Greater London Authority Act 1999

Ordinary elections

3 Time of ordinary elections

(1) The poll at the first ordinary election shall be held on 4th May 2000 or such later date as the Secretary of State may by order provide.

(2) The poll at each subsequent ordinary election shall be held on the first Thursday in May in the fourth calendar year following that in which the previous ordinary election was held.

(3) Subsection (2) above is subject to any order made by virtue of section 37(2) of the Representation of the [1983 c. 2.] People Act 1983 (power by order to fix a day other than the first Thursday in May).

(4) As respects the first ordinary election, the Secretary of State may by order make provision—

(a) modifying section 2(8) above in relation to the Mayor and Assembly members returned at that election;

(b) for the returning officer at the election of the Mayor and the election of the London members to be a person, or a person of a description, designated in the order (instead of the person specified in section 35(2C) of the Representation of the [1983 c. 2.] People Act 1983);

(c) for and in connection with modifying the entitlement to vote or the registration of electors, or with respect to the registers (or parts of registers) of electors to be used;

(d) for or in connection with enabling electors to vote in the poll at such polling stations or other places as may be prescribed, at such times as may be prescribed, on such one or more days preceding the date specified in or provided under subsection (1) above for the poll as may be specified in the order.

(5) The provision that may be made by an order under paragraph (d) of subsection (4) above includes provision for such enactments or statutory instruments as may be specified in the order to have effect with such modifications as may be so specified.

(6) In this section “prescribed” means specified in, or determined in accordance with, an order under this section.

4 Voting at ordinary elections

(1) Each person entitled to vote as an elector at an ordinary election shall have the following votes—

(a) one vote (referred to in this Part as a mayoral vote) which may be given for a candidate to be the Mayor;

(b) one vote (referred to in this Part as a constituency vote) which may be given for a candidate to be the Assembly member for the Assembly constituency; and

(c) one vote (referred to in this Part as a London vote) which may be given in accordance with subsection (5) below.

(2) The Mayor shall be returned under the simple majority system, unless there are three or more candidates.

(3) If there are three or more candidates to be the Mayor—

(a) the Mayor shall be returned under the supplementary vote system in accordance with Part I of Schedule 2 to this Act; and

(b) a voter’s mayoral vote shall accordingly be a supplementary vote, that is to say, a vote capable of being given to indicate the voter’s first and second preferences from among the candidates.

(4) The Assembly member for an Assembly constituency shall be returned under the simple majority system.

(5) A London vote may be given for—

(a) a registered political party which has submitted a list of candidates to be London members; or

(b) an individual who is a candidate to be a London member.

(6) The London members shall be returned in accordance with Part II of Schedule 2 to this Act.

(7) The persons who are to be returned as—

(a) the Mayor, and

(b) the constituency members,

must be determined before it is determined who are to be returned as the London members.

(8) But if the poll at the election of an Assembly member for an Assembly constituency is countermanded or abandoned for any reason, the persons who are to be returned as the London members shall be determined without regard to the determination of the Assembly member for that Assembly constituency.

(9) At an ordinary election, a person may not be a candidate to be the Assembly member for more than one Assembly constituency.

(10) If the person who is returned as the Mayor is also returned as an Assembly member for an Assembly constituency, a vacancy shall arise in the Assembly constituency.

(11) In this Part “registered political party” means a party registered under the [1998 c. 48.] Registration of Political Parties Act 1998.