An Election Free Post FAQ

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Over the past week or so a number of people have been posting on social media about leaflets from various political parties they’ve received, often with their name and address on them.

Officially called “Election Communications”, these are election free post leaflets. In some elections all candidates/parties are entitled to have one item delivered to all voters/households by Royal Mail. For many voters it may be the only thing they receive from a particular party/candidate.

Not everyone knows the ins and outs of them, so here’s a quick set of Frequently Asked Questions and answers.

What elections have the free post option?

Elections to the Westminster and European Parliaments.

For directly elected mayors the electoral authorities will directly send out a booklet containing multiple one or two page manifestos from all candidates who submitted them and paid the fee.

Local council elections and, if I recall correctly, police & crime commissioner elections don’t have them. I forget what the provision is for the devolved parliaments.

Why have we received leaflets from only some parties?

The free post is an option available to all parties and independent candidates, but not everyone makes use of it whilst some campaigners opt to only send out a limited amount to targeted voters and/or areas. For example in the 2011 AV referendum the Yes campaign (infamously) decided against doing a full delivery.

Why did this arrive after my postal vote?

It largely depends upon when the leaflets were delivered to Royal Mail. The final deadlines for submission are usually after the bulk of postal votes going out. Unaddressed free posts (more on these below) are especially vulnerable to this but also some are sent in batches so the ones to postal voters arrive earlier, but not every party or candidate will have the most up to date postal vote list to hand.

How did [X] party get my address details?

Political parties and candidates are allowed access to the electoral register for election purposes, including sending literature to voters.

I am on the closed register so why am I receiving this?

The option to opt out of the “open” version of the register is a distinction that only applies to its commercial sale to marketing companies. Political parties and candidates have the full register.

Why did only some of us in this home receive addressed leaflets? 
and 
Why did we get different leaflets?

Some parties and candidates will try to maximise the effect of the free post by sending more than one leaflet wherever possible. A common tactic is to send a first leaflet to the first named person on the register for an address and then a second leaflet to the second named person.

Why are some not addressed at all?

Some parties and candidates opt to send unaddressed leaflets to all households. Both addressed and unaddressed are options available with Royal Mail, though not all printers are set up for individual addressed leaflets.

Why did I receive this when I have a “No junk mail” sign up?

Political communications do not meet the official definition of junk mail.

Why is this leaflet addressed to someone I’ve never heard of?

Either they’re a past resident at  your address who is still on the electoral register there or there’s been a major database screw-up, which has hit one party this year.

Political parties have announced a suspension of campaigning so why was this delivered?

This came up a bit in the last general election. Once the leaflets have been submitted and accepted by Royal Mail, they are out of control of the parties who are unable to then get delivery delayed. Royal Mail’s internal set-up simply doesn’t allow for such an instruction to go through.

Why have I received a leaflet for a different constituency?

Annoyingly some leaflets seem to turn up in neighbouring constituencies despite everything being correctly filled out. In my experience these are usually unaddressed free posts and arrive in post code areas that overlap on a constituency.

Why does [X] have my details when they’re not a political party, but a registered company?

All political parties listed on the ballot paper are officially registered with the Electoral Commission. (Here is the register.) Some parties may also be registered as companies for operational reasons but if they’re on the register of parties then they are a recognised political party, no matter how many times somebody tweets otherwise.