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What is the electoral register?

The electoral register is a list of people who are eligible to vote in an election.  If you wish to vote in an election, your name must be on the register.

A mass update of the register takes place annually between August and November, and the new version is published on 1 December.

 You can register at other times of the year by completing a rolling registration form.  

Please note that being on the council tax list does not mean that you are on the register of electors. 

1. Who can register?
2. Which countries are in the Commonwealth?
3. Which countries are in the European Union?
4. What are the full and edited registers?
5. When can I register?
6. I am a student and live away from home. Where do I register?
7. Where can I inspect the register of electors?
8. Can I search for the electoral register online?
9. Why can't I get credit?

 1. Who can register?
To be able to register:

• You must be resident in the electoral area.
• You must be a British or Irish citizen, Commonwealth citizen or a citizen of a European Union country.
• You must be 18 years of age.  16 or 17 year olds may also be able to register depending on your date of birth.
• You must not be subject to any legal incapacity to vote.

You can also register if any of the following applies to you:

• You are working away (unless you are away for more than six months).
• Residents who live in your household but are away for the time being (e.g. on holiday, students, in hospital - including voluntary patients in psychiatric hospitals).
• Any other residents, lodgers or guests (but not short-stay visitors) in the household.
• British citizens living abroad can be registered for up to 15 years after they last appeared on a register in the UK, but can only vote in Parliamentary and European elections only.
• Members of the armed forces, Crown servants and their partners must register annually, but can do so as 'service' voters or as ordinary voters.

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 2. Which countries are in the Commonwealth?

Antingua & Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Cameroon, Canada, Cyprus, Dominica, Fiji Islands, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & The Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Hong Kong.

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 3. Which countries are in the European Union?

Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal.

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 4. What are full and edited registers?

The full register lists everyone who is entitled to vote. Certain people and organisations can have a copy of the full register, but they can only use it for specific purposes, for example, electoral purposes, prevention and detection of crime or checking your identity when applying for credit.  The law says who can have a copy of the full register and what they can use it for.

The edited register is available for general sale and can be used for any purpose. It can be bought by any person, company or organisation and can be used for commercial activities such as marketing. You can opt out of having your details appear on the edited register when completing the registration form.

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 5. When can I register

Each year, during August and November, we send out electoral registration forms to every houshold in the borough.  If you do not return the form, we send out canvassers to obtain the information for our records. From the details given, we then compile the register of electors and the details are published annually on 1 December.  The law requires that this information is supplied by the householder.

If you are not on the register, or have moved home, changed your name or are coming up to 18 you can complete a voter registration form.  We can add names to the register from 1 January to 1 September using the rolling registration system. Contact 443 2222 to request a form.

The rolling registration forms will be updated in accordance with the statutory timetable.

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 6. I am a student and live away from home. Where do I register?

Students are entitled to register at their home address and their university address.  Although it is an offence to vote more than once in a national election, you can vote in local elections at both addresses.

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 7. Where can I inspect the register of electors?

In accordance with the Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2002, the following rules apply to people inspecting the register of electors:

• The register is open to public inspection, under supervision.
• Extracts from the register may be recorded only by making hand written notes. Photocopying or electronic recording are not permitted by law.
• Information taken from the register must not be used for direct marketing purposes (as per section 11(3) of the Data Protection Act 1998), unless the information has been published in the edited version of the register.

Under the regulations referred to above, anyone who fails to observe these conditions is committing a criminal offence. The penalty is a fine of up to level 5 (currently £5000).

Copies are available for inspection from the following:

• Huyton Library, Poplar Bank, Huyton, Knowsley, L36 9UX (registers dating back to 1974 are held here)
• Halewood Library, Leathers Lane, Halewood, Knowsley, L26 0TS
• Page Moss Library, Stockbridge Lane, Huyton, Knowsley, L36 3SA
• Kirkby Library, Newtown Gardens, Kirkby, Knowsley, L32 8RR
• Prescot Library, High Street, Prescot, Knowsley, L34 3LD
• Whiston Library, Dragon Lane, Whiston, Knowsley, L35 3QW
• Stockbridge Village Library, Waterpark Drive, Stockbridge Village, Knowsley, L28 1SU

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 8. Can I search for the electoral register online?

There is currently no centralised electoral register that can be searched online.  Please contact the Elections Team on 443 2222 or inspect the register at the libraries as outlined above.

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 9. Why can't I get credit?

You may have been refused credit because your bank or credit reference agency are unable to verify your details on the electoral register. This is because the electoral register is often used for credit referencing purposes to counteract fraud.  Contact the election helpline on 443 2222 to confirm if you are registered or to request a registration form.

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