Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Act 2024

3 Duty to register local government electors

(1) Section 18 (registration of local government electors without application) of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 (asc 1) is omitted.

(2) After section 9 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 (c. 2) (“the 1983 Act”) (registers of electors), insert—

“9ZA Duty to register eligible local government electors in Wales

(1) This section applies to the registration of local government electors for an area in Wales.

(2) The duty in subsection (3) applies if—

(a) a registration officer is aware of a person’s name and address,

(b) the person is not registered in the register of local government electors maintained by the officer, and

(c) the officer is satisfied that the person is entitled to be registered in that register.

(3) The registration officer must notify the person in writing of—

(a) the officer’s duty under subsection (5) to register the person after the end of the notice period,

(b) the exceptions to the duty under subsection (5) in paragraphs (a) to (c) of that subsection,

(c) the person’s right to request exclusion from the edited register of local government electors, if provision is made for an edited register in regulations under section 53,

(d) the person’s right to apply for anonymous registration,

(e) the type of elections in which the person will be entitled to vote following registration under this section, and

(f) the type of elections in which the person will not be entitled to vote following registration under this section unless an application for registration is made.

(4) In this section “the notice period” is the period of‍ 60 days beginning with the day on which the notice under subsection (3) is given.

(5) After the end of the notice period the registration officer must register the person in the register of local government electors, unless—

(a) the person has notified the officer in writing that the person does not wish to be registered,

(b) the officer is no longer satisfied that the person is entitled to be registered in the register of local government electors (whether because of information provided by the person or otherwise), or

(c) the person has notified the officer that the person wishes to make an application for an anonymous entry in the local government register under section 9B in conjunction with an application for registration in that register under section 10ZC or the person has made such an application.

(6) The Welsh Ministers may by regulations make provision about giving notice for the purpose of this section, including (but not limited to) provision—

(a) about the form of the notice;

(b) about how the notice is given;

(c) requiring or authorising the registration officer to give a copy of the notice to a person other than the person to be registered.

(7) The registration officer must keep a separate list of the persons registered under this section.

(8) The power to make regulations under this section is exercisable by statutory instrument.

(9) A statutory instrument containing regulations under this section is subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of Senedd Cymru.”