IER Part 4 Detailed Draft
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Guidance for Electoral Registration Officers Part 4 – Maintaining the register throughout the year June 2018 Updates to this document Updated Description of change September 2013 Original publication May 2015 Updated for the 2015 canvass and the period leading up to the May 2016 polls July 2015 Revised for Scotland to reflect The Scottish Elections (Reduction of Voting Age) Act 2015. This change applies to any elections in Scotland that use the local government register (and only the local government register) for the purpose of determining the franchise. November 2015 Revised to reflect the end of the transition being brought forward to December 2015 December 2015 Revised to reflect the Representation of the People (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2015 July 2016 Updated to remove references to electors who are not registered individually; to reflect the new performance standards; and to reflect the Representation of the People (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2016. Ministerial guidance also updated to reflect the 2016 Amendment Regulations. June 2017 Updated to include legal references and make minor consequential amends; to reflect the transfer of functions from the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to the Minister for the Cabinet Office;i to incorporate guidance previously issued in Bulletins on sending household notification letters (Chapter 2); update links on authenticating documents (Chapter 5); emphasise that only the court documents listed can be used in support of an anonymous registration application and only the persons listed may attest an application (Chapter 7); further clarify that interim election notices only make or remove entries in the area affected by the election (Chapter 11); reflect the Representation of the People (Scotland) (Amendment) Regulations 2017; and to, add in links to examples of good practice in electoral registration. August 2017 Updated to include amendments to Ministerial Guidance in relation to attestations in Scotland as a result of the Representation of the People (Scotland) (Amendment) Regulations 2017. i The Transfer of Functions (Elections, Referendums, Third Sector and Information) Order 2016 March 2018 Updated to: take account of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (effective from 25 May 2018) and the Data Protection Bill Clarify that a person who is not qualified as a service voter, but is away on duty, may still be deemed resident at their home address (paragraph 7.36) Emphasise that the ERO needs to be satisfied a person/organisation requesting the register is entitled to receive it (paragraph 12.11) Reflect guidance in the EA Bulletin regarding charges for the register (paragraph 12.26). June 2018 Updated to reflect the Representation of the People (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2018, the Representation of the People (Scotland) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 and the Representation of the People (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2018 which: broaden the evidence and attestation requirements for anonymous registration (effective from 7 March 2018 in England & Wales and from 1 April 2018 in Scotland) (Chapter 7) broaden the circumstances when a person may be removed from the register based on one piece of evidence (effective from 1 July 2018) (Chapter 9) Change the requirements to notify an elector of the outcome of a review and their right to appeal (effective from 1 July 2018) (Chapter 10) change the requirement to write to confirm a change to an elector’s edited register preference (effective from 1 July 2018) (paragraph 11.11). Contents 1 About this guidance .................................................................................... 1 Ministerial guidance ...................................................................................... 3 2 Encouraging individuals to register throughout the year ........................ 4 Reviewing your strategy and plans ............................................................... 4 Maintaining the accuracy and completeness of the register after publication .................................................................................................... 5 Sign-posting of application forms and application channels ......................... 6 What one person can do to help another to make a registration application .................................................................................................... 7 Identifying and targeting new electors .......................................................... 7 3 Giving invitations to register .................................................................... 22 Content ....................................................................................................... 23 Delivery mechanisms ................................................................................. 24 Following up non-responses ....................................................................... 25 4 Applications ............................................................................................... 34 Contents of the application ......................................................................... 34 Special categories of data .......................................................................... 36 Application form .......................................................................................... 36 When is an application deemed to be made? ............................................. 37 Acknowledging applications ....................................................................... 37 Incomplete applications .............................................................................. 38 Listing applications and objections ............................................................. 39 Retention of documents .............................................................................. 40 Requirement to notify the previous ERO .................................................... 42 Identifying suspicious registration applications ........................................... 42 5 Verification ................................................................................................. 45 Verification of identity ................................................................................. 45 Local data matching for verification purposes ............................................ 51 The exceptions process .............................................................................. 62 Documents in support of an application ...................................................... 71 The attestation process .............................................................................. 73 Contingency ............................................................................................... 79 6 Determining entitlement to be registered ................................................ 84 When can entitlement to be registered be determined? ............................. 84 Application hearings ................................................................................... 85 Allowing applications for registration .......................................................... 85 Disallowing applications for registration ...................................................... 87 7 Special category electors.......................................................................... 88 New applications as special category electors ........................................... 89 Existing special category electors who are registered under the ’old registration provisions’ ................................................................................ 89 Forms ......................................................................................................... 90 Overseas electors....................................................................................... 90 HM Forces service voters ........................................................................... 97 Crown servants and British Council employees service voters ................ 105 Declarations of local connection ............................................................... 111 Anonymous registration ............................................................................ 117 Prisoners on remand and patients in mental health hospitals .................. 128 Ministerial guidance on special category electors .................................... 129 8 Amendments to existing entries ............................................................ 135 Change of nationality ................................................................................ 135 Change of name ....................................................................................... 136 Change of address ................................................................................... 141 9 Deletions................................................................................................... 142 Deletions without a review ........................................................................ 143 Deletions following a review ..................................................................... 149 10 Reviews, objections and hearings ......................................................... 150 Reviews .................................................................................................... 150 Objections ................................................................................................ 154 Hearings ..................................................................................................