The National Assembly for Wales (Representation of the People) Order 2007

Form CL1: Directions as to printing the ballot paper: regional election

Rule 25(3) of Schedule 5

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

2.  So far as practicable, the arrangements set down below shall be observed in the printing of the ballot paper.

3.  Nothing in paragraph 2 prohibits the front of the ballot paper containing more than one column of numbers, particulars of individual candidates, of registered political parties, the names of candidates on party lists and spaces where the vote is to be marked if the returning officer thinks it is appropriate for the ballot paper to be printed with more than one column, but in such a case each column must be separated by a double vertical rule

4.—(1) This paragraph makes provision in respect of that part of the ballot paper appearing above the higher horizontal rule.

(2) The group of words in English to the left and the group of words in Welsh to the right are each referred to in these directions as a block (and a block also includes the rectangle and representation in that rectangle of how a vote is to be marked).

(3) The blocks may be reversed so that the block with the Welsh words is to the left and the block with the English words is to the right.

(4) The first three lines of each block shall be printed in large capitals.

(5) The lines of each rectangle in a block are not to be regarded as rules for the purposes of these directions.

5.  No word shall be printed on the front of the ballot paper except the words set out in the form of regional ballot paper appearing in each block, the descriptions of registered political parties, the names of party list candidates, the names and descriptions of individual candidates, and words forming part of registered emblems.

6.  The blocks, numbers, descriptions of registered political parties, names of individual candidates and sides of the rectangles in which a vote is to be marked shall be printed in bold form on the ballot paper.

7.  No rule shall be printed on the front of the ballot paper except—

(a) the first horizontal rule below the blocks, the horizontal rules separating the particulars of the parties and individual candidates from one another and the horizontal rule appearing beneath the party or individual candidate whose particulars appear last; and

(b) the vertical rules separating those particulars from the numbers on the left hand side and the spaces on the right where the vote is to be marked (together with the vertical rule to the left of the numbers so mentioned and the vertical rule to the right of the spaces so mentioned).

8.  The space on the ballot paper between each horizontal rule and the next horizontal rule below it shall be 3.5 centimetres.

9.  On the ballot paper the name of each individual and party list candidate shall be printed so that his surname is placed after his other name or names.

10.  The names of the party list candidates shall appear—

(a) in the same order as on the party’s list of candidates and they shall be numbered in that order;

(b) in ordinary type; and

(c) arranged in columns or rows as the returning officer thinks appropriate.

11.  Where a registered emblem is to be printed against a registered political party’s description on the ballot paper—

(a) it shall be printed between the party’s description and the rectangle in which a vote may be marked; and

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

12.  The number and other unique identifying mark may be printed close to each other on the back of the ballot paper.