What is the Electoral Register?
The register
The law makes it compulsory to provide information to an Electoral Registration Officer for inclusion in the electoral register. The details you are likely to have to provide are your name, address, national insurance number, nationality and age.
There are 2 versions of the register:
- The electoral register (the full version)
- The open register (an edited version)
- What is the electoral register?
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The electoral register is published once a year and is updated every month. It is used by Electoral Registration Officers and Returning Officers across the country for purposes related to elections and referendums. Political parties, MPs and public libraries may also have the electoral register.
It is also used by local authorities for their duties relating to security, law enforcement and crime prevention, for example checking entitlement to council tax discount or housing benefit. It may also be used by the police for law enforcement purposes. The courts use the register to summon people for jury service.
It can be sold to government departments to help in their duties such as the prevention or detection of crime. They can also use it for vetting job applicants and employees if this is required by law. Credit reference agencies are allowed to buy the full version of the register so that lenders can check the names and addresses of people applying for credit and carry out identity checks to help stop money laundering.
It is a crime for anyone who has a copy of the electoral register to pass information from this register onto others if they do not have a lawful reason to see it.
The full version can be viewed under supervision by anyone. This can only be done at Kensington Central Library by appointment and only handwritten notes can be made. The register is listed in address, not name order. The full register is also provided to various organisations according to their legal entitlement. These bodies include elected representatives such as councillors, registered political parties, the Electoral Commission, the Court Service and the British Library.
- What is the open register?
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The open register or edited register, contains the same information as the full register but is not used for elections or referendums. It is updated and published every month and can be sold to any person, organisation or company for a wide range of purposes. It is used by businesses and charities for checking names and address details; users of the register include direct marketing firms and also online directory firms.
- Can I ‘opt out’ from the open register?
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Your details will be included in the open version of the register unless you ask for them to be removed.
Please send an email requesting removal of your name from the open register to [email protected] or write to us at Electoral Services, Town Hall, Hornton Street, W8 7NX. Your email will need to include your name and address.
Removing your details from the open register will not affect your right to vote.
Should you wish later to opt back into the open register, please write to us again and we will add you back on.
- How do I remove a name from the electoral register?
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If you have moved address, registering to vote at the new address will move your registration to the new property.
If someone is registered at your address and now needs to be removed, contact the electoral services team by letter or email, and provide the details of the name, address and reason for removal. Once we receive confirmation that person is no longer living at your address, we will remove the entry from the register on the next publication date.
Please note that your name will be removed from the current version of the open register only. It cannot be removed from any previous version.
- When will your name be added to the electoral register?
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We usually publish an updated version of the electoral register on the first working day of each month. If you want to be added to the register in time for its next publication date, you need to return your registration form to us before the deadline for that month. Deadline dates for adding your name to the register can be found on the Electoral Commission website.
Privacy notice for Electoral Services
The Electoral Registration Officer and Returning Officer are data controllers who collect and use information about residents, candidates, election agents and election and electoral registration staff to enable us to carry out specific functions for which we are statutorily responsible.
The Privacy Notice for Electoral Services sets out how Electoral Services for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea will use and process your information.