Parliament (Elections and Meeting) Act 1943

Civilian voters in United Kingdom

5 Civilian residence register

(1) Subject to the provisions of this Part of this Act, a person, being on the qualifying date a British subject of full age and not subject to any legal incapacity, shall be entitled to be registered in the civilian residence register for an election in any constituency, if on that date that person either—

(a) is registered in the National Register as residing at a place in the constituency and has—

(i) throughout the period of two months ending with that date; or

(ii) if within that period he became registered in the National Register on ceasing to be a member of the forces or a seaman, throughout the period since his becoming so registered;

been registered in the National Register as residing at that place or some other place in the same constituency; or

(b) having had at some earlier date (not being earlier than the appointed day) such qualifications as would have entitled him under the foregoing provisions of this section to be registered in the civilian residence register for the election if that earlier date had been the qualifying date, has at no time since that earlier date been either—

(i) registered in the National Register as residing at one place in some other constituency, or at two or more places consecutively in one other constituency, for a continuous period of two months; or

(ii) removed from the National Register on becoming exempt from registration therein by virtue of national registration regulations; or

(iii) registered in the National Register as having been resident outside the United Kingdom for a continuous period of two months.

(2) For the purposes of the foregoing subsection—

(a) a person who, from the particulars entered with respect to him in the National Register, appears to be a British subject of full age and not subject to any legal incapacity shall be treated as such until the contrary is proved;

(b) a person shall not be treated as registered in the National Register as residing at a place in any constituency if he is so registered as usually resident outside the United Kingdom.

(3) National registration regulations may—

(a) prescribe the information with respect to the National Register which is to be furnished to registration officers for the purposes of this section, and the form and manner in which, and the persons by whom, such information is to be furnished; and

(b) provide that any such information with respect to the part of the said Register relating to any county borough or county district shall be furnished in the first instance to the proper officer of the council of that borough or district and forwarded by him to the registration officers concerned;

and information duly furnished to a registration officer in accordance with the said regulations shall be conclusive evidence that any matter is or is not entered in that Register with respect to any person.

6 Business premises register

(1) Subject to the provisions of this Part of this Act, a person, being on the qualifying date a British subject of full age and not subject to any legal incapacity, shall be entitled to be registered in the business premises register for an election in any constituency, if on that date that person either—

(a) is occupying business premises in the constituency, and has, throughout the period of two months ending with that date, occupied those business premises or some other business premises in the same constituency; or

(b) is the husband or wife of a person qualified to be registered by virtue of the foregoing provisions of this subsection:

Provided that no person shall be entitled to be registered in the business premises register unless that person makes an application in that behalf in the prescribed form and manner and within the prescribed time stating the prescribed particulars.

(2) Where a husband and wife are qualified to be registered in respect of any business premises by virtue of the foregoing provisions of this section, the said application maybe made by either of them on behalf of both of them.

(3) In this section the expression " business premises " has the same meaning as in section one of the principal Act and subsection (1) of section seven of that Act (which relates to joint occupiers) and section seventeen of that Act (which relates to separate lists of liverymen) shall apply for the purposes of this section as they apply for the purposes of that Act.

7 Civilian absent voters

(1) Electoral registration regulations shall provide for the preparation of an absent voters list/ and for the entry therein of the name of any person registered in the civilian residence register or the business premises register who, on an application duly made in that behalf as respects an election, or, if the regulations so provide, as respects a period prescribed by the regulations, satisfies the registration officer that, by reason of the nature of his occupation, service or employment, he maybe debarred from voting at a poll at that election or at any election initiated during that period.

(2) The provisions of section twenty-three of the principal Act (which enable persons placed on the absent voters list under that Act to vote by post or by proxy) shall apply to persons placed on the absent voters list under this Part of this Act subject to the modifications specified in the First Schedule to this Act.