Representation of the People Act 1983

[F1 Directions as to printing the ballot paper U.K.

Textual Amendments

F1 Sch. 1 Directions as to printing the ballot paper substituted (10.3.2015) by The Representation of the People (Ballot Paper) Regulations 2015 (S.I. 2015/656), regs. 1(1), 4, Sch. 2 (with reg. 1(2))

1. U.K. Nothing is to be printed on the ballot paper except in accordance with these directions.

2. U.K. So far as is practicable, the arrangements set out in paragraphs 3 to 13 must be observed in the printing of the ballot paper.

3. U.K. No word may be printed on the face except:

(a) the heading “Election of the Member of Parliament for the …………... constituency”;

(b) within that heading, the name of the constituency;

(c) the direction “Vote for only one candidate by putting a cross [X] in the box next to your choice”;

(d) the particulars of the candidates; and

(e) words forming part of the emblems mentioned at paragraph 10 below.

4. U.K. A box must be printed around:

(a) the heading and name referred to in paragraph 3(a) and (b); and

(b) the direction referred to in paragraph 3(c);

and the direction referred to in paragraph 3(c) must be separated from the heading and name referred to in paragraph 3(a) and (b) by a horizontal rule extending across the box.

5. U.K. No rule may be printed on the face except:

(a) as part of the box referred to in paragraph 4;

(b) the horizontal rule referred to in that paragraph;

(c) a horizontal rule above the particulars of the first candidate;

(d) horizontal rules separating the particulars of the candidates from one another;

(e) a horizontal rule below the particulars of the last candidate;

(f) as part of the boxes on the right-hand side of the ballot paper where the vote is to be marked.

6. U.K. The horizontal rules referred to in paragraph 5(c), (d) and (e) must be equally spaced and the space between each of them must be a minimum of 2.5 centimetres.

7. U.K. The boxes referred to in paragraph 5(f) must not touch any horizontal rule and each one must be equidistant between the horizontal rule above it and the horizontal rule below it.

8. U.K. Each of the horizontal rules referred to in paragraph 5(c) and (d) must extend from a point level with the text on the left-hand side of the page to a point directly above the centre of the box below that rule.

9. U.K. The horizontal rule referred to in paragraph 5(e) must:

(a) extend from a point level with the text on the left-hand side of the page to a point directly below the right-hand edge of the box above that rule; and

(b) be thicker than the other horizontal rules.

10. U.K. Where a registered emblem is to be printed against a candidate’s particulars:

(a) it must be printed adjacent to and to the right of the candidate’s particulars; and

(b) its size as printed must not exceed 2 centimetres square.

11. U.K. All the words on the front of the ballot paper must appear in the same large type except that:

(a) the heading and name referred to in paragraph 3(a) and (b) must appear in very large and bold type;

(b) in the direction referred to in paragraph 3(c), the words “only one candidate” must appear in very large and bold type;

(c) the remainder of that direction must appear in very large type;

(d) the names of the candidates and the descriptions, if any, must appear in bold type.

12. U.K. The surname of each candidate must appear in capitals and the candidates’ other names must be in lower case with initial capitals.

13. U.K. The number and other unique identifying mark must be printed close to each other on the back of the ballot paper.]