EC Candidate Surveys

The candidate survey is part of the Electoral Commission's suite of post-poll surveys that are used to inform our evaluation of how each election went. Its purpose is to understand the experiences of those who stood for election, and it is conducted after every set of polls. In 2026, we will run it after the 7 May English locals, Scottish Parliament, and Senedd elections. This survey highlights the abuse and intimidation faced by candidates, an issue which was identified as one of the main challenges to the electoral system in the Commission's 2025/26 - 2029/30 Corporate Plan