Ceredigion County Council website

Information for candidates and agents

Briefing sessions

The Eifion Evans, Returning Officer (RO) will be holding briefing sessions prior to the nomination period and following the close of nominations:

• Pre-Nomination period – the RO will provide important information regarding the nomination process, including deposit payments, campaigning as well as information regarding election spending and donations.

The briefing session will be held on 26 February 2026 at 5.30pm. To join the briefing:
Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 319 095 352 125 67
Passcode: nZ73jY28

Please contact CRO-SCE@ceredigion.gov.uk  if you require any further information.

• Post-Nomination period – the RO will provide information regarding the postal vote process and timetable, polling day and the counting of votes.

The briefing session will be held on 13 April 2026 at 5.30pm.

Access to Elected Office Fund – disabled candidates

Disabled candidates for the Senedd or Local Government can now apply for funding under the Access to Elected Office Fund, operated by Disability Wales. The funding is to help disabled candidates with additional, unavoidable costs — such as accessible transport, specialist equipment, or personal support. The scheme includes:

• Help identifying necessary support.
• Assistance with completing applications.
• Fair assessment of requests to ensure equity.
• Provision of approved funding or services.

The fund provides financial support for disabled candidates with impairment-related costs, including funding for British Sign Language interpreters, personal assistants, accessible transport, and assistive technology. The fund is funded by Welsh Government and operated by Disability Wales, ensuring the scheme is administered independently with impartiality and confidentiality. The scheme will assist candidates throughout the election period—from nomination to the announcement of results.

Candidates can apply via Disability Wales or download the application form here. 

Guidance and resources for candidates and their agents

 The Electoral Commission has information that would be useful to you if are thinking of standing in the election, including eligibility to stand for election.

• Completing your nomination papers – guidance for individual candidates [YouTube]
• Completing your nomination papers – guidance for Senedd party list nominating officers [YouTube]

Nominations

Nomination forms and information relating to the nomination process are available on the Electoral Commission website.

Please note that there will be differences in the nominations forms if you are a party list candidate or an individual candidate. Please refer to the Electoral Commission website for the full list of requirements for the nomination process.

Nominations will be accepted from 24 March 2026 to 4.00pm, 9 April 2026 inclusive (excluding weekends and Bank Holidays).

Informal checks of Nomination Papers

We will be offering candidates informal checks of your nomination papers before you officially submit them.

You can e-mail your draft nomination papers to CRO-SCE@ceredigion.gov.uk for comments.

Submitting your Nomination Papers

You can submit your nomination forms in-person or electronically:

• In-person – appointments can be made between the hours of 9.00am and 5.00pm to submit the nomination papers. Appointments can be made by phoning 01545 570881 or by e-mailing CRO-SCE@ceredigion.gov.uk
• Electronically –
  • Nomination papers must be submitted by e-mail to CRO-SCE@ceredigion.gov.uk  
  • Nominations will not be accepted if submitted to an alternative e-mail address;
  • The e-mail subject line should make it clear the registered party name or individual candidate’s name;
  • On receipt of the papers, an acknowledgement e-mail will be sent. This will not provide confirmation that the nomination is valid;
  • A further e-mail will be sent confirming the nomination is valid or whether there are any issues with the information provided;
  • The appropriate deposit payments will need to have been made prior to confirmation that the nomination has been confirmed as valid;
  • It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure that the nomination papers are delivered and confirmed as valid, by no later than 4.00p.m on 9 April 2026.

Deposit payments

Deposits can be deposited with the RO by 4.00pm on Thursday, 9 April 2026, by direct bank transfer, banker’s draft (banks operating in the UK only) or by cash (British pounds only). The required deposit payments are as follows:

• Individual candidate – deposit sum of £500.00;
• Party list candidates – deposit sum of £500.00 for the first party list candidate; and the sum of £200.00 for each of the next five candidates appearing on the registered party list.

Your nomination papers will not be accepted by the RO unless the correct amount has been deposited.

Forfeit of deposit

• An individual candidate’s deposit will be forfeited if, after the counting of the votes, they have polled less than 5% of the total number of votes in the constituency
• A registered political party’s deposit will be forfeited if, after the counting of the votes, they have polled less than 5% of the total number of votes in the constituency.

Code of Conduct for Campaigners

Campaigners are an essential element of a healthy democracy, and their right to put their arguments to voters should be supported and protected. It is equally important, however, to ensure that the activities of campaigners do not bring into question the integrity of the electoral process.  

Further information is available on the Electoral Commission website.

Key dates

Contact

If you require any further information, please contact the Returning Officer on CRO-SCE@ceredigion.gov.uk or telephone 01545 570881.