Darllenwch y Gymraeg / Read in Welsh
This part of the website is designed to assist electoral administrators with practice and procedure in relation to electoral registration. It also covers applications for absent voting as the Electoral Registration Officer has a duty to process these and must keep a record of all those applications granted.
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Guidance on pre-ticking the opt-out tickWe have published a document that contains our guidance on pre-ticking the opt-out box on a canvass form (PDF) following discussions with the Information Commissioner’s Office. 29 February 2012: Direction to EROs in England and Wales (excluding London) to bring forward the 2012 annual canvass and publish the revised register on 16 OctoberMark Harper MP, the Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform, has today issued a direction to EROs to bring forward this year’s canvass and publish the revised register earlier than would normally be the case in those areas where Police and Crime Commissioner elections will be taking place (i.e. England and Wales, excluding London). Under the direction, the canvass in those areas must start as soon as practicable after 2 July (if not earlier) and finish on 15 October, with the revised register to be published on 16 October. Such a direction can only be issued following a recommendation from the Electoral Commission. Having fully considered the options available under the existing legislative framework, in order to best ensure that all those who are entitled to participate in the elections can do so, and that no one else who is not so entitled cannot, we wrote to the Minister on 21 February 2012 with a recommendation that such a direction be given. Here you'll be able to find the full text of our recommendation, as well as the Minister's covering statement and direction. The canvass in Scotland and London will be unaffected. |
What do you need?
FormsYou can find links to forms to register to vote or to apply for an absent vote on our About my vote website. |
Electoral registration guidance manual
We have produced a comprehensive guidance manual for Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) across Great Britain. This replaces Managing electoral services. The manual also covers applications for absent voting, as Electoral Registration Officers have a duty to process these.
The manual only covers electoral registration in England, Scotland and Wales. It does not deal with electoral registration in Northern Ireland.
A full copy of the registration manual in both English and Welsh can be downloaded by clicking on the following links (please note they are large files):
- Managing electoral registration in Great Britain: guidance for Electoral Registration Officers (PDF)
The manual is also available for download in parts:
Click here to download the manual in parts
Annual canvass
We have produced a range of support products for EROs and electoral registration staff to use during the annual canvass.
The resources are intended to provide tools to support the management and delivery of the canvass, and the template format allows for local requirements to be incorporated into the individual products. The template materials consist of the following:
Resources to support the management of the canvass
Click here to view resources to support the management of the canvass
- sample canvasser job description template (DOC)
- canvasser log sheet (DOC)
- canvasser calling card (DOC)
- FAQs (DOC)
- list of eligible countries for electoral registration purposes (PDF)
- British Library guidelines for supply of the electoral register (PDF)
We have also produced an image gallery and template press releases to help you raise awareness of the annual canvass through your local media. The press releases can be found on our Do Politics website.
Resources to support the briefing of canvassers
Alternative language versions
The statement of the purpose of the annual canvass document is available in the following languages:
Rolling registration
We have removed the rolling registrations dates for 2012 due to the Secretary of State’s direction to move forward the canvass in England and Wales (excluding London), which will change the deadlines. We will update this document after the elections.
Our rolling registration forms are available to download from our About My Vote website.
Practical advice on how to maintain a complete and accurate register throughout the year is provided in our electoral registration guidance manual.
Other resources for administrators and details on our public information campaigns can all be found on our Do Politics website.
Absent voting
Absent vote identifier refresh
Following a request from the Elections and Registration Working Group, we have produced template text for covering letters that Electoral Registration Officers in England and Wales can use for their refresh of absent vote identifiers in 2012.
While we have provided suggested wording for the covering communication, we have not provided templates for the collection notices, as we understand that suppliers have already been working with administrators on the format for the notices. The templates are below:
- Postal vote identifier request letter (DOC)
- Proxy vote identifier request letter (DOC)
- Cancellation letter (DOC)
Access and supply of electoral registers
Full register front covers
The following are template front covers for the full register, which provide information to those inspecting/purchasing/requesting a copy of the full register on how the register can be used and of the penalties they could face if they use the register for purposes other than those set out in legislation.
- Cover sheet for copies of the full register for sale (DOC)
- Cover sheet for copies of the full register supplied free of charge on request (DOC)
- Cover sheet for copies of the full register available for inspection (DOC)
Staff guidance notes
Edited register front cover
The following is a template front cover for the edited register, which contains information on the sale of the edited register and the 'opt out':
Designing electoral services (England)
This document has been prompted by the challenges facing new unitary authorities in setting up new electoral services units. It outlines the factors and highlights common issues that should be considered in designing a new service. We recognise that there is no 'one size fits all' solution but we explore the best practice methods of establishing an effective structure and provide information for additional help and guidance for those involved in the process.
