Candidates per seat / per ward
How crowded the ballot was.
How it's calculated
Candidates ÷ seats up, and candidates ÷ wards. Both are shown, because multi-member wards inflate the per-ward figure. The median ballot length is shown too.
Worked example
Heworth, May 2023: 11 candidates ÷ 3 seats = 3.7 per seat, but 11 per ward.
Heworth, 2026 by-election: 6 per seat and 6 per ward.
Source: Heworth ward, City of York — by-election of 15 January 2026 and May 2023.
Where it's used
- Election Health (coming soon)
Other definitions
Vote shareChange in shareSwing (two-party, Butler)MajoritySwing needed to gainUncontested seatContestation rateWinner's shareEffective number of partiesWinner's bonus (seats vs votes)Incumbency and re-election rateWomen candidates and councillorsTurnout (three methods)Council control and No Overall Control (NOC)Majority at riskPsephology National Share EstimateBy-election vote trackerNotional resultIndex of changeSplit-ticket indicatorNational Equivalent Vote