There are only seven weeks left as at 12 May for new political parties to apply for registration for the 2020 ACT Legislative Assembly election, the ACT Electoral Commissioner, Mr Damian Cantwell AM, said today.

“New parties wanting to run candidates in the 2020 election need to submit their application for registration to the ACT Electoral Commissioner by 30 June 2020,” Mr Cantwell said.

“Applications must be accompanied by the constitution of the party and the names of at least 100 members of the party who are on the ACT electoral roll.”

The main advantage of registration for a party is the right to list party candidates in a column under the party’s name on ballot papers, Mr Cantwell said.

Registered parties are also given other rights, such as the right to nominate candidates and to receive copies of the ACT electoral roll.

“However, registering as a political party also comes with obligations,” Mr Cantwell stated. “Each registered party is responsible for submitting annual financial disclosure returns, gift disclosures and electoral expenditure returns to the ACT Electoral Commissioner.”

“The candidate nomination period for the 2020 ACT election does not open until 11 September and will close at 12 noon on 23 September”, Mr Cantwell said. “Both party and non-party candidates must wait until this nomination period to be formally recognised as a candidate in the election.”

“However, there is nothing prohibiting a prospective candidate from engaging with electors well before the nomination period. I would encourage all prospective candidates to announce his or her intention to be a candidate, and to get their message out into the electorate as early as possible particularly in the current environment of COVID-19 related community restrictions so that the electors are as informed as possible before they vote in October”, Mr Cantwell stated.

There are currently eight political parties registered to contest the October 2020 election:

• Animal Justice Party
• Australian Labor Party (ACT Branch)
• Liberal Democratic Party
• Liberal Party of Australia (A. C. T. Division)
• Sustainable Australia (ACT)
• The ACT Greens
• The Community Action Party (ACT)
• The Flux Party – ACT