C3C8C9C11C10C12C13C14C15 Part I Parliamentary and Local Government Franchise and its Exercise

Annotations:
Modifications etc. (not altering text)

Registration of parliamentary and local government electors

F1C1C2C710AMaintenance of the registers: registration of electors F28in Northern Ireland.

1

F16The Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland shall determine all applications for registration which are—

a

made to him in accordance with the prescribed requirements, or

b

treated as made to him by virtue of subsection (2) below.

F301ZA

A person who makes an application for registration in respect of an address in Northern Ireland may submit it through the UK digital service, unless it is an application in pursuance of—

a

residence determined in accordance with section 6 (residence: merchant seamen),

b

a declaration of local connection, or

c

an overseas elector’s declaration.

F21A

Subject to F31subsections (1B) and (1C) below, an application for registration in respect of an address in Northern Ireland shall include—

a

the signature of each of the persons to whom the application relates;

b

the date of birth of each such person; and

c

in relation to each such person—

i

his national insurance number or a statement that he does not have one,

F29ii

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . and

iii

any other address in the United Kingdom in respect of which he is or has applied to be registered,

and the power in subsection (1) above to prescribe requirements includes power to give effect to the requirements of this subsection.

1B

The Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland may dispense with the requirement mentioned in subsection (1A)(a) above in relation to any person if he is satisfied that it is not reasonably practicable for that person to sign in a consistent and distinctive way because of F3blindness or any other disability of his or because he is unable to read.

F321C

The requirement mentioned in subsection (1A)(a) does not apply to an application submitted through the UK digital service.

2

Where—

a

in connection with a canvass under section 10 above, the form completed in respect of any address specifies any person as a person who is entitled to be registered in a register, and

b

that person is not for the time being registered in the register in respect of that address,

he shall be treated as having madeF4. . . an application for registration in the register in respect of that address.

C4F52A

The application referred to in subsection (2) above shall F17... be treated as made on the 15th October in the year in question.

F342B

Where the form referred to in paragraph (a) of subsection (2) above is submitted through the UK digital service, the application referred to in that subsection shall be treated as having been submitted through the UK digital service.

3

F18The Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland shall also determine all objections to a person’s registration F19in Northern Ireland made in accordance with the prescribed requirements by another person whose name appears in the register in question.

F63A

Subsection (3) above applies to an objection to a person's registration whether the objection is made before or after the person is registered in the register.

F153B

No objection to a person's registration may be made if the person has an anonymous entry in the register.

4

Subsections (1) and (3) above apply to applications and objections F20in Northern Ireland asking—

a

for the omission, insertion or alteration of a date as that on which a person will become of voting age and entitled to registration, or

b

for the alteration of the qualifying address in respect of which a person is registered,

as they apply to applications for registration and objections to a person’s registration respectively.

5

F7Subject to subsection (5A) below, where F8... a person (“the elector”) is F9. . . entered in a register in respect of any address F21in Northern Ireland, the elector is entitled to remain registered in the register in respect of that address until such time as F22the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland—

C5a

determines, on the conclusion of a canvass under section 10 above, that the elector was not resident at that address on the 15th October in question, or that because—

i

the form mentioned in section 10(4) above was not returned in respect of that address, or

ii

for any other reason, insufficient information was obtained as to whether the elector was resident at that address on that date,

F23the Officer is unable to satisfy himself that the elector was then so resident at that address, or

F10b

determines that the elector was not entitled to be registered in respect of that address or that he has ceased to be resident at that address or has otherwise ceased to satisfy the conditions for registration set out in section 4 above.

F115A

A person’s name is to be removed from the register in respect of any address if—

a

the form mentioned in section 10(4) above in respect of that address does not include all the information relating to him required by virtue of section 10(4A) above; or

b

F24the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland determines that he is not satisfied with the information relating to that person which was included in that form pursuant to that requirement.

F125B

F25The Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland may, for the purpose of obtaining any information relevant to a determination under subsection (5)(b) above, make such house to house inquiries as he thinks fit.

C66

Where the entitlement of a person to remain registered in a register in respect of any address terminates by virtue of subsection (5) above, F13or his name is to be removed from it by virtue of subsection (5A) above,F26the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland shall remove that person’s entry from the register once the officer has satisfied any prescribed requirements applying in relation to the removal of that entry.

7

Subsection (6) above does not apply if, or to the extent that, regulations so provide in relation to any prescribed circumstances; and regulations may, in particular, authorise F27the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland to retain entries in his registers for the prescribed period if he thinks fit in cases where the form mentioned in section 10(4) above has not been returned in respect of any address.

8

Nothing in subsection (5)F14, (5A) or (6) applies in relation to the registration of persons in pursuance of—

a

applications for registration made by virtue of section 7(2) or 7A(2) above; or

b

declarations falling within section 10(3)(b) above.

9

In this section—

  • “determines” means determines in accordance with regulations;

  • “resident” means resident for the purposes of section 4 above.

  • F33“the UK digital service” has the same meaning as in section 10ZF, and references to F35a form or application submitted through the UK digital service shall be construed in accordance with subsection (4) of that section.