Nomination Form for Election
A nomination form for a union, association or society election: the post, the candidate, proposer and seconder, the candidate’s consent and a box for the returning officer.
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[name of the election]
To the Returning Officer, [returning officer]
| Post for which nominated | |
| Name and membership no. of candidate | |
| Designation and place of work |
Proposed and seconded by
| Proposer | Seconder | |
|---|---|---|
| Name | ||
| Membership no. | ||
| Signature |
Consent of the candidate: I agree to this nomination. I am a member of [union, association or society] and eligible to stand for this post under its rules.
This form must reach the returning officer by [date]. A form received after that, or without a proposer and a seconder, may be rejected.
For the returning officer
| Received on (date and time) | Serial no. | ||
| Accepted or rejected (reason) | Signature |
What is a Nomination Form for Election?
A nomination form is how a member formally becomes a candidate in the election of a union, association, housing society or club. It names the post, the candidate and their membership number, carries the signatures of a proposer and a seconder, and records the candidate’s consent and a statement that they are eligible. Without written nominations, nobody can show who was nominated, by whom and when, and the result is easy to dispute. The form on this page prints a blank form, addressed to your returning officer, for candidates to fill in by hand.
Trade unions, staff and officers’ associations, housing societies, resident welfare associations, clubs and college associations use nomination forms when they elect office-bearers — President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer — and committee members. The returning officer, or an election committee, issues the form with the election notice. A member who wants to stand fills it in, gets a proposer and a seconder to sign, signs the consent and hands it in before the deadline. The returning officer records when each form arrived, scrutinises it and publishes the list of valid nominations. The forms are then kept with the other election papers in case the result is questioned.
The organisation’s constitution, rules or bye-laws set almost everything about the election: who may stand, who may propose or second, how many proposers and seconders a candidate needs, whether a deposit is payable, who appoints the returning officer, and the timetable for nominations, scrutiny, withdrawals and the vote. For a trade union in India, those rules sit within the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 and the rules made under it by the Central or State Government. A housing society must also follow the law it is registered under, which may set its own procedure and forms; a college association follows college or university rules. In the US, check the local’s constitution and bylaws, and ask the union’s counsel what else applies.
This form is for elections inside an organisation. Elections to Parliament, a State Assembly, a municipality or a panchayat use statutory nomination papers, which come from the Election Commission of India or the State Election Commission and are filed with the returning officer for that election. It is also not a bank, provident fund or insurance nomination, which names a person to receive money and comes from the bank, fund or insurer. Handing in the form does not make anyone a candidate: the returning officer decides at scrutiny whether each nomination is valid.
What to put in a Nomination Form for Election
These are the details this template asks for. Anything left blank is marked in red on the preview so you can see what is still missing.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Union, association or society | For example: Kusagra Supplies Employees’ Union |
| Its address optional | For example: D.No. 12-4-56, Arundelpet |
| Election | For example: Election of office-bearers for 2026–29 |
| Posts to be filled optional | One per line |
| Returning officer | For example: Sri V. Prakash |
| Last date for nominations | Follow the election timetable in your rules |
| Last time optional | For example: 5:00 p.m. |
How to prepare a nomination form for an election
Head the form with the organisation’s name
Enter the full name of the union, association or society exactly as it appears in its constitution or registration, and the address of the office where the election papers are kept. They print at the top as a letterhead, so every completed form shows which organisation’s election it belongs to — useful when members belong to more than one body, and when forms are checked again after the result.
Name the election and list the posts
Give the election a clear name, such as ‘Election of Office-Bearers, 2026’, so the form cannot be confused with a past or future one. Then list every post to be filled, one per line, using the titles in your constitution — President, Vice-President, General Secretary and so on. Candidates copy the post from this list, so a title that differs from the rules invites an objection at scrutiny. If a member may stand for only one post, say so in the election notice.
Name the returning officer
Enter the name of the returning officer appointed under your rules, for example by the Executive Committee or the General Body; the form is addressed to them. The returning officer receives the forms, scrutinises them, deals with withdrawals, runs the vote and declares the result. Choose someone members trust who is not standing for any post, and tell candidates where and when the returning officer, or a named deputy, will receive forms.
Fix the last date and time
Enter the last date and time for nominations, taken from the election timetable in your rules or announced by the returning officer — for example, 5:00 p.m. on Monday, 26 October 2026. Give the day as well as the date, and check that they match. The deadline prints on the form, so candidates cannot say they did not know it, and the returning officer has a clear basis for rejecting a form that arrives late.
Receive, record and scrutinise the forms
Hand out printed forms with the election notice. When a candidate hands one in, the returning officer writes the date and time of receipt and a serial number in the box at the foot, and gives the candidate an acknowledgement. At scrutiny, check each form against the rules and the membership register — post, candidate, proposer, seconder, signatures and consent — then mark it accepted or rejected, write the reason for any rejection and sign.
Nomination form sample
A completed nomination for the post of President in the Kusagra Supplies Employees’ Union election, and the returning officer’s entry on a form that arrived after the deadline. The names, numbers and dates are made up.
Completed nomination form for President
KUSAGRA SUPPLIES EMPLOYEES’ UNION
D.No. 12-4-56, Arundelpet, Guntur 522002
NOMINATION FORM
Election of Office-Bearers, 2026
To the Returning Officer, V. Prakash
Posts: President · Vice-President · General Secretary · Joint Secretary · Treasurer · Organising Secretary
Candidate
Post: President
Name: K. Ramesh · Membership no.: 0457
Designation and place of work: Senior Stores Supervisor, Central Warehouse, Auto Nagar
Proposed by
G. Venkat Rao · Membership no.: 0219 · Signed
Seconded by
S. Anitha · Membership no.: 0388 · Signed
Candidate’s consent
I consent to this nomination and declare that I am eligible to stand for this post under the union’s rules. Signed: K. Ramesh, 22 October 2026
Nominations must reach the Returning Officer by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, 26 October 2026.
For the returning officer
Received on: 22 October 2026, 11:20 a.m. · Serial no.: 3
Scrutiny: Accepted · Signature: V. Prakash, 27 October 2026
Returning officer’s entry on a late nomination
For the returning officer
Received on: 26 October 2026, 5:25 p.m. · Serial no.: 9
Scrutiny: Rejected — received after the last time for nominations, 5:00 p.m. on 26 October 2026
Signature: V. Prakash, 27 October 2026
Common mistakes
- Listing posts under titles that differ from the constitution, such as ‘Secretary’ for ‘General Secretary’, which invites objections at scrutiny and can leave the result open to challenge.
- Leaving out the time of the deadline, or giving a day and date that do not match, so candidates miss it or argue that their late form should be accepted.
- Taking in forms without noting the date, time and serial number of receipt, which leaves no proof of which nominations arrived on time if one is later questioned.
- Rejecting a nomination without writing the reason on the form, which makes the decision look arbitrary and invites a challenge to the whole election.
- Using a form of your own for a co-operative society election when the law the society is registered under prescribes its own forms, which can leave the whole election open to challenge.
Frequently asked questions
What is a nomination form in an election?
A nomination form is the document a member fills in to stand as a candidate in an election held by a union, association, society or club. It names the post and the candidate, carries the signatures of a proposer and a seconder, and includes the candidate’s signed consent and a statement that they are eligible. It goes to the returning officer by a set deadline, and only nominations accepted at scrutiny go forward to the vote.
How do you fill a nomination form for an election?
Write the post exactly as it appears in the list of posts, then your name as it appears in the membership register, your membership number, and your designation and place of work. Ask your proposer and seconder to write their names and membership numbers and sign. Sign the consent and eligibility statement, check that nothing is blank, and hand the form to the returning officer before the deadline. Ask for an acknowledgement and keep a copy.
Who can propose and second a candidate?
The election rules in the constitution or bye-laws decide. They usually require the proposer and seconder to be members entitled to vote in that election, often with their subscription paid up, and some rules let a member propose or second only one candidate for each post. A candidate normally cannot propose or second themselves. If you are unsure, read the rules or ask the returning officer before you collect signatures.
What is a returning officer?
The returning officer is the person appointed to conduct an election. In a union, association or society, they receive nomination forms, scrutinise them, publish the list of valid candidates, deal with withdrawals, conduct the vote, count it and declare the result. Who appoints the returning officer, and what powers they have, is set by the constitution or bye-laws. The returning officer should be impartial and is usually someone who is not standing for any post.
What is scrutiny of nominations?
Scrutiny is the returning officer’s check of every nomination form after the last date for nominations. They confirm that the form arrived on time, the post is one being filled, the candidate, proposer and seconder are eligible members, and every signature and the candidate’s consent are present. Each form is marked accepted or rejected, with a reason for any rejection, and the list of valid nominations is then published. Your rules may let candidates attend or object.
Can a nomination be rejected?
Yes, if it does not meet the election rules. Common reasons are that the form arrived after the deadline, is incomplete or unsigned, names a post that is not being filled or lacks the candidate’s consent, or that the candidate, proposer or seconder is not eligible. The returning officer should write the reason on the form. A candidate who disagrees should check the constitution or bye-laws for any appeal and raise the objection in writing promptly.
Can a candidate withdraw a nomination?
Usually, yes, up to the last date for withdrawals in the election timetable. The candidate writes to the returning officer, signs the letter and asks for an acknowledgement; after that date, the name normally stays on the ballot. The procedure and deadline are in the constitution, the bye-laws or the returning officer’s notice. If withdrawals leave only one candidate for a post, the rules may allow that candidate to be declared elected unopposed.
This page explains general practice and is not legal advice. Requirements differ between countries and, in some cases, between states — check what applies where the document will be used.