12.—(1) — The registration officer shall, every year by 31st January send to every person who remains an absent voter and whose signature held on the personal identifiers record is more than five years old a notice in writing—
(a)requiring him to provide a fresh signature; and
(b)informing him of the date (six weeks from the date of sending the notice) on which he would cease to be entitled to vote by post or proxy in the event of a failure or refusal to provide a fresh signature.
(2) The notice must be sent by the registration officer to the current or last known address of the absent voter.
(3) The registration officer must, if the absent voter has not responded to the notice within three weeks from the date on which the notice was sent, as soon as practicable send a copy of the notice to him.
(4) Where a notice or copy of a notice is sent by post, the registration officer may use—
(a)a universal service provider; or
(b)a commercial delivery firm,
and postage shall be prepaid.
(5) A notice or copy of a notice sent to an absent voter in accordance with sub-paragraph (1) or (3) must be accompanied by a pre-addressed reply paid envelope and, in the case of a notice or copy of a notice sent to an address in the United Kingdom, return postage must be prepaid.
(6) Upon the expiration of the period specified in the notice sent to the absent voter the registration officer shall determine whether the absent voter has failed or refused to provide a fresh signature.
(7) Where the registration officer determines that the absent voter has refused or failed to provide a fresh signature within the specified period, he must remove that person’s entry from the records kept pursuant to article 8(3) or 12(6) and from the postal voters list, list of proxies or proxy postal voters list (as the case may be) kept under article 10(2), 10(3) or 12(8).
(8) Where the registration officer removes an absent voter’s entry in the circumstances to which sub-paragraph (4) refers—
(a)the registration officer shall inform the absent voter, where appropriate, of the location of the polling station allotted or likely to be allotted to him under this Order;
(b)paragraphs 8(4), 8(6), 8(7) and 9 of this Schedule shall apply as if the registration officer were refusing an application in accordance with this Schedule;
(c)in the case of an entry removed from the proxy postal voters list, the registration officer must also notify the elector who appointed the proxy whose entry has been removed.
(9) The registration officer shall include in the notice to be sent to an absent voter regarding his removal from the records kept pursuant to article 8(3) or 12(6) and from the postal voters list, list of proxies or proxy postal voters list (as the case may be) kept pursuant to articles 10(2), 10(3) or 12(8), information—
(a)explaining the effect of such removal; and
(b)reminding the absent voter that he may make a fresh application under article 8(1), 9(1) or 12(4) to vote by post or proxy (as the case may be).