Leaflets

Election Leaflets are produced to enable you to enhance the profile of your candidate to people who may not know them and may never meet them. There are also a way to publicise you policies and campaign issues. If you are standing as a candidate almost by definition you have been motivated to that by something. It may be a desire to protect or improve local amenities, a desire to remove the incumbents for some reason or something else. Whatever it is no-one will know unless you tell them so put it in your leaflets, e.g. new zebra crossing, save local hospital from closure, money funds for old age donkeys, whatever it is that’s motivating you to stand tell people.

Give your leaflets a name. The Conservatives call theirs ‘In Touch’ the Liberal Democrats ‘Focus’ The Labour Party's vary in different parts of the country. This builds a brand even though voters may not see one from one election to the next.

Use graphics, photos and graphs if relevant. These fill space and are more likely to be looked at by voters than many paragraphs of closely typed copy no matter how fascinating you think it is. Leaflets are mostly printed as double sided A4 sheets. Deliver leaflets across the area you are working to every voter household. Use only recycled paper.

Important: It is a commonly held belief that elections in the UK and contested by political parties. This is wrong. Although you must register your 'party' with the Electoral Commission, even if you are an Independent elections in the UK are contested by candidates and agents and the candidate and the agent are responsible for everything that is done as part of the campaign. More significantly for leafets everything published in support of the campaign must contain an imprint stating who printed and published the leaflet and their address. This usually takes form of a small print line at the foot of any leaflet saying "Printed by Anytown Prnters, 30 High Street, Anytown, Anyshire and Published by John Smith, 25 Main Street, Anytown." In this example John Smith is not the candidate, but the agent and the campaign headquarters or committee rooms is at 25 Main Street. This does not have to be John Smith's residence but it does have to be where the campaign can be contacted. Your imprint must appear on every leaflet, poster, calling card, press release or anything else you produce as part of the campaign. Failure to do so could put you in breach of the Representation of the People Acts and your opponents will soon let you know if it does.

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