SOPN formats

[timrollpickering]

SOPNs come in several different formats and there appear to be at least four different basic template files in circulation with differences in what information is included on the notice (plus further aesthetic differences).

What information is legally required to be there and what should be there? And is the variance down to the Electoral Commission putting out contradictory advice or some other reason?

[Davıd Boothroyd]

From The Local Elections (Principal Areas) (England and Wales) Rules 2006:

Publication of statement of persons nominated

9.—(1) The returning officer must prepare and publish a statement showing the persons who have been and stand nominated and any other persons who have been nominated, with the reason why they no longer stand nominated.
(2) The statement must show the names, addresses and descriptions of the persons nominated as given in their nomination papers.
(3) If a person’s nomination paper gives a commonly used surname or forename in addition to another name, the statement must show the person’s commonly used surname or forename (as the case may be) instead of any other name.
(4) Paragraph (3) does not apply if the returning officer thinks—
(a) that the use of the person’s commonly used name may be likely to mislead or confuse electors, or
(b) that the commonly used name is obscene or offensive.
(5) If paragraph (4) applies, the returning officer must give notice in writing to the candidate of his reasons for refusing to allow the use of a commonly used name.
(6) The statement must show the persons standing nominated arranged alphabetically in the order of their surnames, and if there are two or more of them with the same surname, of their other names.
(7) In the case of a person nominated by more than one nomination paper, the returning officer must take the particulars required by the foregoing provisions of this rule from such one of the papers as the candidate (or the returning officer in default of the candidate) may select.

[swanarcadian]

Funnily enough the most user friendly SOPNs I came across this year were from my own borough, Bradford.  All on one webpage, no extra links to click on or Adobe Reader files to open. 

The same applied to the election results when they came through (although they appear to have since been placed on separate webpages for each ward for some reason).

[andrewteale]

In terms of the variance, there are about four or five companies which supply specialist software to local councils for compiling the electoral register and generating the legal notices. The different template files probably reflect no more than which supplier the council is using.