OpenLegislation

Section 91 Candidate’s right to send election address post free.F1C1C2C3C4

United Kingdom

(F21)

A candidate at a parliamentary election is, subject to F3such reasonable terms and conditions as the F4universal postal service provider concerned may specify, entitled to send free of F5any charge for postage F6which would otherwise be made by a universal postal service provider either—

(a)

one unaddressed postal communication, containing matter relating to the election only and not exceeding 60 grammes in weight, to each place in the constituency which, in accordance with those F7terms and conditions, constitutes a delivery point for the purposes of this subsection; or

(b)

one such postal communication addressed to each elector.

(2)

He is also, subject as mentioned above, entitled to send free of any F8such charge for postage F9as mentioned above to each person entered in the list of proxies for the election one such communication as mentioned above for each appointment in respect of which that person is so entered.

(F102A)

The candidate may require the returning officer to make arrangements with the universal postal service provider for communications under subsection (1)(b) to be sent to persons who have anonymous entries in the register.

(2B)

Arrangements under subsection (2A) shall be such as to ensure that it is not disclosed to any other person that the addressee of such a communication has an anonymous entry.

(3)

A person shall not be deemed to be a candidate for the purposes of this section unless he is shown as standing nominated in the statement of persons nominated, but until the publication of that statement any person who declares himself to be a candidate shall be entitled to exercise the right of free postage conferred by this section if he gives such security as may be required by F11the universal postal service provider concerned for the payment of postage should he not be shown as standing nominated as mentioned above.

(F124)

For the purposes of this section “elector”—

(a)

means a person who is registered in the register of parliamentary electors for the constituency on the last day for publication of notice of the election; and

(b)

includes a person then shown in that register F13(or, in the case of a person who has an anonymous entry in the register, in the record of anonymous entries) as below voting age if (but only if) it appears from the register F14(or from the record) that he will be of voting age on the day fixed for the poll.

F15(5)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Annotations

Textual amendments

F1

S. 17(1) substituted (29.1.2001 for certain purposes and 16.2.2001 otherwise) by 2000 c. 2, s. 8(a), Sch. 1 para. 10; S.I. 2001/116, art. 2(1)(2) (with art. 2(4))

F2

S. 91(1) substituted by Representation of the People Act 1985 (c. 50, SIF 42), s. 24, Sch. 4 para. 34

F3

Words in s. 91(1) substituted (26.3.2001) by 2000 c. 26, s. 127(4), Sch. 8 Pt. II para. 17(2)(a); S.I. 2001/1148, art. 2, Sch. (with art. 34)

F4

Words in s. 91(1)-(3) substituted (1.10.2011) by Postal Services Act 2011 (c. 5), s. 93(2)(3), Sch. 12 para. 117(a); S.I. 2011/2329, art. 3

F5

Word in s. 91(1) inserted (26.3.2001) by 2000 c. 26, s. 127(4), Sch. 8 Pt. II para. 17(2)(b); S.I. 2001/1148, art. 2, Sch. (with art. 34)

F6

Words in s. 91(1) inserted (26.3.2001) by 2000 c. 26, s. 127(4), Sch. 8 Pt. II para. 17(2)(c); S.I. 2001/1148, art. 2, Sch. (with art. 34)

F7

Words in s. 91(1)(a) substituted (26.3.2001) by 2000 c. 26, s. 127(4), Sch. 8 Pt. II para. 17(2)(d); S.I. 2001/1148, art. 2, Sch. (with art. 34)

F8

Word in s. 91(2) inserted (26.3.2001) by 2000 c. 26, s. 127(4), Sch. 8 Pt. II para. 17(3)(a); S.I. 2001/1148, art. 2, Sch. (with art. 34)

F9

Words in s. 91(2) inserted (26.3.2001) by 2000 c. 26, s. 127(4), Sch. 8 Pt. II para. 17(3)(b); S.I. 2001/1148, art. 2, Sch. (with art. 34)

F10

S. 91(2A)(2B) inserted (E.W.S.) (1.1.2007) by Electoral Administration Act 2006 (c. 22), ss. 10, 77, Sch. 1 para. 10(2); S.I. 2006/3412, art. 3, Sch. 1 paras. 1, 12(a) (subject to transitional provisions in art. 6, Sch. 2) (amendment extended to N.I. (15.9.2014) by The Anonymous Registration (Northern Ireland) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/1116), arts. 1(1), 2(2))

F11

Words in s. 91(3) substituted (26.3.2001) by 2000 c. 26, s. 127(4), Sch. 8 Pt. II para. 17(4); S. I. 2001/1148, art. 2, Sch. (with art. 34)

F12

S. 91(4) substituted (16.2.2001) by 2000 c. 2, s. 8, Sch. 1 para. 19; S.I. 2001/116, art. 2

F13

Words in s. 91(4)(b) inserted (E.W.S.) (1.1.2007) by Electoral Administration Act 2006 (c. 22), ss. 47, 77, Sch. 1 para. 10(3)(a); S.I. 2006/3412, art. 3, Sch. 1 para. 1, 12(a) (subject to transitional provisions in art. 6, Sch. 2) (amendment extended to N.I. (15.9.2014) by The Anonymous Registration (Northern Ireland) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/1116), arts. 1(1), 2(2))

F14

Words in s. 91(4)(b) inserted (E.W.S.) (1.1.2007) by Electoral Administration Act 2006 (c. 22), ss. 47, 77, Sch. 1 para. 10(3)(b); S.I. 2006/3412, art. 3, Sch. 1 para. 1, 12(a) (subject to transitional provisions in art. 6, Sch. 2) (amendment extended to N.I. (15.9.2014) by The Anonymous Registration (Northern Ireland) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/1116), arts. 1(1), 2(2))

F15

S. 91(5) omitted (1.10.2011) by virtue of Postal Services Act 2011 (c. 5), s. 93(2)(3), Sch. 12 para. 117(b); S.I. 2011/2329, art. 3

Modifications

C1

S. 91 applied with modifications (N.I.) by S.I. 1986/2250, regs. 2, 3, 5, Sch. 1 Pt. I

C2

S. 91 applied with modifications (E.W.S.) by S.I. 1986/2209, regs. 2, 3, 5(1)(6)–(8), Sch. 1 Pt. I

C3

S. 91 applied (with modifications) (N.I.) (4.5.1996) by S.I. 1996/1220, art. 3(1)(5)-(8), Sch. 1

S. 91 applied (with modifications) (N.I.) (25.4.1998) by S.I. 1998/1126, art. 6, Sch. 2

C4

S. 91 applied (with modifications) (1.8.2001) by S.I. 2001/2599, art. 3, Sch. 1 (as substituted (10.2.2009) by S.I. 2009/256, arts. 1(2), 3, Sch. 1)

Notes on Part II

Modifications

C1

Pt. 2 (ss. 67-119) applied with modifications (E.W.) by The Parish and Community Meetings (Polls) Rules 1987 (S.I. 1987/1), Rules, 2, 6

Pt. 2 (ss. 67-119) applied with modifications (E.W.) by The Local Elections (Parishes and Communities) Rules 1986 (S.I. 1986/2215), Rules 2, 9 (which S.I. was revoked (2.1.2007) by S.I. 2006/3305, rule 1(4), Sch. 1)

C2

Pt. 2 modified (E.W.) (25.5.2018) by The East Suffolk (Local Government Changes) Order 2018 (S.I. 2018/640), arts. 1, 20(7)

C3

Pt. 2 modified (E.W.) (25.5.2018) by The West Suffolk (Local Government Changes) Order 2018 (S.I. 2018/639), arts. 1, 20(7)

C4

Pt. 2 modified (E.W.) (26.5.2018) by The Somerset West and Taunton (Local Government Changes) Order 2018 (S.I. 2018/649), arts. 1, 20(7)

C5

Pt. 2 modified (E.W.) (26.5.2018) by The Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole (Structural Changes) Order 2018 (S.I. 2018/648), arts. 1, 24(6)

C6

Pt. 2 modified (E.W.) (26.5.2018) by The Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole (Structural Changes) Order 2018 (S.I. 2018/648), arts. 1, 39(6)

C7

Pt. 2 modified (E.W.) (23.5.2019) by The Buckinghamshire (Structural Changes) Order 2019 (S.I. 2019/957), arts. 1, 18(6)

C8

Pt. 2 modified (E.W.) (14.2.2020) by The Northamptonshire (Structural Changes) Order 2020 (S.I. 2020/156), arts. 1, 20(8)

C9

Pt. 2 modified (E.W.) (14.2.2020) by The Northamptonshire (Structural Changes) Order 2020 (S.I. 2020/156), arts. 1, 20(14)

C10

Pts. 2, 3 applied (with modifications) (W.) (17.12.2021) by The Local Elections (Communities) (Wales) Rules 2021 (S.I. 2021/1460), rules 1, 6(1) (with rule 2)

C11

Pt. 2 modified (E.W.) (2.1.2007 for certain purposes) by The Local Elections (Parishes and Communities) (England and Wales) Rules 2006 (S.I. 2006/3305), rules 1(2)(3), 6 (as amended (10.3.2022) by The Local Elections (Miscellaneous and Consequential Amendments) (Wales) Regulations 2022 (S.I. 2022/263), reg. 1(2), Sch. 2 para. 6 (with reg. 12(d)))

C12

Pts. 1, 2 modified (E.W.) (10.3.2026) by The Surrey (Structural Changes) Order 2026 (S.I. 2026/264), arts. 1(1), 47(5)(11), 49(5)(11)