV election broadcasts for starters.

I’ll also be taking the opportunity to recommend sorting out the mess over the rules for standing for local government elections.