Clacton By-election Is Nearly a Metre Long, Making It the Longest in British Electoral History, With 34 Candidates Standing

The ballot paper for the Clacton by-election is nearly a metre long, making it the longest in British electoral history, with 34 candidates standing. The local council said the paper costs four times as much to print as regular ballot papers. The by-election was prompted by the resignation of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who is standing again.

The paper, at 90cm (3ft), is longer than most adults' arms. Tendring District Council chief executive Ian Davidson, the acting returning officer, described organising the vote as "manic. Postal votes are already being returned, and most registered voters will go to polling stations on 13 August.

Davidson said his teams are adapting, noting the ballots are "going to be sometimes longer than the table so we're having to do double tables and we're going to have to sort them in batches before we can verify them or even count them. Paul Whiteley, professor of government at the University of Essex, said the previous record for candidates in a Commons seat was the Haltemprice and Howden by-election in July 2008, when David Davis resigned and stood again over civil liberties. Before that, the record was Newbury in 1993 with 19 candidates.

The ballot includes 20 independents, also a record. Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and Restore Britain have chosen not to stand.