There are three parliamentary constituencies within Harrogate district:
- Harrogate and Knaresborough
- Skipton and Ripon (part)
- Selby and Ainsty (part)
Each constituency has its own Member of Parliament.
To stand for UK Parliamentary elections, a candidate must not be disqualified from holding office and
- must be British or Commonwealth citizen or a citizen of the Republic of Ireland; and
- be 18 years of age or more on the date of nomination and, if there is a poll, on the day of the election
- in order to stand for election, a candidate must submit a nomination paper signed by ten electors for the constituency and lodge a deposit of £500, which may be refunded
In order to stand for a registered political party, a candidate must gain the party's permission. Political parties have their own various eligibility criteria and selection procedures.
Candidates wishing to establish a new political party must submit the required information to the Electoral Commission.
Guidance on this, the nomination procedure and the election process generally is available in the candidates guides published by the Electoral Commission. These deal with the incurring of expenses, role of election agents and other assistants and detail political election offences.