Electoral Register
By law, the Electoral Registration Officer must keep and maintain a list of the names and addresses of everyone who is registered to vote, this is known as the electoral register.
The revised register is generally published each year on 1 December, and it is updated on the first working day of the month between January and September.
There are two versions of the electoral register, the full register and the open register
The full register
The full register lists the names and addresses of everyone who is registered to vote, except those who are registered anonymously.
The main use of the full register is to show who can vote in elections and referendums. It can also be used for detecting crime, calling people for jury service, and checking credit applications.
Anyone can inspect the full register, but it is a criminal offence to supply or use copies for purposes other than those set out in law.
Only certain people and organisations are entitled to a free copy of the full register. This incudes:
- Elected officials, such as MPs and Councillors are entitled to the full register covering the area to which they are elected.
- Candidates, registered political parties and other registered campaigners, who can use the register for campaigning activities, including sending election communication to voters.
- HM Jury Service
- The British Library
- The Council, who can use the register for duties relating to security, enforcing the law and preventing crime.
- The police and the security services.
The full register can only be purchased by:
- Legally registered credit reference agencies, who can only use it to check someone’s name and address if they are applying for credit, and for other purposes specified in law.
- Government departments, who can use it to help prevent and detect crime. They can also use it to safeguard national security by checking the background of job applicants and employees.
The cost of the full register is set in legislation and based on the number of electors on the register and the format in which the data is purchased.
The open register
The open register is an extract of the electoral register, but it is not used for elections. It may be purchased in whole or in part by any person, company or organisation.
The open register contains the names and addresses of registered electors who have not opted out of the open register.
Everyone has the right to opt out of the open register and remain on the electoral register. This means you will still be able to vote, and credit reference agencies can still access your entry on the electoral register, but they are not allowed to sell on your details from the register. You can opt out of the open register below.
