Section 2: Abolition of annual canvass
30.This section amends the Representation of the People Act 1983 (c.2) (“the 1983 Act”) so as to remove the legal requirement to conduct an annual canvass in Northern Ireland. The last annual canvass will take place during the autumn of 2006.
31.The Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland, as the registration officer for all constituencies in Northern Ireland, has responsibility for maintaining the electoral register for Northern Ireland. Section 2 inserts a new section 10(1A) into the 1983 Act, which sets out the CEO’s duty to conduct periodic canvasses in accordance with new provisions inserted into the 1983 Act by section 3, described below.