Election Campaign

The CllrWay Election Campaign module guides you through every stage of a UK election campaign — from confirming candidacy to submitting the statutory spending return. It is designed to work equally well for first-time agents and experienced campaigners, combining a step-by-step guided journey with a full set of tools for tracking expenses, donations, official deadlines, and campaign documents.

The module is built around UK electoral law requirements. All spending, donation, and deadline records are kept in one place so that completing your election expenses return is as straightforward as possible.

Creating a campaign

Each election you are involved in is managed as a separate campaign. A campaign holds all the data — journey tasks, expenses, donations, deadlines, and documents — for one candidate in one election.

1. Navigate to Election Campaign in the main menu.
2. If no campaigns exist for your current dataset, you will be taken straight to the New Campaign form. Otherwise, click New Campaign on the campaigns list page.
3. Fill in the required fields:
   • Campaign name — a short label for this campaign (e.g. "May 2026 Local Election – North Ward").
   • Election type — Local Government, Parish, Police & Crime Commissioner, General Election, Mayoral, or Other.
   • Candidate name — the candidate you are acting as agent for.
   • Polling day — the date of the election.
   • Elector count — the number of electors registered in the ward or constituency. This is used to calculate the statutory spending limit.
4. Click Create Campaign. CllrWay will generate a full set of guided journey tasks for the campaign and take you to the Campaign Dashboard.

Campaign setup

Before starting work on the journey tasks, it is worth completing the optional fields in Campaign Setup. These allow CllrWay to calculate exact deadline dates and spending limits automatically.

Access Campaign Setup by clicking the Edit Campaign (pencil) button on the Campaign Dashboard header.

Agent & candidate details

• Agent name, email, and phone — your contact details as the election agent. These appear on your spending return.
• Party or Independent — the party the candidate is standing for, or "Independent".
• Council / authority name — the name of the local authority running the election.
• Ward or division name — the ward, division, or constituency.

Joint candidates

If this is a joint candidacy (for example, two candidates sharing a campaign and splitting the spending limit), tick Joint candidate and enter the total number of joint candidates. CllrWay will divide the spending limit accordingly.

Official timetable dates

The Returning Officer (RO) publishes a formal election timetable. Enter the dates from that timetable here so that CllrWay can calculate statutory deadlines precisely:

• Notice of Election date — when the RO formally announced the election.
• Nomination deadline — 4pm, 19 working days before polling day (confirm against the RO's timetable).
• Withdrawal deadline — the last date a nominated candidate can withdraw.
• Statement of Persons Nominated date — when the RO publishes the list of confirmed candidates.

Election Journey

The Election Journey is the first tab on the Campaign Dashboard. It breaks the entire election process into ten stages, each containing a set of tasks. CllrWay generates these tasks automatically when you create a campaign, based on best practice and UK electoral law.

The Journey panel shows an at-a-glance summary: your overall percentage complete, the next critical task to action, and the number of tasks by stage.

Journey stages

The ten stages, in order, are:

1. Confirm Candidacy — check eligibility, confirm the candidate's intention to stand, and understand the role of the election agent.
2. Prepare Nomination — gather the documents needed for the nomination pack: nomination papers, home address form, consent to nomination, and party authorisation letter if applicable.
3. Appoint Election Agent — formally appoint the election agent and notify the Returning Officer.
4. Submit Nomination Pack — deliver the completed nomination pack to the Returning Officer before the nomination deadline.
5. Request Register and Lists — obtain the marked electoral register, absent voters list, and any other statutory lists you are entitled to.
6. Campaign Spending and Donations — set up processes for recording all campaign spending and donations as they occur throughout the campaign period.
7. Appoint Polling & Counting Agents — appoint and brief agents for polling stations and the count, and submit their details to the Returning Officer by the relevant deadlines.
8. Polling Day — manage polling day activities: voter ID checks, teller sheets, postal vote tracking, and communication with polling agents.
9. Count and Result — attend the count, deal with recounts if necessary, and note the declared result.
10. Submit Spending Return — prepare, check, and submit the election expenses return and all supporting declarations within the statutory time limit.

Working with tasks

Each stage contains one or more tasks displayed as a collapsible panel. Click a stage header to expand or collapse it. The first incomplete stage expands automatically when you first open the dashboard.

Each task shows:

• Title — what needs to be done.
• Severity badge — how important the task is (see below).
• Due date chip — if the task has a deadline, a chip shows how many days remain (or how many days overdue it is). Tasks due within 7 days turn amber; overdue tasks turn red.
• Paperclip badge — if documents have been uploaded and linked to this task, a blue paperclip badge with a count is shown. If the task recommends a document upload but none have been attached yet, a faded paperclip is shown as a reminder.
• Guidance text — plain-English explanation of what to do and why.
• Official guidance link — a direct link to the relevant Electoral Commission or government guidance page where available.

Severity levels

• Critical (red) — a legal requirement. Missing this deadline or step may invalidate the candidacy or result in a criminal offence.
• Important (orange) — strongly recommended. Skipping this could create significant problems.
• Recommended (blue) — good practice that most experienced agents follow.
• Info (grey) — background information or optional actions.

Completing tasks

1. Tick the checkbox next to a task to mark it as complete. The task title will be struck through.
2. CllrWay records who completed the task and when.
3. Tick again to unmark a task if you need to revert it.

The journey progress bar and stage badges update in real time as you complete tasks.

Task deadlines

Some tasks have automatic due dates calculated from your campaign dates (polling day, result date, or RO timetable dates). Others require you to enter the date manually once it is known from the Returning Officer's timetable.

Task deadlines are distinct from the Official Deadlines tab, which tracks the statutory legal deadlines published for your specific election. Journey tasks are action reminders; official deadlines are legal obligations.

Expenses

The Expenses tab is where you record every item of election spending. Accurate expense records are essential — you will need them to complete your statutory spending return after the election.

The tab header shows a real-time spending summary: total committed, total paid, remaining allowance, and a colour-coded progress bar indicating how much of the spending limit has been used.

Adding expenses

1. On the Expenses tab, click Add Expense.
2. Fill in the expense form:
   • Description — a clear description of what the spending was for.
   • Category — select the statutory expense category (see below).
   • Committed amount — the agreed or contracted amount. This counts toward your spending limit immediately.
   • Paid amount — the amount actually paid so far (may differ from committed if only a deposit has been paid).
   • Supplier — the name of the business or individual who provided the goods or service.
   • Invoice date — the date on the invoice or receipt.
   • Payment date — when the payment was made (leave blank if not yet paid).
   • Notes — any additional information for your records.
3. Click Save. The expense is added to the list and the spending totals update immediately.

To edit or delete an existing expense, use the pencil and bin icons on the expense row.

Expense categories

UK election law requires spending to be categorised. CllrWay uses the following statutory categories:

• Advertising — newspaper adverts, online adverts, posters, and billboards.
• Unsolicited material to voters — leaflets, letters, and other printed material delivered to voters (typically your largest category).
• Transport — vehicles used for the campaign, including hire costs and fuel.
• Public meetings — room hire, equipment, and other costs associated with public campaign events.
• Staff costs — paid staff working on the campaign (volunteer time is not recordable).
• Accommodation — campaign offices, temporary premises, and storage.
• Administrative costs — stationery, printing of internal documents, and other office costs.
• Notional spending — goods or services provided free of charge or below market rate that must be declared as notional spending under the rules.
• Personal expenses — the candidate's own personal expenses (separate from campaign expenses).
• Other — any spending not covered by the above categories.

Spending limit

Your campaign's statutory spending limit is calculated automatically from the elector count and election type you entered during campaign setup, following the formula set by UK law. The limit is displayed prominently in the expenses summary and updates if you change the elector count.

If your campaign is a joint candidacy, the limit is divided equally between all joint candidates. For example, if the limit for the ward is £3,000 and there are two joint candidates, each candidate's return covers £1,500 of expenditure.

Receipts & invoices

Every expense should be backed by a receipt or invoice. UK law requires you to retain receipts for all payments over £20 and to provide copies with your spending return.

To attach documents to an expense:

1. Click the paperclip icon on any expense row to open the Receipts & Invoices dialog.
2. Click Choose File and select a PDF or image file (JPEG, PNG, WEBP). Maximum file size is 20 MB.
3. The file is uploaded and a thumbnail or preview is shown immediately.
4. To download a previously uploaded receipt, click the download icon next to it.
5. To remove a receipt, click the delete icon.

Once at least one receipt has been attached to an expense, a blue document badge appears on the expense row so you can see at a glance which expenses are backed up.

To download all receipts for the campaign as a single ZIP archive, click Download All Receipts at the top of the Expenses tab. This is useful when preparing your return submission.

Donations

The Donations tab records all financial and non-monetary donations received for the campaign. UK law requires donations above the reporting threshold to be declared in the spending return.

Adding a donation

1. Click Add Donation.
2. Fill in the donation form:
   • Donor name — the full name of the donor.
   • Donor address — the registered address of the donor.
   • Donation type — Cash/Cheque, Bank Transfer, Non-Monetary, Loan, or Other.
   • Amount — the value of the donation. For non-monetary donations, enter the market value.
   • Date received — when the donation was received.
   • Status — Pending Review, Accepted, Returned, Impermissible, Anonymous, or Below Reporting Threshold.
   • Notes — any additional details, such as the nature of a non-monetary donation.
3. Click Save.

Donation statuses

• Pending Review — received but not yet verified as permissible.
• Accepted — verified as permissible under electoral law and accepted for the campaign.
• Returned — returned to the donor because it was impermissible or otherwise could not be accepted.
• Impermissible — identified as coming from an impermissible donor. Must be returned within 30 days.
• Anonymous — the donor cannot be identified. Donations over £50 from anonymous donors must be returned.
• Below Reporting Threshold — the donation is below the threshold that requires declaration in the return.

Official deadlines

The Deadlines section (visible on the Campaign Dashboard) tracks the statutory legal deadlines that apply to your campaign. These are derived from your polling day and the official timetable dates you entered in Campaign Setup.

Click Generate Deadlines (or set your Result Declared Date) to populate the deadlines list. CllrWay calculates dates using the correct statutory rules for each deadline type.

Deadline types

• Nomination papers — the deadline for submitting your nomination pack to the Returning Officer.
• Agent appointment — the deadline for formally notifying the Returning Officer of the election agent's appointment.
• Postal vote agent appointment — deadline for appointing agents to observe the postal vote opening sessions.
• Polling agent appointment — deadline for notifying the Returning Officer of your polling station agents.
• Counting agent appointment — deadline for notifying the Returning Officer of your count agents.
• Invoice received deadline — the last date suppliers can submit invoices for campaign spending (35 days after polling day).
• Invoice payment deadline — the last date you can pay outstanding invoices (14 days after the invoice received deadline).
• Spending return and agent declaration — the statutory deadline for submitting the completed expenses return to the Returning Officer.
• Candidate declaration — the deadline for the candidate to sign and submit their own declaration alongside the spending return.

Marking deadlines as done

Once you have met a deadline, click the tick icon on the deadline row to mark it as complete. Completed deadlines are shown in green. Outstanding deadlines approaching their date are highlighted in amber or red according to urgency.

Campaign documents

The Documents tab is a central library for all non-expense files associated with your campaign — nomination papers, agent appointment forms, RO correspondence, candidate declarations, and anything else you want to keep in one place.

Uploading a document

1. On the Documents tab, click Upload Document.
2. Fill in the upload form:
   • Document name — a clear, descriptive label (e.g. "Nomination papers — Jane Smith signed").
   • Category — choose the document type (see below).
   • Document date — the date on the document.
   • Link to journey task — optionally associate this document with a specific journey task. Doing so adds a paperclip badge to that task in the Election Journey tab so you can see at a glance which tasks have supporting documents.
   • Notes — any additional context.
   • File — choose a PDF, Word document, or image. Maximum 20 MB.
3. Click Upload.

Document categories

• Nomination Papers — completed nomination forms and supporting papers.
• Agent Appointment — formal notification of election agent appointment to the RO.
• Invoice — supplier invoices not yet attached to an expense line.
• Receipt — general receipts not attached to a specific expense.
• Leaflet or Printed Material — copies of campaign leaflets, letters, and printed material (required for the imprint record).
• Digital Advert Screenshot — screenshots of online adverts for your records.
• Donation Evidence — bank statements or other evidence of donations received.
• Candidate Personal Expenses Statement — the candidate's signed statement of their personal election expenses.
• Return and Declaration — the completed spending return and declarations.
• RO Correspondence — any letters, emails, or forms exchanged with the Returning Officer.
• Other — any document that does not fit the above categories.

Filtering and downloading

Use the Filter by category dropdown to narrow the document list to a specific type. To download a document, click the download icon on its row. To remove a document, click the delete icon — you will be asked to confirm before the file is permanently deleted.

Return readiness

The Return Readiness tab gives you a pre-submission checklist that CllrWay evaluates automatically based on the data in your campaign. It is designed to help you spot problems before you submit your spending return to the Returning Officer.

Each check is shown as either pass (green tick) or fail / warning (red or amber cross). The overall readiness score is shown as a percentage at the top of the tab.

The checklist covers:

• All expenses have a receipt or invoice attached.
• No expenses are above £20 and missing a receipt.
• Total committed spending is within the statutory limit.
• All donations have been reviewed and given an accepted or returned status.
• The result declared date has been entered (needed to calculate post-election deadlines).
• The spending return submission deadline has not passed.
• Critical journey tasks are all completed.
• At least one return-and-declaration document has been uploaded.

Submitting the return

CllrWay helps you prepare your return but does not submit it electronically to the Returning Officer — you will need to deliver or post the physical documents. The typical submission process is:

1. Ensure all expenses and donations are recorded and the Return Readiness checklist is fully green.
2. Download all receipts using Download All Receipts on the Expenses tab.
3. Download all relevant campaign documents from the Documents tab.
4. Complete the official Electoral Commission expenses return form (RO1 or equivalent for your election type) using the totals from CllrWay's Expenses tab.
5. Obtain the signed candidate's declaration and agent's declaration.
6. Submit the completed form, declarations, and all receipts to the Returning Officer before the statutory deadline.
7. Record the submission date in Campaign Setup using the Return Submitted Date field. CllrWay will use this to calculate any post-submission deadlines (such as the deadline for providing receipt copies to a requesting party).
8. Mark the Spending Return and Agent Declaration journey task and deadline as complete.

Next steps

• 🗺️ Canvassing & Delivery — plan and run your door-knock and leaflet-drop campaign alongside the election agent work.
• 📅 Calendar — add your key election deadlines to your CllrWay calendar to get email reminders.
• 📋 Getting Started — learn how to set up your account, invite team members, and load your electoral register.