Democracy Club's candidate database stood at 2.6 per cent coverage, 81 of 3,074 areas, on 7 April 2026. By 10 April, following English and Welsh Statement of Persons Nominated publication on 9 and 10 April, the database covered 86 per cent: 2,636 areas. Scotland reached 100 per cent before the English and Welsh SoPNs published. The three-day movement represents the largest single data discontinuity in this briefing cycle.
SoPN publication is the mechanism by which returning officers publish the final candidate list for each seat; until it publishes, no authoritative count exists. SoPN publication is the mechanism by which returning officers publish the final list of standing candidates for each seat; until it publishes, no authoritative count of candidates exists. Democracy Club's volunteer network ingests the published documents, enters the data, and double-checks it. As of 10 April, 2,068 areas have candidate data entered and 1,457 are double-checked. The 611 entered-but-not-checked gap represents records awaiting verification, not missing data.
North East England at 39 per cent entered is the most significant regional lag. North East England's 39 per cent entry rate follows a volunteer density pattern: Democracy Club is volunteer-driven, and data entry speed tracks the geographic distribution of its network. The North East has historically had lower volunteer coverage than London and the South East. For any analysis that depends on complete candidate-level data in the North East, the verification lag matters.
The practical consequence is that candidate-level analysis across England and Wales is now viable for the first time this campaign. Cross-referencing the Democracy Club database with party membership data, previous electoral performance, and candidate demographics becomes possible. For Reform UK specifically, the SoPN data reveals where candidate lists are complete and where attrition has shortened them below the six-member maximum in Welsh constituencies.
