Registration
Yes, if you intend to raise or spend money for your campaign. Unless you are running for re-election, candidates (including members of a group) must be registered with the NSW Electoral Commission before accepting political donations or making payments for electoral expenditure.
It is unlawful for an unregistered candidate in an election to accept political donations or make payments for electoral expenditure.
Being registered for an election under the Electoral Funding Act 2018 is a separate process to being nominated to appear on a ballot paper.
Candidates who are not already registered are deemed to be registered once they are nominated and will have disclosure obligations under the Electoral Funding Act 2018, even if they only need to confirm they have not received any relevant donations or incurred expenditure for the election.
A group is two or more candidates who wish to appear together on the ballot paper. In some elections, groups may be able to request a group voting square.
Groups of candidates must be registered with the NSW Electoral Commission before accepting political donations or making payments for electoral expenditure. It is unlawful for a group of candidates to accept political donations or make payments for electoral expenditure before it nominates for the election.
Each member of the group needs to register individually as a candidate, and then the lead candidate of the group needs to register the group.
More information about registering a group of candidates for the Legislative Council.
To have the group included on the Legislative Council ballot paper you, and the other group members, still need to submit individual nomination forms during the nomination period and as part of that process must request to form a group on the ballot paper. This is a separate process from applying to be registered for the election.
Candidates can apply to be registered using Funding and Disclosure Online. Each candidate is responsible for completing their own registration personally.
Applications for registration can only be submitted up to the day of close of nominations for the election. After that, nominated candidates and groups are deemed to be registered.
More information about registering as a candidate through Funding and Disclosure Online.
The lead candidate must apply to register as a candidate and then apply to register the group. They can do this using Funding and Disclosure Online.
Each candidate in the group must apply to be registered as a candidate before the lead candidate can add them to the group’s registration.
Applications for registration can only be submitted up to the day of the close of nominations for the election. After that, nominated groups of candidates are deemed to be registered.
More information about registering as a group through Funding and Disclosure Online.
Yes, when a group is applying to be registered the order of candidates in the group must be included. The Register of candidates kept for the election must show the composition and order of the members of the group.
If the order of candidates in a registered group changes, the lead candidate of the group must notify us within 30 days.
A candidate or group is registered once the NSW Electoral Commission has processed the registration application. Candidates and groups are notified of their registration in writing by the NSW Electoral Commission. The candidate or group is not permitted to accept political donations or pay for electoral expenditure until registered, including when deemed to be registered once validly nominated for the election.
A party agent is not responsible for the registration of candidates and groups of candidates who are members of the party. Candidates and groups must complete the registration personally.
More information about the responsibilities and legal obligations of party agents.
A candidate who is currently an elected member of the NSW Parliament is not required to register for the 2023 NSW State election.
There is no fee to register as a candidate for electoral funding purposes, which is a different process to nominating.
However, a nomination deposit of $250 must be lodged for each candidate nominating for the Legislative Assembly. The nomination deposit for the Legislative Council is $500 per candidate, capped at $5,000 for a group of 10 or more.
Yes. The details of all registered candidates are published in the Register of candidates. The published list of registered candidates is updated periodically in the lead up to an election, as new candidates and groups are registered and when the registered details of candidates and groups change.
Yes. If the registered details of a candidate or group change the candidate, or lead candidate of the group, must notify us of those changes within 30 days of the change occurring.
Yes. If you decide not to be a candidate at the election or your group is disbanded prior to the election, you can request to have your registration cancelled by sending us an email.
If you cancel your registration, you must still submit disclosure forms to the NSW Electoral Commission for the full financial year in which you were a registered candidate or group.
Yes. If a candidate leaves a registered group the lead candidate of the group must notify us within 30 days and confirm the new order of the candidates who comprise the group.
Removing a candidate from the group’s registration does not cancel the candidate’s own registration. A candidate can request their registration be cancelled by sending us an email.
Yes. If a new candidate joins a registered group, the new candidate must first be registered as a candidate for the election.
The lead candidate of the group must also notify us within 30 days that a new candidate has joined the group and the new order of candidates who comprise the group.