Delivering the annual canvass - England
The following guidance has been produced to support Electoral Registration Officers (ERO's) in planning for and delivering the annual canvass.
It has been developed in close consultation with colleagues across the electoral community including the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA), the Scottish Assessors Association (SAA), the Elections, Registration and Referendums Working Group (ERRWG) and the Welsh Electoral Practitioners Working Group (WEPWG).
The guidance is directed towards the ERO and the duties they carry out. As these duties may, in practice, be carried out by deputies and/or appointed staff, we use the term ‘you’ throughout this guidance to mean the ERO and whoever is carrying out the ERO’s functions on their behalf.
Throughout this guidance we use ‘must’ to refer to a specific legal requirement and ‘may / should’ for recommended practice.
The guidance has been produced based on, and should be read in accordance with, the requirements set out in section 9D of the Representation of the People Act 1983 and in the Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001.
The endnotes in this guidance refer to the relevant provisions that have been amended by The Representation of the People (Annual Canvass) (Amendment) Regulations 2019.
To help you use this guidance we have produced a Q&A document that should answer any initial queries you may have.
Updates to our guidance
Date of update | Description of change |
---|---|
February 2023 | Updates to the requirement to Notify anonymous electors with Anonymous Elector's Documents about a replacement document |
Developing plans for the annual canvass
Developing plans for the annual canvass
This section contains guidance on how to develop your plans for the annual canvass. It covers project planning and risk management as well as some considerations for planning the delivery of specific processes.
What is the annual canvass?
The annual canvass requires you to contact all residential addresses in your area to help you establish if the information you currently hold on the electoral register is complete and accurate.
There is a legal framework that sets out the statutory requirements of the annual canvass. Within this framework you, as Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), will need to make a number of decisions, helping you to determine the most appropriate approach to the canvass within your area each year.
Delivering the annual canvass: what are my duties as ERO?
Delivering the annual canvass: what are my duties as ERO?
Part of your statutory duties as ERO includes the delivery of an annual canvass. As part of this, you must:
- disclose data to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as part of a national data matching exercise known as the national data match step1 (and, in addition, you also have the discretion to carry out local data matching)
- take into account the results of national data matching when making a decision on the allocation of properties to canvass routes
- carry out the required statutory steps for properties allocated to each canvass route
- provide training, where necessary, to staff who will deliver the canvass on your behalf
- publish the revised version of the register by 1 December (except for where an election is held between 1 July and 1 December, in which case the publication of the register can be delayed until up to 1 February the following year)2
- provide statistical information about your revised register to the Secretary of State as required, for example the number of parliamentary and local electors you have registered by constituency.3
As ERO, you are also a data controller and have a statutory responsibility under data protection legislation to ensure that personal data is kept securely. Any breach could constitute an offence and could result in a loss of confidence in the electoral registration process.
- 1. Regulation 32ZBB, The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
- 2. Section 13(1)(a) of RPA 1983 ↩ Back to content at footnote 2
- 3. Regulation 44, The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 3
What should be included in my project plan for the annual canvass?
Project plans and risk registers are vital in helping to support the effective delivery of the annual canvass.
We have developed a template registration plan that you might find helpful.
To inform these, you will need to make some key decisions which will help you map out how you will deliver the whole canvass process. These should include:
- when your canvass will begin
- when and how you will identify any properties you want to canvass via Route 3 – the defined property route, including how you will identify the responsible person for those properties and when you will contact them
- when you plan to undertake the national data match step
- whether to carry out local data matching and, if so, when you will do so
- a review of the size of your canvass areas to ensure they are suitable to support your plan for canvass delivery and follow up
- how and when you will allocate properties to canvass routes
- what type of communication methods you will use for each route
- what response mechanisms you will make available for the canvass and how you will ensure they are set-up in advance
- the timescales for sending your canvass communications for all routes
- how you will follow up with any non-responders (where required)
- when, and on what basis, canvassers will be recruited and paid
- what contingency arrangements you will need should an election take place during your canvass, including how you will redeploy resources to target registration in those areas where the election is taking place
- when and how you will publish your revised register
Once you have established your high level plan you can start to plan the specific detail of the canvass process.
You will need to identify the activities you need to carry out to deliver your high level plan, and capture these and the timescales for their delivery. Some of the key activities you will need to ensure are covered in your plan are outlined on the following pages.
Preparing for data matching
Preparing for data matching
- preparing your register for data matching, ensuring that it is as up to date as possible to help increase the number of successful matches returned as part of your results
- booking the date for your national data match and confirming when it will take place and when the results will be received
- establishing which individuals or groups of data will be excluded from the data match (for example, special category electors)
- preparing for any local data matching, including identifying what data sets you will use and when you will carry out the matching for each of these sets
- establishing when and how you will analyse all data matching results and determine which canvass route households will be allocated to
- ensuring flexibility in your plans, when and how you will revise them if the outcomes of data matching are not as you expected
- preparing an audit trail of any actions and decisions taken which relate to changing a route allocation from one route to another based on data matching results
Staffing and resources
Staffing and resources
- checking your resource assumptions and ensuring that sufficient funding will be available
- ensuring the availability of support staff from across the organisation, such as IT and frontline/call centre staff
- reviewing your staffing structure to identify if current staffing levels remain sufficient
- developing a staff training schedule, to include data protection considerations, for the different types of staff involved in the canvass
- ensuring any storage requirements are sufficient, both for printed forms and scanned forms, and that you are not retaining personal data for longer than is necessary
- establishing how and when you will promote and communicate key canvass messages
- briefing your media and communications teams about the key messages and dates and establishing how you will use your local authority website, press releases and social media platforms to encourage responses
IT and suppliers
IT and suppliers
- reviewing any supplier arrangements that are in place and considering what, if anything, may need to be revised; and, if necessary, liaising with your procurement team to ensure that any procurement complies with legislation
- engaging with your chosen printer to agree written contracts and establish timescales
- deciding on and making arrangements for any automated response mechanisms you will offer (for example, telephone and online response channels)
- scheduling the proofing of materials and detailing when any data is due to be sent or received
- reviewing your IT arrangements, including checking your scanners and other hardware is in good working order
Data protection considerations
- engaging with your Data Protection Officer regarding your plans for delivery of the canvass
- reviewing your document retention policy and any privacy notices in line with data protection legislation
- developing any necessary data sharing agreements
- ensuring written contracts are in place with contractors or suppliers
What plans should I put in place to evaluate the success of canvass activities?
Your project plan should also detail how you will monitor the effectiveness of the decisions you make and the activities you undertake to enable you to evaluate the impact of your actions. This should help you to refine your approach for the current canvass, wherever possible, and should also inform your plans for future canvasses.
The performance standards for EROs, and the tools and templates available to support them, will assist you in understanding the impact of your activities, help identify where improvements can be made and support you to report on your own performance locally.
You should use the data and qualitative information set out in the standards to help understand the impact of your activities to identify what works and what doesn’t and where improvements can be made. The framework is designed to support this analysis and focuses on the key data and information that will indicate what is working well and what is not working so well.
The standards, and the supporting tools and templates, should also help you to demonstrate locally – whether within your local authority, to elected members, or more broadly – how the activities you are carrying out contribute to the provision of an efficient and effective electoral registration service and, ultimately, will help to ensure that everyone who is eligible and wants to vote is able to do so.
How can I manage risks to the annual canvass?
When planning for and delivering your annual canvass you will need to consider the risks to the canvass and how you will mitigate these, ensuring that these are captured in a risk register. This risk register should be kept under regular review and you should use it to:
- record any risks identified, including the seriousness of any risk by indicating both the likelihood of the risk occurring and the impact of the risk if it did occur
- monitor and document any changes to these risks
- record actions identified to mitigate the risks
- monitor and record how mitigating actions are being taken forward
We have developed a template risk register that you might find helpful. The template provides some example risks and suggested actions for mitigating those risks.
In addition to the risks identified in the template you should also identify any other risks, including ones specific to your local circumstances, and how you would mitigate those.
Planning for canvassing Route 3 properties
The identification of potential Route 3 properties should take place at an early stage in your planning.
This section contains guidance on how to identify Route 3 properties and how and when to identify and make contact with a responsible person for each property.
What are Route 3 properties and how can I identify them?
Route 3 – the defined property route, involves collecting the information required for the canvass for specified types of properties from a responsible person, where one can be identified.
Using Route 3 could be more effective and efficient in getting accurate and complete responses for properties with multiple residents than canvassing using an alternative route.
The identification of potential Route 3 properties and the responsible person for those properties should take place early in your planning for the annual canvass as this will have an impact on the allocation of properties to different routes.
If you are not able to identify and make contact with a responsible person for a property before finalising your allocation of properties to canvass routes, you will be unable to proceed with canvassing that property via Route 3.
Which properties can be canvassed using Route 3?
The properties that can be canvassed via Route 3 (the defined property route) are defined in legislation as:1
- Registered residential care homes
- Houses of multiple occupation
- Student accommodation: for example, student halls of residence
- Hostels
To be canvassed by Route 3, a property must also be either a property at which persons reside who together do not form a single household2 or a property where you have attempted to deliver a document in the previous 18 months but have been unable to do so.3
In addition, to be able to allocate a property to Route 3 you must believe you are more likely to get a response using Route 3 than via an alternative canvass route,4 and you must have been able to identify a responsible person to provide the information required for the canvass.
Accessing other local authority records or reviewing information from the previous canvass could help you to identify other properties in your database that may meet the criteria to be canvassed via Route 3.
You will need to be satisfied that the criteria specified in the legislation is met for any other property you choose to canvass under Route 3.
Which properties cannot be canvassed using Route 3?
The legislation specifically provides that Route 3 cannot be used for ordinary blocks of flats,5 which should be able to be effectively canvassed via Route 1 or Route 2 as appropriate based on the results of data matching.
In addition, where information you hold shows that the property is only occupied by persons under the age of 18 you cannot use Route 3 to canvass the property: in such cases, you must use Route 2 – the unmatched property route.6
Also, properties where all registered individuals are a category of elector that must be excluded from the national data match step, such as anonymous electors, are not eligible to be canvassed via Route 3.
- 1. Regulation 32ZBF(2), The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
- 2. Regulation 32ZBF(2)(f), The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 2
- 3. Regulation 32ZBF(2)(f), The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 3
- 4. Regulation 32ZBF(2)(f) The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 4
- 5. Regulation 32ZBF(3) The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 5
- 6. Regulation 32ZBA(6), The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 6
Who is the responsible person for a Route 3 property and what information can they supply?
A responsible person is defined as being any person who lawfully holds or has access to and may lawfully disclose information to the ERO in respect of each person who is residing at a property and is eligible to be registered.1
Data provided by the responsible person will help you to establish who is and is not resident at a property, but cannot be used for any form of block registration: you will need to carry out the appropriate registration activity – such as starting the ITR or review process – based on the data provided to you.
You will need to ensure that the information you hold on responsible persons for Route 3 properties is reviewed regularly. You should ensure that the information is up to date and that the details of anyone who is no longer associated with a property are removed.
- 1. Regulation 32ZBF(8) The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
When and how should I contact the responsible person for Route 3 properties?
You will need to establish contact with those individuals who you think may be suitable to act as the responsible person for a Route 3 property. You should make your initial contact as soon as possible in the planning stage of your canvass; only once you have identified and confirmed a responsible person for a property can you allocate it to Route 3.
As there are no prescribed contact methods under Route 3, you will need to consider the most appropriate way to make initial contact with these individuals.
The purpose of the contact at this point is:
- to establish whether the identified individual is able to act as the responsible person1
- to provide an explanation of the role and responsibilities of a responsible person
- to communicate your statutory right to request information from a responsible person about the residents in a property
- to communicate the responsible person’s requirement to respond to your request
- to establish the communication methods that will be used going forward
- to identify an alternative individual as a responsible person for the property if the person you have contacted is not able to comply with your request
You should ensure that you record the steps you have taken to make contact with these individuals and to confirm that they are able to provide you with the information required by the canvass.
You will also need to consider the best method of communication for Route 3 properties, based on the property type and the contact information you hold for the responsible person.
Whilst you will need to identify and make initial contact with the responsible person at Route 3 properties at an early stage in your planning, you may decide to canvass different Route 3 properties at different times. For example, you may decide to ask the responsible person for student accommodation for the information required for the canvass shortly before term-time begins, rather than at an earlier stage of your canvass.
- 1. Regulation 32ZBF(8), The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
Is a data sharing agreement required for Route 3 properties?
You will need to decide if data sharing agreements are necessary with any of the responsible persons for Route 3 properties you have identified in your area.
The information you receive from the responsible person will contain personal data, which is being shared between two data controllers. Whilst data protection legislation does not require a written agreement when sharing data between data controllers, it is nevertheless good practice to have a data sharing agreement in place.
Having a data sharing agreement in place with the responsible person will demonstrate that you are both acting in accordance with data protection legislation and will help to avoid any liability implications of one party being seen as a controller and the other being seen as a processor.
Our guidance on data protection for EROs and ROs provides information in relation to your role as data controller and a checklist to help inform the content of data sharing agreements.
Planning for data matching
Data matching is an integral part of the new canvass and you will need to plan how and when you will carry this out.
This section contains guidance on the things you will need to consider when planning for national and local data matching.
What do I need to consider when planning for the national data match step?
The national data match step involves the checking of information about existing electors on your register, against data held by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
By default all properties start allocated to Route 2 – the unmatched property route.
The results of the national data match, along with any local data matching you have undertaken, will help you determine whether the property as a whole is matched or unmatched and you must use this information to help you to allocate that property to the appropriate canvass route.1
Once allocated to the appropriate canvass route, you can determine which type of contact to make in relation to each property during the canvass.
- 1. Regulation 32ZBA(2) The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
What action should I take to prepare my register for the national data match step?
Whilst it is important to ensure you have processes in place to maintain your register throughout the year, carrying out additional register maintenance ahead of the national data match step should help to ensure that the information you provide is as accurate and complete as possible.
This should then help to ensure more accurate results, which in turn can help you to maximise the efficiency of your canvass and make best use of your available resources.
This preparatory work should include the following steps:
Ensure that any outstanding activity is up to date
- You should, wherever possible, conclude reviews and determine any deletions needed as a result of these prior to the national data match step.
- You should ensure that any other required deletions are determined prior to the national data match step.
- You should follow up on any outstanding queries, exceptions and attestations to ensure as many electors can be added to your register as possible.
- You should check any individuals held in your system as potential electors in properties against other records, or identify any new potential electors that should be added to properties. Potential electors are not registered electors but are individuals who are recorded in your EMS, likely as a result of local data mining or a returned canvass form, who may be eligible but have not yet registered to vote at the address. This information is useful because it may indicate that there are changes required to the register for that property, with individuals potentially being resident who have not yet made a successful application to register. Potential electors at an address may also be indicative of the need to capture additional changes for those individuals who are currently registered at the property.
Ensure that your property database is up-to-date
- You should ensure that each address has a unique property reference number (UPRN). If not, you should liaise with the Local Land and Property Gazetteer team to ensure that UPRNs are attached to each property.
- You should review any records you hold that will help you to identify certain types of properties and if possible make sure these are reflected in your system – for example, identifying that a property is a care home, house in multiple occupation (HMO) or student accommodation may have an impact on the route you may choose to allocate the property to.
- You should check whether the information you hold for empty and void properties is up to date. You should identify which local data sources are available to you that will contain the information you need to do this and update your records accordingly.
How should I decide when to carry out the national data match step?
The national data match will need to take place before you begin your canvass activity. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government intend that the service will be open from 1 June until end of August, and will provide a booking tool to allow you to choose your preferred date for your data match. If this date is not available, you will need to choose another.
To help you decide when you want to conduct the national data match step you should consider guidance from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on the timeframes for booking and conducting the national data match step.
In order to identify the most appropriate date for your national data match you will need to have considered timings for undertaking your additional preparatory work on the register as this should be carried out before you send your data.
As the national data match will need to take place before you begin your canvass you will also need to think about when you want to begin your canvass and ensure that your canvass activities are scheduled for after data match has taken place.
Once your national data match date is confirmed and you know which date you are working towards, you will need to revisit your canvass plans to make sure they are still workable, making any adjustments that you identify as necessary. This may include revising the dates on which you plan to start sending canvass communications for each of the three canvass routes.
What do I need to consider when planning for local data matching?
As well as carrying out the mandatory national data match step, you have discretion to match all, or part, of your electoral register against locally held data sets (such as council tax or housing benefit data).1 This can take place before or after the national data match step, or both before and after the national data match.
The outcome of the national data match along with any local data matching you have undertaken will influence the allocation of properties to canvass routes and determine which type of contact you are required to make in relation to each property during the canvass as a result.
Working with other council departments
Working closely with other council departments may help you to work more effectively and efficiently with local data. If a consistent approach to data collection can be agreed with other departments, it will be easier to use multiple data sets for your own purposes.
When receiving local data sets from other teams or departments, you should consult with your EMS supplier to check how the data should be formatted. You may find that significant time and resources are required to properly prepare the data before it is suitable to be imported into your EMS system.
Other departments within your council may have more experience with manipulating data effectively. You should consider working with these departments, and potentially seconding skilled colleagues if possible, to assist you with ensuring your local data is ready to upload to your EMS in a timely manner.
When setting up a new working relationship for the sharing of local data, you may want to have an initial telephone conversation or face to face meeting to discuss your aims and agree working arrangements. Some of the points it may be useful to cover in your initial contact include:
- outlining the legislative requirements of the canvass, and your rights to access data
- explaining the benefits that can be gained by the increased use of data matching
- discussing the level of support that can be offered to you and your team
- agreeing a shared approach to working with data, potentially through the use of a data sharing agreement
- establishing a clear timeline for your work together
- agreeing how you will communicate going forward
- agreeing an approach to evaluation of your work together at the end of the canvass
- consideration of whether any council or service privacy notices should be updated
You are not automatically entitled to access and use any additional contact information contained in local records other than names and addresses. Further information on the collection and sharing of other contact details such as email addresses and telephone numbers can be found in our guidance on planning for canvass communications.
Establishing partnerships and setting out plans for both the sharing and processing of local data may initially take some time and effort, but should become less intensive in subsequent years as working practices and relationships are embedded.
As people become familiar with their roles in the process, what data they need to provide and what is expected of them, you should see improved results and a more efficient, streamlined process.
- 1. Regulation 32ZBA(8) The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
What is local data?
Local data is any set of data which is collected by another body, or by any local authority, including your own.
Examples of local data open to you include:
- council tax data
- adult social care data
- local authority billing and payments data
- parking permits data
- school, college and university admission data
- blue badge data
- customer service records
- payroll data
- registrars data
- housing and rent data
- green/garden waste subscription data
- council-run facility membership data (for example, libraries or gyms)
Other sources of information, such as personally knowing someone or word-of-mouth, are not considered to be sources of local data.
Your powers to request local data
As ERO, you are legally entitled to access local data sets and to inspect and make copies of records kept in whatever form by:1
- the council which appointed you (and, where you are an ERO for a district council in a two-tier area, the county council)
- any registrar of births, deaths and marriages, including any superintendent
- any person, including a company or organisation, providing services to, or authorised to exercise any function of, the council; this includes those that are providing ‘outsourced’ services under any finance agreement
There are no statutory or other restrictions, including data protection legislation, that can be used to refuse disclosure of such information to the ERO.2 You are also legally entitled to require any other person to give you information required for the purposes of maintaining the electoral register.3 EROs are able to access such data in line with data protection provisions as there is a lawful basis for its processing; the performance of a public task in the public interest.
In the event that any person does not co-operate with your request it may be appropriate to point out that there is the potential of a criminal penalty of a fine up to a maximum £1,000 for failing to provide the information required.
You may also wish to discuss with your Data Protection Officer whether a Data Sharing Agreement could facilitate access to local data.
Our data protection guidance for EROs and ROs provides guidance in relation to your role as data controller and a checklist to help inform the content of data sharing agreements.
- 1. Regulation 35 and 35A of The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
- 2. Schedule 2, paragraph 1(5) of the RPA 1983 ↩ Back to content at footnote 2
- 3. Regulation 23, The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 3
How should I select my local data sources?
As a minimum, each local data set should include:
- First name
- Surname
- Postal address
Data sets which also include the following fields may help to improve the quality of the match results:
- Middle name(s)
- UPRN data
- Date of birth
- Previous names
- Age of data, for example when it was created or last updated
Local data sets do not have to include data for all properties on your register and could be more focussed on specific property types or groups of individuals.
For example, you may have data from social services or education departments which may only cover some of your electorate, but which may still be useful.
How do I ensure a data source is of high quality?
You should ensure that you only select data sources that are high quality. A high quality data set is one where the information within it is reliable, trusted, current and accurate. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have a resource available on how to assess the quality of local data which can be found below:
You should also consider what data standards and good practices exist in relation to the local data sources you wish to use and whether the data holder follows them.
For example, the Department for Work and Pensions has set out detailed guidance on good practice for the processing and use of council tax benefit and housing benefit data, which includes guidance on the checking of evidence provided to local authorities and how to deal with fraud. An ERO for an area that delivers its benefits service to these standards should be able to be confident in using benefits data for local data matching.
When determining the quality of a local data source you should take into account when it was last updated and whether the source(s) of the data are reliant on information provided by individuals with no checks by the local authority on the accuracy of the information.
For example, applications for library membership may be based entirely on information provided by the service users and so you may conclude that, as a result, library data is not suitable for local data matching.
In addition to being able to trust that the local data source is of high quality. You also need to consider any cost implications associated with processing local data and, if there are any costs, whether they make the best use of the resources you have available to you.
For example:
- Will work need to be carried out manually by you and your staff to ensure the data is useable or will you need support for the data matching from another team, such as from IT, to manipulate the files?
- Can the data file be managed by a partially automated process by loading it into your EMS system or similar?
- Will you need to purchase any new or additional software or licenses for any existing software?
You should test new local data sets before you use them. You should talk to your EMS provider about how your EMS system may help you to do this in practice.
You should evaluate the effectiveness of your local data sets each year using the data accuracy scores provided by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. These scores will provide an indication of how effective the different local data sources have been in matching electors. This will enable you to make more informed decisions about using local data sets in future canvasses.
When can I carry out local data matching and how long will it take?
If you have decided to undertake any type of local data matching you will need to decide when it will take place. Local data matching can be helpful when undertaken either before or after the national data match step, or indeed at both stages.
Your decision around the timing of any local data matching may depend on:
- when the data can be provided to you and when you plan to use it, for example the most up to date student data is likely to be available at the beginning of the academic year
- how recent the data is; local data will be most accurate and useful for data matching if it has been recently updated
- the size of the data set and whether you are carrying out a partial or full register match; this may have an impact on the amount of time you have to analyse the results before allocation of properties to canvass routes
- the format in which the data is held and whether it will need to be processed before you can use it
Carrying out local data matching before the national data match step may allow you more time to analyse your local data matching results.
Alternatively, carrying out checks of data that is regularly updated locally, such as council tax data, after the national data match step and as close as practicable to making your decision on the allocation of properties to canvass routes may improve the quality of your data match results, enabling you to allocate more properties to the most appropriate route.
Checking empty and void properties as part of local data matching
Local data matching could include a check of the information you hold on empty or void properties. If you are going to compare empty and void properties against local data sources such as council tax records, your plan should reflect this and make provision for when and how you will carry it out.
Empty and void properties are not exempt from the annual canvass but they are automatically excluded from the national data match step. This is because there are no individual elector details to match against DWP records.
If your local data matching can’t confirm properties as empty or void, they will need to be canvassed via Route 2 – the unmatched property route. If you are able to confirm that properties remain empty or void, they can be allocated to Route 1 – the matched property route.
It is important to remember that once a property has been assigned to a route, you must take all the necessary steps before closing the chase cycle. You cannot use local data to close a chase cycle.
Are data sharing agreements required when I access local data?
Where you request to inspect and/or take copies of data, the holder of the data cannot use a statutory or other restriction, including data protection legislation, to refuse the disclosure of data to you.1
Whether you carry out local data matching yourself, or outsource local data matching, the information you receive will contain personal data which is being shared between two data controllers.
Whilst UK data protection legislation does not require a written agreement when sharing data between data controllers, it is good practice to have a data sharing agreement in place.
Such agreements demonstrate that all parties are acting in accordance with data protection legislation and will help to avoid any liability implications of one party being seen as a controller and the other being seen as a processor.
Do I need a data sharing agreement when using data held by a local authority?
Where you are receiving information from your own council, or if you are the ERO for a district council in England, where you are receiving information from a relevant county council, to
- ascertain the names and addresses of people who are not registered but who are entitled to be registered, or
- identify those people who are registered but who are not entitled to be registered
a written agreement between you and the council regulating the processing of the information should be in place and this agreement should include details about data transfer, storage, destruction and security arrangements.
Our data protection guidance for EROs and ROs provides guidance in relation to your role as data controller and a checklist to help inform the content of data sharing agreements.
- 1. Regulation 23, The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
Planning for canvass communications
You will need to carefully plan how you will deliver your canvass communications.
This section contains guidance on the things you will need to consider when planning your canvass communications and on the response mechanisms you will make available for electors.
What do I need to consider when planning my canvass communications?
Before planning the canvass communication channels to use, you will need to have read the guidance for each of the canvass routes; Route 1, Route 2 and Route 3 so that you have an understanding of the communication types and contact requirements for each route.
As part of your planning you will then need to decide which communication channels you will use for each contact stage in each of the routes. Some of the key considerations for each communication channel are outlined on the following pages.
You should also take into account that legislation requires you to undertake follow-up activity within a reasonable period of time. A reasonable period of time is not defined in legislation. In our view it should be no longer than 28 days and may, in some circumstances, be shorter, for example, where you are approaching the conclusion of the canvass or where there is an election due to take place.
How can I collect email addresses and phone numbers?
How can I collect email addresses and phone numbers?
You can collect email addresses and phone numbers directly from householders and electors, and you may be able to access them through inspecting local records.
You should look for opportunities to collect email addresses and phone numbers from canvass communications and other electoral correspondence throughout the year, such as voter registration forms and absent vote applications.
You should capture as many email addresses and phone numbers as possible during the canvass alongside your other actions when processing canvass responses.
Whenever you collect email addresses and phone numbers from electors, you should ensure that it is clear to them that the provision of these is optional, and you should set out how you will process and use the information in your privacy statement.
Can I collect email addresses and phone numbers from other local records?
You are legally entitled to inspect and make copies of local records such as Council Tax and customer service records, for the purposes of your registration duties.1
Relevant councils are expressly permitted to disclose information contained in local records to enable you to ascertain the names and addresses of people who are not registered but who are entitled to be registered.2
2
We have produced further guidance on the records you can inspect to identify new electors, including what you can use the information for, and advice on whether data sharing agreements are needed between the council and the ERO.
However, you are not automatically entitled to access and use any additional contact information contained in local records other than names and addresses. To access and use additional contact information, such as email addresses and phone numbers from local records you will require:
- a data sharing agreement to be in place between the council and the ERO, and
- the council to have informed individuals about the potential sharing of such information through their privacy notice
You will therefore need to engage with relevant council departments, holding constructive conversations with them and your data protection officer, to gain support for your approach to using e-communications. This could be tied in with your wider conversations about accessing local data for the purposes of your registration duties such as local data matching.
You should work with council departments and the data protection officer to develop data sharing agreements and to identify privacy notices which will need to be updated, so that when contact details such as email addresses and phone numbers are collected, the necessary consent is given for these details to be disclosed to the ERO.
Our data protection guidance for EROs and ROs provides further information on data protection considerations.
What if the council uses a customer records index?
Some councils have adopted a customer records or citizen index, to keep customer records in one central database. Such records are collated from a range of customer contact information and are likely to be up to date and accurate.
As the data in such databases is collated from sources across the council it is likely that data sharing agreements and privacy notices will already be in place for maintaining their customer records index which may only need minor changes to allow for the disclosure of additional contact details to the ERO. You should contact your DPO to understand what you may need to do locally.
Checking the accuracy of the information you collect
In order to reduce the number of emails or text messages that go undelivered due to errors in phone numbers or email addresses, you should carry out quality checks on the contact information you have collected. You could export the data into a spreadsheet to assist with this, or see if your EMS system can produce reports which could help to highlight inaccuracies in your data.
You should check for obvious errors such as domain names in emails being misspelt, incorrect use of punctuation or spaces in email addresses, and phone numbers with missing digits. You could then cross reference scanned images or paper applications to check and correct any contact details that contain errors.
Ensuring that the contact details you hold are up to date and accurate will increase the number of messages delivered correctly and will reduce the administrative burden of dealing with email bounce backs when processing. For more information on managing bounce backs, please see responses to Route 1 e-communications.
- 1. Regulation 35, Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 (RPR (E&W) 2001) ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
- 2. Reg 35A RPR (E&W) 2001↩ Back to content at footnote 2 a b
Using electronic communications
Using electronic communications
Where you decide to use e-communications, you will need to identify the steps needed to set these up and reflect these in your plans.
You will need to decide whether to manage e-communications in house or via an external provider, and you may decide to take different approaches for different types of e-communication.
For example, you may choose to send emails yourself and outsource SMS messaging to an external provider. Any person who will be processing personal data for use with any e-communication channels must comply with the requirements of data protection legislation.
You will need to create template communications in advance where you are using emails, SMS, or other written electronic communications.
Our guidance for Route 1 and Route 2 contains detail of what information must be included and captured in e-communications and we have produced template emails that can act as a basis for your e-communications.
You will also need to ensure that you have mechanisms in place to track and monitor the dispatch of e-communications to ensure that you have an audit trail of all contact attempts with properties and electors throughout the canvass.
Monitoring the success of contact attempts using different contact methods will help you to evaluate their effectiveness and refine your approach as needed for future canvasses. The data set out in the performance standards for EROs will also help you to understand the impact of your activities and where improvements can be made.
Ensuring public confidence when using e-communications
Ensuring public confidence when using e-communications
It is important that recipients of your e-communications trust them and have confidence that they are legitimate, so that they pay attention to the information provided and respond and take necessary action as needed.
Some residents may not be used to being contacted by the ERO or the council through e-communications, so you should think about how you can prepare them for being contacted this way, for example through press releases and social media messages. We have produced canvass resources to support you with public engagement, including social media templates which can be used in the run-up and throughout the canvass to raise awareness. You should also work with the communications team in your council to raise awareness about the canvass.
As well as using e-communications during the canvass, you could consider the benefits of contacting electors through these methods outside the canvass period, for example in the run up to an election.
To help increase confidence that emails are official you should ensure that recipients can clearly identify that they are from you by including your council name in the subject line and your logo in the body of the text. If you are using a generic outbox to send emails, you could also personalise the message to include the householder’s name in the greeting.
You should proactively inform recipients that you are contacting them because you hold their information on your electoral register database so that they can be confident that their data has been used legitimately. Even if you are encouraging residents to reply using an automated response method, you should include dedicated contact details for queries, as well as a link to your website with details of your privacy notice and how recipients can opt out of further e-communications, in order to promote confidence in the legitimacy of the communication and meet all data protection requirements.
We have produced an email canvass communication template to support you when contacting householders by email. The email template can be used for either Route 1 or Route 2 communications. The email template is not prescribed, however we recommend that you use it because it has been tested with the public.
Further guidance on the content of your e-communications is given in what information should an e-communication contain?
Managing messages and responses
Managing messages and responses
As set out in using electronic communications you will need to ensure that you have resources and systems in place for sending e-communications and for tracking and monitoring responses.
If you are managing this in-house, you will need to liaise with your IT department to discuss how they can support you, which could include:
- setting up a generic mailbox, with sufficient capacity to deal with your estimated volume of likely responses based on previous years and/or the number of emails you plan to send as part of your canvass
- the proposed timescales for sending your communications, so that any additional help desk support can be factored in
- any additional opportunities to check your data before sending your communications
- whether to send messages in batches
- advice on how to avoid e-communications being treated as ‘spam’ or ‘junk’
- how to track and monitor responses, including the management of bounce backs (guidance on the processing of bounce backs can be found in responses to Route 1 e-communications.)
Using external providers and messaging platforms
You could decide to use an external provider or a messaging platform to send e-communications to residents, both during and outside the canvass period. This may involve providing the contact details you hold for residents to a provider who will send the messages on your behalf. You will need to be satisfied that the provider complies with data protection legislation when processing data. Some messaging platforms, such as the UK Government’s ‘Notify’ service, can be integrated with your EMS system, which would enable you to monitor responses through your existing software.
The following case study describes how this has been utilised in Tower Hamlets:
Contacting electors by telephone
Contacting electors by telephone
If you are contacting electors via telephone you will need to decide whether to manage these calls in house or via an external provider. You will also need to plan in advance the scripts your staff or external providers will use for their conversations. We have provided a template script for use by staff contacting electors by telephone.
It may also be useful to provide a list of possible FAQs and suggested responses for your call handlers based on your approach to the canvass in your area.
You will also need to ensure that you have mechanisms in place to track and monitor the placing of phone calls, to ensure that you have an audit trail of all contact attempts with properties and electors throughout the canvass. Monitoring the success of contact attempts using different contact methods will help you to evaluate their effectiveness and refine your approach as needed for future canvasses.
Using printed communications
You will need to decide whether to use an in-house or an external printer to print your canvass communications. Whoever you use, you should be satisfied they will be able to cope with the complexity and volume of printed material to be produced.
You should ensure that data protection principles are met in any contract tender exercise, and document your decision-making process. Whenever you use a processor, data protection legislation imposes a legal obligation to formalise the working relationship with them.
Whether you are using an in-house or external printer, you must have a written agreement or contract in place. This will help to ensure that the requirements of data protection legislation will be met, including the requirements relating to appointing a processor.
Following the national data matching step, and any local data matching, you will have allocated all of your properties to the appropriate canvass routes, made decisions about which communication channels you plan to use for canvass communications at each stage and how you will manage their distribution.
You will then be in a position to confirm with your print supplier the number of printed canvass communications that you require.
You will need to agree a detailed production schedule with your supplier for your printed canvass communications which should include:
- Timescales for proofing canvass communications
- The volume of printed canvass communications for each route
- Printer deadlines for sending data
- Dates the printer will deliver canvass communications to you (where canvass communications are being delivered back to you ready for onward delivery)
- Scheduling of delivery dates from the printer to Royal Mail, other delivery services or your offices for the purpose of hand-delivery
- Timing of the production and dispatch of any follow-up communications where required
We have designed templates for each of the different printed canvass communications, some of which you are required to use. You can find more information on the template communications and how to use these in our forms and letters guidance.
Your printer will need to produce proofs of the templates for printed canvass communications, and you will need to check these. Once you have approved the template proofs you should send test data to ensure that data fields appear correctly. Our data protection guidance for EROs and ROs highlights the importance of having a robust proof checking process in place when working with a processor in order to detect any errors and avoid data breaches before they occur.
If you are planning to use Royal Mail or other delivery services you should consider the delivery options they offer and any discounts based on the types and volumes of printed communications you expect to send out to determine which option will best meet your needs.
How should I decide which response mechanisms to make available during the canvass?
You will need to decide which response mechanisms you will make available for electors. These may vary for the different canvass routes and the different contact stages within routes, and should be considered alongside the outward contact methods you intend to use.
Potential response channels include:
- Website
- SMS
- Post
- Telephone
- In person
You should ensure that your chosen response mechanisms are designed to meet elector expectations and enable them to respond as easily as possible where needed. For example, if you contact some electors via email, they may well expect to be able to respond online, such as by a return email, rather than a different channel.
You could also consider the demographics of your local area to help inform your decisions. For example, if you know you have a high population of older people, areas with limited access to internet, or areas with high levels of socio-economic deprivation, you will need to consider which response mechanisms would be most appropriate to meet the needs of your electors.
If you decide to use automated response services – which would typically involve using security codes to log onto a website or respond by an automated telephone or SMS response service – you will need to decide whether to manage this internally or to outsource the work to an external supplier.
If you are using an external supplier, you will need ensure that they will be able to meet your requirements before agreeing the process for setting the service up, finalising contracts and reflecting your decisions in your canvass plans. Any person who will be processing personal data for use with response services must comply with the requirements of data protection legislation.
Planning for staffing to deliver the annual canvass
As part of your planning you will need to think about what staff you require to carry out the canvass.
This section contains guidance on how to identify what staff you will need and plan for the delivery of any necessary training.
How do I plan my staffing requirements for the canvass?
The council which has appointed you as ERO is under a legal obligation to provide you with the necessary staff to enable you to fulfil your statutory duties.1
The decisions you have made on your approach to delivering the canvass will impact on the number of staff you may need. You will need to consider how you will resource the following:
Managing the local data matching exercise
If you are carrying out local data matching, the volume and the timing of this may have an impact on the amount of staff time you will need. You will also need to consider any additional work needed to get the data into useable format for data matching purposes.
Analysis of the data match results
If you are carrying out local data matching, you should consider the staff resource required to make decisions where national and local data match results conflict. You will also need to consider the staff-time required for the property allocation stage.
Dealing with questions from the public about the canvass process
Establish the staffing levels required by thinking about the timings for your canvass activity across the different routes and identifying the likely peak response periods. Your decision on whether these queries will be managed by a contact centre or by the electoral services team will also have an impact on the amount of staff required.
Processing responses
You will need to consider the staff required to manage multiple response channels, deal with any conflicting responses and undertake any additional registration activity necessary - for example sending ITRs, undertaking reviews and deletions.
Hand-delivering communications (where undertaken)
If you are hand delivering canvass communications, you will need to consider the geography and size of the canvass areas. Canvass areas can vary in size to help maximise canvass response rates, allowing you to take into account the varying geography and demographics of different parts of your registration area. For example you may want to allocate fewer properties over larger geographical areas, such as rural locations. The size of canvass areas will also be affected by the staff resource available, the more staff you have, the smaller your canvass areas may be.
You may wish to review your canvass areas following the allocation of properties to canvass routes in order to ensure that canvassers have sufficient time to contact all non-responding properties/individuals based on the number of Route 2 properties in that area.
You will also need to consider the likely volumes of canvass communications that you intend to deliver by hand. For example, are you hand delivering some or all of the canvass communications and at what stage for each route?
You will also need to consider the impact on staff resource requirements where you are combining hand delivery with a property visit.
Undertaking personal contact via telephone or property visits
The decisions you have made on how you will carry out the personal contact requirements for Route 2 properties will impact on the size of canvass areas and the staff resource you will need to ensure you maximise the effectiveness of personal canvassing.
For example:
- the stage of the canvass that personal contact will take place will have an impact on the volume of properties requiring contact. The more properties that require personal contact, the smaller the canvass area may need to be
- the size of the canvass area will be impacted by the number of staff undertaking personal contact attempts by either visit or by telephone
- if by telephone whether it will be done by your electoral services team, or a contact centre
- the size of the canvass area may depend on how many personal contact attempts you will make, the more attempts you plan to make, the smaller the canvass area may need to be
- if you are combining any follow up of ITRs for individuals within a property with any personal contact attempts the smaller the canvass area may need to be
You will also need to review your existing canvass staff database. You should review the performance of canvassers who have worked on your canvass before and any whose past performance has been unsatisfactory should not be used again. You should then make contact with those you wish to invite to work on the canvass again bearing in mind that existing or experienced canvassers may not be available and you may need to undertake recruitment to identify and select new canvassers.
Where you need to undertake recruitment of staff to work on any part of delivering the canvass, you will need to take into account the length of time required for recruitment and plan accordingly. You should liaise with your HR contact to ensure they are aware of your requirements and can provide you with the necessary support. You will also need to ensure that your recruitment plans are fully reflected in your canvass plan.
- 1. Section 52(4) RPA 1983 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
What training do I need to provide for staff working on the canvass?
Your duty to maintain the registers of electors includes the provision of training to all the staff you have appointed to assist with delivery of the canvass.1
You should review the training needs of both permanent and temporary staff, including canvassers. It is important that all staff understand their particular role and any statutory obligations associated with the work they are undertaking. As well as training on the legislative requirements and responsibilities relevant to their role, it is important that staff are trained on ensuring equal access, data handling and good customer care.
To embed data protection principles in your work and demonstrate compliance with the legislation, you will need to ensure that all staff, including canvassers, are trained in handling personal data. You should discuss any data protection training with your Data Protection Officer.
Where you identify that training is required, you will need to make arrangements for this to be provided and reflect this in your canvass plans.
You may already have existing structures for training sessions and materials for their delivery which you can review and refine to ensure they are relevant and appropriate.
If you have training personnel within your council, they may be able to assist you with this process.
What training is required for staff dealing with enquiries about the canvass?
You will need to identify how you will support staff dealing directly with the public by phone or face-to-face, whether in the office, undertaking personal visits or working at any contact centres or call management centres.
Staff will need to understand the differences between the different canvass communications and be able to:
- offer advice about whether or not a response is required
- encourage a successful response to the canvass communication as required when speaking to someone on the telephone
- give advice on registering to vote, the options available to make an application to register and, where appropriate, assist with the registration process
- apply knowledge to deal with a person’s individual circumstances
- be able to identify non-standard questions and refer these to staff with more detailed knowledge of registration as necessary
To support front-line staff we have produced a frequently-asked questions (FAQs) document covering a range of queries that may arise about electoral registration.
You can adapt this document to reflect your local approach to the canvass.
Planning training for canvassers
You need to ensure that your canvassers are trained to carry out the job they have been appointed to undertake. You may need to deliver different types of training sessions depending on how you intend to deploy them. For example, those making house to house visits may require different training to canvassers who are making telephone contact.
All canvassers must receive appropriate data protection training and be trained as to how to keep any personal information they collect from electors safe.
Further information on the recruitment and training of canvassers can be found in our Canvasser recruitment and training checklist.
Resources to support the management and briefing of canvassers can also be found on our website.
- 1. Section 9A of the RPA 1983 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
What do I need to consider when planning the publication of the revised register following the canvass?
When planning your canvass timetable you will need to take into account the requirement to publish your revised register by 1 December, unless there has been an election during the canvass in which case you can delay publication up until 1 February.1
Publication of the register on 1 December maximises the length of time available for applications to register to be received and determined in time to be included on the revised register.
If 1 December falls on a weekend rather than a working day, there may be specific practicalities you will need to address to ensure you’re still able to publish. For example, you would need to factor into your planning the possible resource requirements related to working on a weekend, such as the opening of office buildings, staffing arrangements and the availability of IT support if required.
You should bear in mind that not all of your canvass activity needs to be completed by 1 December, regardless of when you publish your revised register; any outstanding steps can be picked up as part of your year-round electoral registration activity.
If, for whatever reason, you decide to publish on a date in November instead of on 1 December, you will need to consider the impact on your canvass plans of the earlier deadlines for receipt of applications in time for them to be determined and included on the revised register. Publication of the revised register in November means that some individuals who make a successful registration application from late October onwards, would not be added to the register until the January notice of alteration, unless they are added by any election notice of alteration.
- 1. Section 13(1) and (1A) of RPA 1983 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
Data matching for the annual canvass
This section of the guidance covers what you need to know about the national data match step including what it is, what data you need to include and exclude, how and when to send your data and how to process the results and allocate properties to canvass routes.
Beth yw'r cam paru data cenedlaethol?
Beth yw'r cam paru data cenedlaethol?
Bob blwyddyn, cyn cynnal y canfasiad blynyddol, rhaid i chi ddatgelu data i Weinidog Adran Lefelu i Fyny, Tai a Chymunedau fel rhan o ymarfer paru data cenedlaethol a elwir yn gam paru data cenedlaethol.1
Mae'r cam paru data cenedlaethol yn cynnwys gwirio gwybodaeth am etholwyr presennol ar eich cofrestr - eu henw, cyfeiriad gan gynnwys yr UPRN lle mae'n gymwys a, lle y bo'n hysbys, ddyddiad geni, yn erbyn data sydd gan yr Adran Gwaith a Phensiynau (DWP).
Diben yr ymarfer yw eich helpu i nodi eiddo lle gall y preswylwyr fod wedi newid. Yna dylai'r wybodaeth hon gael ei defnyddio i bennu'r llwybr y byddwch yn ei ddilyn i ganfasio pob eiddo.
- 1. Rheoliad 32ZBB, Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
What data do I need to send?
What data do I need to send?
The data you send for the national data match step in relation to all persons aged 16 or over who appear on the parliamentary and local government registers must include:1
- the full name, including any middle name(s) or initials you may hold
- the date of birth (where held)
- the full address, including postcode
- Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN) (where held)
- any other information that you hold relating to a person’s entry on the register, if the Cabinet Office specifies such information in writing (for example, a previous surname). This additional information may improve the likelihood of a data match as the information you hold may show a link exists between the data held nationally and your data.
- 1. Regulation 32ZBB(9), The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
Who will be excluded from the national data match step?
Who will be excluded from the national data match step?
Special category electors must be excluded from the national data match step.1
You should also exclude the following electors and properties from the national data match:
- Determined electors – individuals who have had their application determined and will be added to the register by the next notice of alteration. These electors will have only just been added to the register so will be considered matched by default.
- Determined deletions – individuals who you have determined are no longer entitled to be registered and will be deleted from the register by the next notice of alteration.
- Empty or void properties – as no electors are registered at these properties, there are no individuals to be matched against DWP data as part of the national data match step.
Special category electors
The following special category electors must be excluded from the national data match step, as they are not included within the annual canvass process:1
- overseas electors, i.e. British citizens living outside the UK
- HM Forces service voters (and their spouses or civil partners)
- Crown servants and British Council employees (and their spouses or civil partners)
- electors who have made a declaration of local connection, including people living in the UK who have no permanent or fixed address
- anonymously registered electors, i.e. those who have registered anonymously because their safety would be at risk if they appeared on the register using their name
- patients in mental health hospitals whose stay at the hospital is sufficient for them to be regarded as resident there
- remand prisoners whose stay at a penal institution is sufficient for them to be regarded as resident there
- 1. Regulation 32ZBB(8), The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001↩ Back to content at footnote 1 a b
A ddylai ychwanegiadau diweddar gael eu gadael allan o'r cam paru data cenedlaethol?
A ddylai ychwanegiadau diweddar gael eu gadael allan o'r cam paru data cenedlaethol?
Cewch benderfynu a ddylid hepgor rhai o'ch ychwanegiadau diweddar, os nad pob un, o'r cam paru data cenedlaethol.1
Ychwanegiadau diweddar yw etholwyr sydd wedi gwneud cais llwyddiannus i'w cofrestru ac sydd wedi cael eu hychwanegu at y gofrestr etholwyr o fewn y 90 diwrnod diwethaf.
Penderfynu ar eich trothwy ychwanegiadau diweddar
Cyn i'r cam paru data cenedlaethol ddechrau, dylech benderfynu ar drothwy ychwanegiadau diweddar at y gofrestr i'w cynnwys yn y cam paru data cenedlaethol.2
Pan gaiff data eu lanlwytho ar gyfer y cam paru data cenedlaethol, ni chaiff unrhyw ychwanegiadau diweddar at y gofrestr cyn y dyddiad trothwy a bennwyd gennych eu cynnwys yn y cam paru data, a nodir yn awtomatig eu bod wedi'u paru o fewn ein System Rheoli Etholiad.
- Os byddwch yn pennu trothwy o 0 diwrnod, caiff pob ychwanegiad diweddar ei gynnwys yn y cam paru data cenedlaethol.
- Os byddwch yn pennu trothwy o 90 diwrnod, ni chaiff ychwanegiadau diweddar a wnaed o fewn y 90 diwrnod diwethaf eu cynnwys yn y cam paru data cenedlaethol, a nodir yn awtomatig eu bod wedi'u paru yn eich System Rheoli Etholiad.
- Os byddwch yn pennu trothwy sydd rhwng 0 a 90 diwrnod, ni chaiff ychwanegiadau diweddar at y gofrestr o fewn eich terfyn amser eu cynnwys yn y cam paru data cenedlaethol. Er enghraifft, os byddwch yn pennu trothwy o 45 diwrnod, ni chaiff ychwanegiadau diweddar at y gofrestr o fewn y 45 diwrnod diwethaf eu cynnwys yn y cam paru data cenedlaethol, a nodir yn awtomatig eu bod wedi'u paru yn eich System Rheoli Etholiad.
Gallai eich penderfyniad i gynnwys neu hepgor ychwanegiadau diweddar o ran y cam paru data cenedlaethol effeithio ar y canlyniadau paru data. Yn ei dro, gall hyn ddylanwadu ar y llwybr canfasio y byddwch yn ei ddewis ar gyfer pob eiddo.
Efallai y bydd y cwestiynau isod yn eich helpu i benderfynu a ddylid hepgor rhai o'ch ychwanegiadau diweddar, os nad pob un, o'r cam paru data cenedlaethol.
Cwestiynau | Effaith ar eich penderfyniad |
---|---|
Pa mor sefydlog yw'ch etholaeth? Oes cryn fynd a dod o fewn eich ardal etholiadol? | Os oes cryn fynd a dod yn eich ardal, mae mwy o risg y gall rhywun wneud cais llwyddiannus i gofrestru i bleidleisio, ond yna symud eto mewn fawr ddim amser. Os felly, gallech ystyried pennu trothwy is a all helpu i nodi newidiadau'n well mewn ardaloedd lle mae etholwyr yn symud yn amlach. |
Ydych chi wedi edrych ar setiau data lleol i gadarnhau nad oes unrhyw newidiadau eraill yn gymwys i wybodaeth sydd gennych am eiddo lle nodwyd ychwanegiadau diweddar? | Os ydych wedi cynnal gwiriadau fel rhan o'r gwaith o gynnal y gofrestr drwy gydol y flwyddyn, gallech ystyried pennu trothwy uwch. Gallech fod yn fwy tebygol o fod wedi nodi a rheoli newidiadau diweddar, ac felly efallai y bydd eich data lleol yn fwy cyfredol na chofnodion DWP. |
Oes gennych chi brosesau ar waith i nodi etholwyr yn rheolaidd ac yna dynnu enwau etholwyr sydd eisoes wedi'u cofrestru o eiddo os ydynt wedi symud allan? | Os felly, gallech ystyried pennu trothwy uwch, oherwydd rydych yn fwy tebygol o fod wedi gwneud newidiadau diweddar ac felly efallai y bydd eich data lleol yn fwy cyfredol na chofnodion DWP. |
A fu'n rhaid i chi brosesu cyfran uchel o newidiadau yn ystod canfasiadau blaenorol? | Os felly, gallech ystyried pennu trothwy is gan fod eich profiad diweddar yn awgrymu eich bod yn llai tebygol o fod wedi nodi'r holl newidiadau gofynnol y tu allan i'r cyfnod canfasio. |
Mae taflen gymorth isod Adran y Weinyddiaeth Tai, Cymunedau a Llywodraeth Leol yn darparu rhagor o wybodaeth ac arweiniad i'ch helpu i bennu eich trothwy.
Dylech adolygu effaith y trothwy rydych yn ei bennu ar ôl pob canfasiad er mwyn nodi ei effeithiolrwydd, a sicrhau bod unrhyw wersi a ddysgwyd yn bwydo i mewn i gynllunio canfasiadau dilynol.
- 1. Rheoliad 32ZBB(7)(a), Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
- 2. Rheoliad 32ZBB(7)(a), Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 2
When do I need to send my data?
When do I need to send my data?
As part of your planning for the canvass you should already have considered when you want to conduct the national data match step.
The data matching process will be managed in practice by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and will be phased due to the volume of records to be processed.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have advised there will be a tool available that you will need to use to schedule the date for your data upload. Please note that there is a limit on the volume of records that can be processed per day and so if a certain date has reached its capacity, it will no longer be available for you to book on the tool.
Once you have booked through the tool, you will receive an email from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government confirming that you have successfully booked your date.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will provide you with instructions on when to electronically upload your register to DWP via your electoral management software (EMS) system. Your EMS supplier will provide you with instructions on how to upload your data.
Once you have confirmed the date for your data upload, you will be able to confirm the rest of your plans for the delivery of the canvass, including liaising with and updating your print suppliers as needed.
Defnyddio canlyniadau paru data cenedlaethol a lleol
Defnyddio canlyniadau paru data cenedlaethol a lleol
Gallwch ddilyn cam paru data lleol cyn y cam paru data cenedlaethol, ar ôl i chi gael canlyniadau'r cam paru data cenedlaethol, neu'r ddau.
Mae cynllunio ar gyfer paru data yn cynnwys canllawiau ar sut i nodi a defnyddio data lleol.
Beth gaiff ei gynnwys yn y canlyniadau paru data cenedlaethol?
Beth gaiff ei gynnwys yn y canlyniadau paru data cenedlaethol?
Dylech gael eich canlyniadau o fewn 5 diwrnod gwaith i gyflwyno'r data.
Byddwch yn cael eich canlyniadau drwy eich System Rheoli Etholiad. Bydd cyflenwr eich system yn rhoi cyfarwyddiadau i chi ar sut y bydd hyn yn gweithio.
Bydd pob etholwr yr anfonir ei ddata i'w paru'n genedlaethol yn cael canlyniad paru neu ddim paru. Ni fydd y canlyniadau yn cynnwys y rheswm dros fethu â pharu. Yna bydd eich System Rheoli Etholiad yn crynhoi'r rhain yn ganlyniad ar gyfer pob eiddo.
Beth arall y gallaf ei ystyried er mwyn fy helpu i benderfynu sut i ddyrannu eiddo i lwybrau canfasio?
Beth arall y gallaf ei ystyried er mwyn fy helpu i benderfynu sut i ddyrannu eiddo i lwybrau canfasio?
Dylech ystyried a oes gennych unrhyw wybodaeth arall, naill ai'n ysgrifenedig neu'n electronig,1 y gallech ei gwirio ar ôl i'r canlyniadau paru data ddod i law i'ch helpu i benderfynu ar y llwybr i'w ddefnyddio ar gyfer pob eiddo.
Etholwyr posibl sydd ar eich System Rheoli Etholiad:
Beth yw'r wybodaeth hon a pham ei bod hi'n ddefnyddiol? | Nid yw etholwyr posibl yn etholwyr cofrestredig ond, yn hytrach, maent yn unigolion sydd wedi'u cofnodi yn eich System Rheoli Etholiad, o ganlyniad i broses cloddio data leol neu ffurflen ganfasio a ddychwelwyd yn ôl pob tebyg, a all fod yn gymwys ond nad ydynt wedi cofrestru i bleidleisio yn y cyfeiriad eto. Mae'r wybodaeth hon yn ddefnyddiol am y gall awgrymu bod angen gwneud newidiadau i'r gofrestr ar gyfer yr eiddo hwnnw, am y gallai unigolion nad ydynt wedi gwneud cais llwyddiannus i gofrestru eto fod yn byw yno. Gall etholwyr posibl mewn cyfeiriad hefyd ddynodi bod angen cofnodi newidiadau ychwanegol ar gyfer yr unigolion hynny sydd wedi'u cofrestru yn yr eiddo ar hyn o bryd. |
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Pa gamau y gallwn i eu cymryd? | Edrychwch ar ddata lleol er mwyn ceisio cadarnhau a yw'r unigolion hyn i'w gweld yn byw yn yr eiddo o hyd. |
Pa effaith y gallai'r wybodaeth hon ei chael ar fy mhenderfyniadau? | Os bydd data lleol yn dangos bod unigolyn yn dal i fyw yn y cyfeiriad o bosibl ond nad yw wedi'i gofrestru, y ffordd fwyaf priodol fyddai canfasio'r eiddo drwy Lwybr 2 – y llwybr eiddo heb ei baru. Os bydd data lleol yn cadarnhau nad yw unigolyn yn byw yn y cyfeiriad mwyach, gall ei enw gael ei dynnu fel etholwr posibl o'r System Rheoli Etholiad a gallai'r eiddo gael ei ganfasio drwy Lwybr 1 – y llwybr eiddo wedi'i baru os bydd pob unigolyn arall mewn eiddo wedi'i baru. |
Gwybodaeth oddi wrth SCE arall:
Beth yw'r wybodaeth hon a pham ei bod hi'n ddefnyddiol? | Gall fod gan SCEau eraill wybodaeth am unigolion sydd wedi symud i mewn i'ch ardal neu allan ohoni. |
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Pa gamau y gallwn i eu cymryd? | Edrychwch ar unrhyw wybodaeth y mae SCE arall yn ei hanfon atoch am unrhyw newidiadau posibl ychwanegol i eiddo. Os cewch wybod nad yw etholwr yn byw mewn cyfeiriad mwyach, dylech fynd ati i'w ddileu. |
Pa effaith y gallai'r wybodaeth hon ei chael ar fy mhenderfyniadau? | Os bydd gwybodaeth gan SCE arall yn dangos bod newidiadau i eiddo, dylech ystyried canfasio'r eiddo gan ddefnyddio Llwybr 2 – y llwybr eiddo heb ei baru. |
Ffynonellau eraill data'r cyngor:
Beth yw'r wybodaeth hon a pham ei bod hi'n ddefnyddiol? | Gallai data o adrannau eraill yn yr awdurdod eich helpu i nodi etholwyr posibl ychwanegol neu newidiadau eraill i eiddo. |
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Pa gamau y gallwn i eu cymryd? | Edrychwch ar yr holl ddata sydd wrth law ar gyfer y cyngor am wybodaeth am unrhyw etholwyr posibl ychwanegol neu newidiadau eraill i eiddo. |
Pa effaith y gallai'r wybodaeth hon ei chael ar fy mhenderfyniadau? | Os bydd data adrannau eraill y cyngor yn dangos bod etholwyr posibl ychwanegol neu newidiadau eraill i eiddo, dylech ystyried canfasio'r eiddo gan ddefnyddio Llwybr 2 – y llwybr eiddo heb ei baru. |
Bydd angen i chi ystyried sut i ddangos tystiolaeth o'ch penderfyniadau a'u dogfennu os bydd gwybodaeth o ffynhonnell arall, heblaw canlyniadau paru data, yn arwain at benderfyniad i newid eiddo o un llwybr i'r llall.
- 1. Rheoliad 32ZBA(8), Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
Beth ydw i'n ei wneud â chanlyniadau paru data?
Beth ydw i'n ei wneud â chanlyniadau paru data?
Bydd y canlyniadau paru data yn eich helpu i benderfynu a yw'r eiddo yn gyffredinol wedi'i baru neu heb ei baru ac mae'n rhaid i chi ddefnyddio'r wybodaeth hon i'ch helpu i neilltuo'r eiddo hwnnw i'r llwybr canfasio priodol.1
- Eiddo a berir - Ystyrir bod eiddo wedi'i baru pan fydd canlyniad paru ar gyfer pob etholwr mewn eiddo, drwy ddata cenedlaethol a/neu leol. Gellir hefyd ystyried bod eiddo wedi'i baru lle byddwch wedi gwneud gwaith paru data lleol ac wedi cadarnhau bod yr eiddo yn wag.
- Eiddo nas perir - Ystyrir nad yw eiddo wedi'i baru lle na allwch baru rhai o'r etholwyr neu bob un o'r etholwyr mewn cartref drwy ymarfer paru data lleol a/neu genedlaethol.
Gall canlyniadau paru data cenedlaethol a lleol fod yn berthnasol wrth bennu'r llwybr canfasio priodol. Er enghraifft, gallech:
- Dderbyn canlyniad paru o ymarfer paru data cenedlaethol neu leol
- Anwybyddu canlyniad paru o ymarfer paru data cenedlaethol lle rydych yn fodlon bod gwybodaeth paru data leol yn fwy cywir - efallai y byddwch o'r farn bod eich ffynhonnell data lleol yn cynnwys gwybodaeth fwy cyfredol
- Anwybyddu canlyniad o ymarfer paru data lleol os credwch fod yr ymarfer paru data cenedlaethol yn fwy cywir
Pa gamau y gallaf eu cymryd pan na fydd unigolyn wedi'i baru?
Ni allwch anwybyddu'r canlyniadau lle bydd data cenedlaethol a lleol yn dangos bod o leiaf un etholwr yn yr eiddo heb ei baru.
Fodd bynnag, gallech ystyried defnyddio ffynonellau data lleol eraill rydych yn ymddiried ynddynt i fod yn gywir er mwyn ceisio paru'r etholwr cyn dyrannu'r eiddo hwnnw.
Os gallwch baru unigolyn gan ddefnyddio ffynonellau data lleol eraill, gallwch wedyn fodloni'ch hun fod yr eiddo cyfan wedi'i baru a gallech ei ganfasio drwy Lwybr 1 - y llwybr eiddo wedi'i baru.
Os na fydd data lleol ychwanegol ar gael, neu os na lwyddir i baru'r etholwr gan ddefnyddio data lleol ychwanegol, dylech ganfasio'r eiddo drwy Lwybr 2 – y llwybr eiddo heb ei baru - oherwydd ni allwch fodloni'ch hun nad oes unrhyw newidiadau i'w nodi ar gyfer yr eiddo hwnnw.
- 1. Rheoliad 32ZBA(2), Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
Processing information in connection with data matching
Prosesu gwybodaeth mewn cysylltiad â pharu data
Mae'r rhan hon o'r canllawiau yn ystyried materion diogelu data wrth baru data.
Mae rhai cyfyngiadau penodol yn gymwys i wybodaeth a roddir i Weinidog Adran y Weinyddiaeth Tai, Cymunedau a Llywodraeth Leol at ddiben yr ymarfer paru data cenedlaethol a chael gafael ar y canlyniadau o'r cam paru data cenedlaethol.
Ni ddylech ddatgelu unrhyw wybodaeth o'r cam paru data cenedlaethol am unigolyn1
i unrhyw un heblaw lle mae'n gyfrifol am benderfynu ar y llwybr canfasio mwyaf priodol neu at ddibenion unrhyw achosion sifil neu droseddol.
Fodd bynnag, mae deddfwriaeth diogelu data yn galluogi unigolion i ofyn am y wybodaeth sydd gennych amdanynt. I gael rhagor o wybodaeth am geisiadau am fynediad at ddata gan y testun, gan gynnwys sut maent yn gysylltiedig â'r cam paru data cenedlaethol, gweler ein canllawiau – Beth ddylwn i ei wneud os gofynnir i mi ddatgelu gwybodaeth o'r cam paru data cenedlaethol?
Os byddwch chi, neu unrhyw un a awdurdodwyd i weithredu ar eich rhan, yn datgelu data o'r cam paru data cenedlaethol am unrhyw reswm arall gallech chi (a nhw) gael dedfryd o garchar, dirwy neu'r ddwy.
- 1. Rheoliad 32ZBC, Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
Beth ddylwn i ei wneud os gofynnir i mi ddatgelu gwybodaeth o'r cam paru data cenedlaethol?
Beth ddylwn i ei wneud os gofynnir i mi ddatgelu gwybodaeth o'r cam paru data cenedlaethol?
Os cewch gais am y data o'r cam paru data cenedlaethol at ddiben unrhyw achos sifil neu droseddol, gallwch ddarparu'r data mewn amgylchiadau penodol, ond dylech gael eich cyngor cyfreithiol eich hun cyn gwneud hynny. Er mwyn i chi barhau i gydymffurfio â rheolau diogelu data, dylech gadw cofnodion o bob unigolyn a sefydliad a roddir gydag unrhyw ddata er mwyn dangos eich bod yn cydymffurfio â'r ddeddfwriaeth berthnasol ac egwyddorion prosesu data personol, a'ch bod yn sicrhau bod y data yn cael eu prosesu mewn ffordd gyfreithlon, deg a thryloyw.
Ceisiadau am fynediad at ddata gan y testun
Mae deddfwriaeth datgelu data yn pennu y gall unigolyn wneud cais am fynediad at ddata gan y testun i weld gwybodaeth bersonol a gedwir amdano, a gallai hyn gynnwys person yn gofyn a gafodd ei baru yn ystod y canfasiad blynyddol.
Os cewch gais o'r fath, rhaid i chi gadarnhau pwy yw'r sawl sy'n gofyn cyn darparu'r data. Rhaid i wybodaeth y mae testun y data yn gofyn amdani gael ei rhoi yn ddi-oed ac yn bendant o fewn mis (er y gall hyn fod yn ddeufis o dan rai amodau).
Ceir gwybodaeth fanwl yn ein canllawiau - Ceisiadau gwrthrych am wybodaeth
A oes unrhyw ystyriaethau eraill o ran diogelu data?
A oes unrhyw ystyriaethau eraill o ran diogelu data?
Wrth brosesu gwybodaeth mewn cysylltiad â'r cam paru data cenedlaethol, rhaid i chi fodloni unrhyw ofynion a osodwyd gan Weinidog y Weinyddiaeth Tai, Cymunedau a Llywodraeth Leol.1
Gall Adran y Weinyddiaeth Tai, Cymunedau a Llywodraeth Leol ddarparu rhagor o ganllawiau ar unrhyw ofynion o'r fath.2
Hefyd, rhaid i unrhyw ddata a gaiff eu defnyddio neu eu prosesu mewn cysylltiad â'r cam paru data cenedlaethol gael eu storio'n ddiogel a'u prosesu yn unol â deddfwriaeth diogelu data. Dylech hefyd sicrhau bod eich hysbysiadau preifatrwydd ac amserlenni cadw data yn adlewyrchu prosesu data ar gyfer y cam paru data cenedlaethol a lleol.
Mae ein canllawiau diogelu data ar gyfer Swyddogion Canlyniadau a Swyddogion Cofrestru Etholiadol isod yn rhoi arweiniad mewn perthynas â hysbysiadau preifatrwydd, ynghyd â chyngor ar eich rôl fel rheolydd data a rhestr wirio er mwyn helpu i lywio cynnwys cytundebau rhannu data.
- 1. Rheoliad 32 ZBC(3) a (4) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
- 2. Rheoliad 32ZBC(3) a (5), Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 2
Allocating properties to canvass routes
Dyrannu eiddo i lwybrau canfasio
Pan fyddwch wedi derbyn a dadansoddi canlyniadau eich ymarferion paru data cenedlaethol a lleol (os y'u cynhelir), ac ystyried unrhyw wybodaeth berthnasol arall sydd gennych, bydd angen i chi ddyrannu eiddo i lwybrau canfasio penodol.
Mae'r adnodd isod yn rhoi disgrifiad o'r tri llwybr canfasio a'r meini prawf sy'n pennu pryd mae angen defnyddio llwybr, a phryd y gall SCE ddewis p'un ai i ddefnyddio llwybr penodol ai peidio.
Pan fyddwch yn penderfynu dyrannu eiddo i llwybr yn seiliedig ar ganlyniadau un set o ddata yn hytrach na set arall, dylech allu egluro eich proses gwneud penderfyniadau a chadw llwybr archwilio o'ch penderfyniadau.
Mae'n bwysig nodi, er y byddwch yn gallu ystyried canlyniadau paru data lefel eiddo unigol wrth ddyrannu eiddo i lwybrau, na fyddwch yn gwneud hyn o reidrwydd yn ymarferol. Dylech allu cymhwyso'r meini prawf dyrannu yn ehangach fel bod eiddo sydd â'r un canlyniadau paru data yn cael eu rheoli yn yr un ffordd ac yn cael eu neilltuo i'r llwybrau priodol i gyd gyda'i gilydd.
Llwybr 1 – y llwybr eiddo wedi'u paru
Llwybr 1 – y llwybr eiddo wedi'u paru
Pan fyddwch wedi cwblhau eich proses paru data ac wedi neilltuo eiddo i lwybrau canfasio, gallwch ddechrau cyflwyno eich cynllun canfasio.
Mae'r adran hon yn cwmpasu Llwybr 1 ac yn cynnwys canllawiau ar bryd y gallwch ddefnyddio Llwybr 1, pa ohebiaeth ganfasio y gallwch ei defnyddio ar gyfer y llwybr hwn, a sut i brosesu ymatebion.
Beth yw Llwybr 1 a phryd y gallaf ei ddefnyddio?
Beth yw Llwybr 1 a phryd y gallaf ei ddefnyddio?
Llwybr 1 yw'r llwybr eiddo wedi'u paru Gellir ei ddefnyddio i anfon gohebiaeth ganfasio i eiddo lle rydych wedi eich bodloni nad oes angen gwneud unrhyw newidiadau yn seiliedig ar ganlyniadau'r broses paru data genedlaethol ac unrhyw broses paru data leol.
Ceir dolen i'r trosolwg gweledol o Lwybr 1 isod:
Gellir canfasio eiddo gan ddefnyddio Llwybr 1 dan yr amgylchiadau canlynol:1
- Rydych wedi eich bodloni nad oes angen gwneud unrhyw newidiadau yn yr eiddo hwnnw ac nid oes gennych unrhyw reswm dros gredu bod angen ychwanegu unrhyw etholwyr ychwanegol
- Rydych wedi cynnal proses paru data leol i gadarnhau statws yr eiddo fel un gwag neu ddi-rym.
- 1. Rheoliad 32ZBA(4) a Rheoliad 32ZBE(1) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
What communications should be used for Route 1 properties?
What communications should be used for Route 1 properties?
Route 1 communications provide the occupants of each property with an opportunity to inform you of any changes or incorrect information you hold on the electoral register for that address.
You must issue a communication to each Route 1 property. There are two communication options open to you for the initial communication:1
- An e-communication:2
- Can be sent via any electronic channel
- If used, must be sent to every registered elector aged 18 or over that you hold the relevant electronic contact details for in the household2
- Requires a response, even if no changes are required for the property3
- Requires follow up action if no response is received within a reasonable timeframe4 (i.e. if no response is received to the initial e-communication or any reminder from at least one person within the household, Canvass Communication A must then be sent)
- Canvass Communication A (CCA):5
- Is a prescribed paper communication
- Can be hand delivered or sent by post
- Must be sent if you have been unable, or choose not, to use an e-communication
- Must be sent if you do not receive a response to an e-communication from an individual within the property within a reasonable timeframe4
- Does not require a response, unless there are changes for the property
- Does not require any follow up unless you are made aware of or have reason to believe there are changes for that property that require further action
It is an offence for an individual to fail to notify you of a change, or to provide false information in response to a Route 1 communication.6
- 1. Regulation 32ZBE(3) The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
- 2. Regulation 32ZBE(3)(b) The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001↩ Back to content at footnote 2 a b
- 3. Regulation 32ZBE(4) The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 3
- 4. Regulation 32ZBE(5)(b) The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001↩ Back to content at footnote 4 a b
- 5. Regulation 32ZBE(3)(a) The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 5
- 6. Regulations 32ZBG(4) and 32ZBG(4)(e)(i) The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 6
What is an e-communication and when can I use it?
What is an e-communication and when can I use it?
An e-communication could be an email, SMS text message or another type of electronic or digital communication, such as a communication through internal accounts used to communicate with electors about other local authority services. A response is required to an e-communication, even if there are no changes to report.
Whilst the e-communication you send must inform the recipient of the requirement to respond, you need only receive a response from one recipient of an e-communication within a household to meet the response requirement for that property.
An e-communication provides you with an opportunity to encourage a response from a property to update the information you hold on the register via an alternative channel than by post. This could potentially lead to resource savings.
To use an e-communication you must have the relevant contact details for at least one of the electors aged 18 or over registered in the household.1
You can still use an e-communication if you only hold contact details for some but not all registered electors at a property, although you must send an e-communication to all electors aged 18 or over whose contact details you do have.2
Using a mixture of e-communication methods
You can, if you wish, use different types of e-communications for different properties: for example, you could choose to send a mixture of emails and text messages or any other type of e-communication to different properties depending on the contact data you hold.
You can also send a mixture of e-communications within a household. However, there is no requirement to use more than one type of e-communication to contact a property so, for example, if you hold email addresses for some individuals and mobile numbers for others, you could decide only to use e-mail contact, in which case you would only need to send the e-communication to those individuals with email addresses.
Choosing which types of e-communication method(s) to use
When deciding which, if any, e-communication method to use, you should consider:
- whether you hold the information necessary to use the contact method you are considering, or if you are able to obtain and use contact information from any other sources in line with data protection considerations
- the number of individuals you hold the necessary information for
- how confident you are that the contact data you hold is accurate and up to date
- the capacity that your local authority has for sending out bulk emails/SMS messages
- whether to send out e-communications in batches in order to help manage the workload created by a high number of responses
- how you will process responses received through different communication channels, including queries from electors
- what steps you will take to be sure that any communication channels you use and any actions taken comply with data protection legislation
- how you will ensure that electors will know that e-communications you send are genuine, so they can be confident in responding accordingly
You cannot use e-communications for any empty and void properties as these properties do not contain any registered electors for you to contact electronically.
- 1. Regulation 32ZBE(3)(b) The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
- 2. Regulation 32ZBE(3)(b) The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 2
What information should an e-communication contain?
What information should an e-communication contain?
The design of an e-communication is not prescribed. However, we provide a template e-communication, and other information in our forms and letters guidance.
Any e-communication must require the recipient to:1
- confirm whether the information for all electors is complete and accurate
- provide details for any other eligible electors who are not listed on the communication. These details include their name, nationality and an indication of whether someone is aged 76 or over
Your e-communication must inform the recipient that they are required to respond and should also:
- provide the recipient with a deadline for response
- include information on the response channels available to them and instructions on how to use them
- include a link to the UK Government’s registration website (gov.uk/register-to-vote)
- inform the recipient how you obtained their contact details and give them the opportunity to opt-out of further e-communications
- 1. Regulation 32ZBE(4) The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
Beth yw ymateb llwyddiannus i e-ohebiaeth?
Beth yw ymateb llwyddiannus i e-ohebiaeth?
Rhaid i chi gael ymateb i e-ohebiaeth gan o leiaf un etholwr ar aelwyd o fewn cyfnod rhesymol o amser, hyd yn oed pan na fydd unrhyw newidiadau i'r wybodaeth ar gyfer yr eiddo hwnnw.1
Gellir diffinio ymateb llwyddiannus i e-ohebiaeth fel un sydd naill ai:2
- yn cadarnhau bod yr holl wybodaeth yn gyflawn a chywir
- yn rhoi gwybodaeth newydd am bwy sy'n byw yn yr eiddo
- yn rhoi gwybodaeth newydd am newidiadau sydd angen eu gwneud i fanylion etholwr
- yn rhoi gwybodaeth newydd sy'n dangos nad yw etholwr presennol yn byw yn yr eiddo mwyach
neu'n rhoi unrhyw gyfuniad o'r uchod.
Dim ond gan un etholwr y gwnaethoch gysylltu ag ef drwy e-ohebiaeth y mae angen i chi gael ymateb llwyddiannus i fod yn fodlon eich bod wedi cael ymateb ar gyfer yr eiddo hwnnw.3
Gwneud ymholiadau ychwanegol
Gallwch wneud ymholiadau ychwanegol os cewch ymateb sy'n dangos y gall newid fod wedi digwydd yn yr eiddo ond nad yw'n cynnwys digon o wybodaeth i roi ymateb llwyddiannus fel uchod.
Ar ôl gwneud ymholiadau ychwanegol, os byddwch yn llwyddo i gael y wybodaeth angenrheidiol i roi ymateb llwyddiannus, gallwch gau'r llwybr a chymryd unrhyw gamau ychwanegol sy'n ofynnol, er enghraifft, dechrau'r broses ITR ar gyfer preswylwyr newydd yn yr eiddo.
Os na fyddwch yn llwyddo i gael y wybodaeth angenrheidiol i roi ymateb llwyddiannus, rhaid i chi drosglwyddo'r eiddo i Lwybr 2 – y llwybr eiddo heb ei baru, am na allwch fodloni eich hun nad oes unrhyw newid i'r eiddo. Er enghraifft, gall ymateb awgrymu bod darpar etholwyr newydd yn yr eiddo ond efallai na fyddant wedi rhoi eu henwau. Os na fyddwch yn llwyddo i gael enwau'r darpar etholwyr newydd ar ôl gwneud ymholiadau ychwanegol, byddai angen i chi symud yr eiddo i Lwybr 2.
Pa gamau i'w cymryd os na cheir ymateb
Lle na cheir ymateb o fewn cyfnod rhesymol o amser, rhaid i chi anfon CCA i'r eiddo.4
Fodd bynnag, gallwch ddewis anfon e-ohebiaeth atgoffa cyn anfon y CCA.
Er na chaiff cyfnod rhesymol o amser ei ddiffinio mewn deddfwriaeth, yn ein barn ni, ni ddylai hyn fod yn hwy na 28 diwrnod a gall fod yn fyrrach mewn rhai amgylchiadau (er enghraifft, lle rydych yn nesáu at gwblhau'r canfasiad neu lle mae etholiad ar fin cael ei gynnal).
- 1. Rheoliad 32ZBE(4) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
- 2. Rheoliad 32ZBE(4) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 2
- 3. Rheoliad 32ZBE(5)(b) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 3
- 4. Rheoliad 32ZBE(5)(b) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 4
Ymatebion i e-ohebiaeth Llwybr 1
Ymatebion i e-ohebiaeth Llwybr 1
Os byddwch yn penderfynu defnyddio e-ohebiaeth chi fydd i benderfynu pa ddull(iau) ymateb fydd fwyaf addas ar gyfer eich ardal.
Er enghraifft, gallech benderfynu gyfeirio yn eich e-ohebiaeth at wasanaeth ymateb awtomataidd ar-lein, drwy neges SMS neu dros y ffôn sy'n casglu'r wybodaeth ofynnol. Gallech hefyd alluogi ymatebion i gael eu rhoi yn bersonol, drwy e-bost neu dros y ffôn, naill ai i ganolfan galwadau neu'n uniongyrchol i'ch tîm.
Rheoli newidiadau i eiddo
Os cewch wybodaeth mewn ymateb i e-ohebiaeth Llwybr 1 yn dweud wrthych am newidiadau, dylech gymryd camau i brosesu'r wybodaeth yn yr ymateb fel sydd ei angen.
Beth os ceir mwy nag un ymateb?
Bydd angen i chi sicrhau y gallwch nodi pan fydd mwy nag un unigolyn mewn eiddo wedi ymateb i e-ohebiaeth a'ch bod yn deall pa gamau y byddwch yn eu cymryd os bydd unrhyw wybodaeth wahanol yn yr ymatebion.
Er enghraifft, os byddwch yn cael ymateb gan un etholwr yn cadarnhau bod yr holl wybodaeth yn gywir a'ch bod yn cael ymateb gan un arall yn nodi bod angen tynnu enw rhywun oddi ar y gofrestr yn yr eiddo, bydd angen i chi wneud ymholiadau pellach er mwyn cadarnhau manylion yr eiddo. Os ydych o'r farn y gall fod angen gwneud newidiadau i'r eiddo ond na allwch gadarnhau digon o wybodaeth i'ch galluogi i gynnal adolygiad neu brosesau ITR, rhaid i chi drosglwyddo'r eiddo hwnnw i Lwybr 2.
Beth y dylwn ei wneud gydag e-byst wedi'u gwrthod?
E-bost wedi'i wrthod yw pan fydd heb gael ei ddosbarthu a bod yr anfonwr yn cael hysbysiad yn nodi hynny. Mae dau fath o e-bost wedi'i wrthod:
- gwrthodiad meddal – lle caiff y dosbarthiad ei oedi wrth i weinydd yr e-bost roi sawl cynnig arall ar ei ddosbarthu dros gyfnod o oriau neu ddiwrnodau a dim ond pan fydd y cyfnod hwn yn mynd heibio'n aflwyddiannus yr ystyrir bod yr e-bost heb gael ei ddosbarthu
- gwrthodiad caled – lle yr ystyrir bod y cyfeiriad heb dderbyn yr e-bost yn barhaol
Lle ceir gwrthodiad caled, dylech ddileu'r cyfeiriad e-bost o'ch cronfa ddata ac anfon CCA i'r eiddo os na fydd gennych unrhyw opsiynau e-ohebiaeth eraill ar gyfer yr unigolion yn yr eiddo.
Lle ceir gwrthodiad meddal, fel arfer bydd angen i chi aros i weld a fydd gwrthodiad caled yn digwydd am fod y neges wedi methu â chael ei dosbarthu ar ôl sawl ymgais.
Dylech gael proses ar waith i'ch galluogi i adnabod achosion o e-byst wedi'u gwrthod a chymryd camau priodol. Rydym wedi creu'r tabl isod sy'n nodi rhai o'r rhesymau cyffredin dros wrthodiadau a'r camau y gallech fod am eu cymryd lle bydd hyn yn digwydd.
Rheswm dros wrthod e-bost | Cam i'w gymryd |
---|---|
Y derbynnydd wedi blocio'r e-bost (gwrthodiad caled) | Nid oes dim y gallwch ei wneud fel anfonwr i atal hyn. Dylech ddileu'r cyfeiriad e-bost o'ch cronfa ddata ac anfon CCA i'r eiddo os na fydd gennych unrhyw opsiynau e-ohebiaeth eraill ar gyfer unrhyw unigolion yn yr eiddo |
Mae'r cyfeiriad e-bost yn annilys – er enghraifft, mae'r cyfeiriad anghywir wedi'i ddarparu neu mae wedi'i drawsosod yn anghywir (gwrthodiad caled) | Dylech sicrhau bod ffynhonnell eich data e-byst yn gywir. Os yw'r cyfeiriad wedi'i drawsosod yn anghywir, cywirwch y gwall ac ail-anfonwch yr e-ohebiaeth. Os nad yw'r cyfeiriad wedi'i drawsosod yn anghywir, dylech ddileu'r cyfeiriad e-bost o'ch cronfa ddata ac anfon CCA i'r eiddo os na fydd gennych unrhyw opsiynau e-ohebiaeth eraill ar gyfer unrhyw unigolion yn yr eiddo. |
Mae'r gweinydd wedi blocio'r e-bost – er enghraifft, mae'r e-bost yn y fformat anghywir, mae'n rhy fawr neu mae wedi'i adnabod fel sbam (gwrthodiad caled) | Cyn anfon, dylech fwrw golwg gofalus dros eich e-ohebiaeth, yn cynnwys gyda'ch tîm TG, a nodi unrhyw resymau posibl pam y gallai'r e-bost fod wedi'i flocio - fel graffeg fawr, ffotograffau neu frandio corfforaethol arall. Dylai mewnflwch/gweinydd y derbynnydd allu derbyn maint y brandio corfforaethol y mae angen ei gynnwys fel ffordd o ddangos bod yr e-ohebiaeth yn ddilys |
Nid yw gweinydd y derbynnydd ar gael (gwrthodiad meddal) | Nid oes dim y gallwch ei wneud fel anfonwr i atal hyn. Bydd hyn yn troi'n wrthodiad caled os na fydd y gweinydd y derbynnydd yn cymryd unrhyw gamau. |
Mae mewnflwch y derbynnydd yn llawn (gwrthodiad meddal) | Nid oes dim y gallwch ei wneud fel anfonwr i atal hyn. Bydd hyn yn troi'n wrthodiad caled os na fydd perchennog y mewnflwch yn cymryd unrhyw gamau. |
Mae'r ymatebydd wedi sefydlu gwasanaeth ymateb awtomataidd (gwrthodiad meddal) | Nid oes dim y gallwch ei wneud fel anfonwr i atal hyn. Mae'n bosibl y bydd yr e-bost wedi'i ddosbarthu o hyd ond dylech ddarllen cynnwys yr ymateb awtomataidd a phenderfynu a oes angen cymryd camau pellach. Er enghraifft, efallai bod yr unigolyn wedi gadael gweithle. Yn yr achos hwn, gallech drin yr ymateb awtomataidd fel gwrthodiad caled. |
Os byddwch yn cael gwrthodiadau caled ac nad oes unrhyw ddull electronig arall o gysylltu â'r unigolion mewn eiddo, dylech barhau â phroses Llwybr 1 drwy anfon CCA i'r eiddo.1
Nid oes gofyniad i ail-neilltuo'r eiddo i Lwybr 2 oni bai eich bod yn credu y gallai fod angen gwneud newidiadau yn yr eiddo.
Bydd angen i chi gymryd camau i sicrhau bod unrhyw gyfeiriadau e-bost a arweiniodd at wrthodiad caled yn cael eu dileu o'ch cronfa ddata er mwyn sicrhau cywirdeb y wybodaeth gyswllt sydd gennych ar gyfer canfasiadau yn y dyfodol.
- 1. Rheoliad 32ZBE(5) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
Pa wybodaeth sydd wedi'i chynnwys yng Ngohebiaeth Ganfasio A (CCA) a phryd y gallaf ei defnyddio?
Pa wybodaeth sydd wedi'i chynnwys yng Ngohebiaeth Ganfasio A (CCA) a phryd y gallaf ei defnyddio?
Gohebiaeth bapur yw gohebiaeth ganfasio A a ddefnyddir ar gyfer cysylltu ag eiddo wedi'u paru fel rhan o ganfasiad Llwybr 1. Mae'n rhoi manylion yr unigolion sydd wedi'u cofrestru yn y cyfeiriad ar hyn o bryd i'r ymatebwyr ac yn eu hannog i ymateb os bydd angen gwneud newidiadau.
Mae fformat y CCA wedi'i ragnodi1
a rhaid i chi hefyd gynnwys gwybodaeth benodol am bob unigolyn sydd wedi'i gofrestru yn y cyfeiriad ar hyn o bryd.
Rhaid i chi ailargraffu:2
- Enw llawn a chenedligrwydd pob etholwr cofrestredig, yn cynnwys cyrhaeddwyr a'r unigolion hynny y mae eu ceisiadau wedi'u pennu yn ddiweddar ac a gaiff eu hychwanegu i'r gofrestr erbyn yr hysbysiad o newid cyn i'r CCA gael ei hanfon.
- os yw'n ymarferol, p'un a yw bob unigolyn sydd wedi'i restru ar y ffurflen yn 76 oed neu’n hŷn.
Rhaid i'r CCA hefyd gynnwys:
- unrhyw wybodaeth am y ffordd y gall preswylwyr ymateb os bydd unrhyw wybodaeth yn anghywir neu'n anghyflawn3
- datganiad yn nodi, lle caiff ymateb ei roi am fod unrhyw wybodaeth yn anghyflawn neu'n anghywir, y bydd yn ofynnol i'r ymatebydd ddatgan bod y wybodaeth a ddarperir ganddo yn wir4
- datganiad ar y ffordd y caiff y data eu defnyddio a'u prosesu5
Ni ddylai'r CCA gynnwys:6
- Manylion unrhyw etholwyr Categori Arbennig
- manylion unrhyw unigolyn rydych yn ymwybodol ohono ond nad yw wedi llwyddo i gofrestru i bleidleisio eto, hyd yn oed os ydych yn credu y gall fod yn breswylydd ac yn gymwys i gofrestru
Ceir rhagor o arweiniad i'ch helpu i lunio'r CCA yn ein canllawiau ar ffurflenni a llythyrau.
Rhaid anfon CCA dan yr amgylchiadau canlynol:7
- Rydych eisoes wedi anfon e-ohebiaeth ar gyfer eiddo Llwybr 1 ac nid ydych wedi cael ymateb llwyddiannus gan o leiaf un unigolyn yn yr eiddo yr anfonwyd e-oheiaeth ato o fewn cyfnod rhesymol o amser
- nid ydych wedi gallu anfon e-ohebiaeth at o leiaf un unigolyn mewn eiddo
- Rydych wedi penderfynu peidio â defnyddio e-ohebiaeth ar gyfer eiddo Llwybr 1
Nid oes unrhyw ofyniad i gael ymateb i CCA.
- 1. Rheoliad 32ZBG(1)(a) a (4) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
- 2. Rheoliad 32ZBE(6) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 2
- 3. Rheoliad 32ZBG(4)(e) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 3
- 4. Rheoliad 32ZBG(4)(e)(i) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 4
- 5. Rheoliad 32ZBG(4)(c) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 5
- 6. Rheoliad 32ZBG(6)(a)(i) a (ii) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 6
- 7. Rheoliad 32ZBE(5) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 7
Ymatebion i Ohebiaeth Ganfasio A (CCA)
Ymatebion i Ohebiaeth Ganfasio A (CCA)
Er bod y gyfraith yn ei gwneud yn ofynnol i aelwydydd roi gwybod i chi os bydd unrhyw wybodaeth a geir yn y CCA yn anghywir neu'n anghyflawn,1 nid yw'n ofynnol i chi gymryd camau dilynol mewn achosion o beidio ag ymateb i CCA. Fodd bynnag, dylech gymryd camau dilynol mewn perthynas ag unrhyw CCA a gaiff ei dychwelyd gan y Post Brenhinol am na chafodd ei dosbarthu neu a gafodd ei dychwelyd at yr anfonwr.
Pa ddulliau ymateb sydd ar gael ar gyfer CCA?
Chi sydd i benderfynu pa ddulliau ymateb y byddwch yn eu cynnig i unigolion eu defnyddio pan fydd angen iddynt eich hysbysu am newidiadau mewn eiddo ar ôl cael CCA.
Rhaid i chi argraffu manylion eich dulliau ymateb dewisol ymlaen llaw ar y CCA.2
Y mathau o ddulliau ymateb y gallwch fod am eu cynnig yw:
- Dros y ffôn naill ai â chanolfan galwadau neu'n uniongyrchol i'ch tîm
- Dros y we
- Drwy neges destun
- Drwy e-bost
- Yn bersonol
- Drwy'r post (noder – nid oes gofyniad cyfreithiol i gynnwys amlen ymateb ragdaledig gyda CCA, gan adlewyrchu na fwriedir i'r ffurflen ei hun gael ei dychwelyd)
Wrth benderfynu pa ddulliau ymateb i'w cynnig, bydd angen i chi ystyried y canlynol:
- Os dychwelir ymateb drwy'r post sy'n dynodi newidiadau i eiddo, sut y byddwch yn sicrhau eich bod yn fodlon bod y wybodaeth a roddir yn gywir i'ch galluogi i brosesu'r newidiadau?
- Demograffeg eich ardal ganfasio – er enghraifft os gwyddoch fod gennych boblogaeth uchel o bobl hŷn, ardaloedd â mynediad cyfyngedig i'r rhyngrwyd neu lefelau uchel o amddifadedd economaidd-gymdeithasol, bydd angen i chi ystyried pa ddulliau ymateb a fyddai fwyaf priodol i ddiwallu anghenion eich etholwyr.
- A fydd y dulliau ymateb y byddwch yn eu cynnig yn galluogi unigolion i roi manylion am unrhyw newidiadau i chi mewn ffordd hygyrch.
- A fydd y dulliau ymateb y byddwch yn eu cynnig hefyd yn annog darpar etholwyr newydd i gofrestru drwy'r gofrestr i bleidleisio ar-lein
- Sut y byddwch yn rheoli'r gwaith o brosesu ymatebion drwy sianeli gwahanol – er enghraifft os ydych yn ystyried defnyddio sianel nad ydych wedi ei defnyddio o'r blaen, bydd angen i chi sicrhau bod gennych y prosesau cywir ar waith i reoli ymatebion drwy'r sianel hon, gan gynnwys ystyried sut y bydd yn rhyngweithio â'ch System Rheoli Etholiad. Dylech hefyd ystyried unrhyw oblygiadau ychwanegol o ran adnoddau os byddwch yn defnyddio dulliau ymateb gwahanol.
Sut y dylwn brosesu ymateb i CCA?
Pan fydd rhywun yn ymateb i CCA, boed hynny er mwyn cywiro gwybodaeth anghywir neu er mwyn ychwanegu gwybodaeth sydd ar goll, bydd angen i chi sicrhau bod ei ymateb yn cynnwys yr holl wybodaeth sy'n ofynnol arnoch i brosesu'r ymateb. Er enghraifft, a yw'r ymateb wedi rhoi digon o wybodaeth i allu dechrau'r ITR neu'r broses adolygu? Gallwch wneud ymholiadau ychwanegol os nad yw'r ymateb yn cynnwys digon o wybodaeth i gau Llwybr 1.
Ar ôl gwneud ymholiadau ychwanegol, os na allwch gael y wybodaeth angenrheidiol i roi ymateb llwyddiannus, gallwch gau Llwybr 1 a pharhau â'r ITR neu'r broses adolygu fel sy'n briodol ar gyfer yr eiddo.
Os na fyddwch yn llwyddo i gael y wybodaeth angenrheidiol i roi ymateb llwyddiannus, rhaid i chi drosglwyddo'r eiddo i Lwybr 2 – y llwybr eiddo heb ei baru, am na allwch fodloni eich hun nad oes unrhyw newid i'r eiddo. Er enghraifft, gall ymateb awgrymu bod darpar etholwyr newydd yn yr eiddo ond efallai na fyddant wedi rhoi eu henwau. Os na fyddwch yn llwyddo i gael enwau'r darpar etholwyr newydd ar ôl gwneud ymholiadau ychwanegol, byddai angen i chi symud yr eiddo i Lwybr 2.
Ceir rhagor o wybodaeth am Lwybr 2 yn ein canllawiau ar gyfer Llwybr 2 – y llwybr eiddo heb ei baru.
- 1. Rheoliad 32ZBE(3) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
- 2. Rheoliad 32ZBG(4)(e) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 2
Route 2 – the unmatched property route
Route 2 – the unmatched property route
When you have completed your data matching and allocated properties to canvass routes, you can begin to deliver your canvass plan.
This section covers Route 2 and includes guidance on when you can use Route 2, the contact rules for Route 2, what canvass communications you can use and how to process responses.
Beth yw Llwybr 2 a phryd y gallaf ei ddefnyddio?
Beth yw Llwybr 2 a phryd y gallaf ei ddefnyddio?
Llwybr 2 yw'r llwybr eiddo heb ei baru Mae pob eiddo'n cael ei neilltuo i Lwybr 2 i ddechrau, ac yna gallwch ddefnyddio Llwybr 2 ar gyfer unrhyw eiddo unrhyw bryd.
Er mwyn gallu canfasio eiddo gan ddefnyddio Llwybr 1 neu Lwybr 3 yn lle hynny, rhaid bodloni meini prawf penodol.
Sut y gellir diffinio'r mathau gwahanol o gyswllt ar gyfer Llwybr 2?
Mae'r mathau gwahanol o gyswllt ar gyfer Llwybr 2 wedi'u diffinio isod:
- Cyswllt â'r eiddo – lle y caiff y Ffurflen Ganfasio ragnodedig neu Ohebiaeth Ganfasio B (CCB) ei hanfon i'r eiddo, neu lle yr ymwelir â'r cyfeiriad. Rhaid i'ch ymgais gyntaf i gysylltu fod â'r eiddo.
- Cyswllt unigol – lle y caiff cyswllt ei wneud gan ddefnyddio'r manylion cyswllt sydd gennych ar gyfer unigolyn sydd wedi'i baru drwy1 waith paru data cenedlaethol a/neu leol. Gallech gyfathrebu dros y ffôn, drwy e-bost, neges SMS, neu drwy fath arall o ohebiaeth electronig (fel drwy gyfrifon cwsmeriaid mewnol).
- Cyswllt personol – lle y ceisir cysylltu naill ai â'r aelwyd neu ag unigolion sydd wedi'u cofrestru yn y cyfeiriad sydd wedi'u paru, naill ai drwy ymweld â'r eiddo neu drwy alwad ffôn.
Beth yw'r rheolau o ran cysylltu ar gyfer Llwybr 2?
Er mwyn bodloni gofynion Llwybr canfasio 2, mae nifer o reolau o ran cysylltu y bydd angen i chi eu dilyn:
- Rhaid i chi wneud o leiaf dair ymgais i gysylltu â'r eiddo a/neu unigolion yn yr eiddo hwnnw oni bai eich bod wedi cael ymateb2
- Rhaid i o leiaf ddwy ymgais i gysylltu fod â'r eiddo, nid ag unigolyn
- Rhaid i o leiaf un ymgais i gysylltu fod drwy'r Ffurflen Ganfasio ragnodedig
- Rhaid i'r ymgais gyntaf i gysylltu fod drwy gyfathrebu â'r eiddo (h.y. Ffurflen Ganfasio, Gohebiaeth Ganfasio B (CCB) neu ymweliad â'r eiddo, yn hytrach na chyfathrebu ag unigolyn
- Rhaid i o leiaf un ymgais i gysylltu fod drwy gyswllt personol (h.y. ymweliad neu alwad ffôn)
Os na fodlonir unrhyw un o'r meini prawf uchod yn ystod eich tair ymgais gyntaf i gysylltu, rhaid i chi geisio cysylltu eto er mwyn bodloni unrhyw ofynion sy'n weddill a chwblhau proses Llwybr 2.
Gan ddefnyddio eich gwybodaeth leol a'ch profiad, gallwch benderfynu defnyddio dulliau cyfathrebu gwahanol ar gyfer eiddo gwahanol ar gamau cyswllt gwahanol Llwybr 2. Dylech gysylltu â chyflenwr eich System Rheoli Etholiad er mwyn pennu sut y caiff y newid hwn ei reoli yn ymarferol
Gallwch hefyd benderfynu anfon deunydd cyfathrebu penodol ar adegau gwahanol, yn dibynnu ar sut rydych yn dymuno rheoli eich adnoddau.
Mae Adran y Weinyddiaeth Tai, Cymunedau a Llywodraeth Leol wedi llunio tabl sy'n nodi'r ffyrdd posibl y gellid defnyddio mathau gwahanol o gyswllt er mwyn sicrhau y caiff gofynion Llwybr 2 eu bodloni.
- 1. 32ZBD(4)(b)ac(c) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
- 2. Rheoliad 32ZBD(1) a (2) a (3) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 2
Beth yw'r opsiynau posibl ar gyfer yr ymgais gyntaf i gysylltu?
Beth yw'r opsiynau posibl ar gyfer yr ymgais gyntaf i gysylltu?
Rhaid i'r ymgais gyntaf i gysylltu fod ag eiddo, nid ag unigolyn.1
Dyma'r opsiynau posibl ar gyfer cysylltu ag eiddo:2
- Gohebiaeth Ganfasio B (CCB)
- Ffurflen Ganfasio
- Ymweliad â'r eiddo (h.y. curo ar y drws)
Beth yw Gohebiaeth Ganfasio B?
Er nad yw'r ddeddfwriaeth yn rhoi manylion am yr hyn y mae'n rhaid i'r CCB3
ei gynnwys yn yr un modd ag ar gyfer y CCA ragnodedig (a ddefnyddir ar gyfer eiddo Llwybr 1) a'r Ffurflen Ganfasio, mae'n ei gwneud yn ofynnol i chi ddefnyddio'r fersiwn a luniwyd gan y Comisiwn Etholiadol.
Gohebiaeth Ganfasio B:
- Ffurflen bapur
- Gellir ei defnyddio yn lle'r Ffurflen Ganfasio (er ei bod yn ofynnol i un o'r tair ymgais i gysylltu sy'n ofynnol i gwblhau Llwybr 2 os na cheir ymateb fod ar ffurf Ffurflen Ganfasio)
- Nid oes angen cynnwys amlen ymateb ragdaledig
- Mae'n annog ymateb drwy sianeli eraill yn lle'r post – naill ai ar-lein neu drwy wasanaeth ymateb dros y ffôn
- Mae'n gofyn am ymateb hyd yn oes os nad oes angen gwneud unrhyw newidiadau ar gyfer yr eiddo
- Mae'n gofyn am gamau dilynol os na cheir ymateb o fewn cyfnod rhesymol o amser
Beth yw Ffurflen Ganfasio?
Mae'r ddeddfwriaeth yn ei gwneud yn ofynnol i chi ddefnyddio'r Ffurflen Ganfasio a luniwyd gan y Comisiwn Etholiadol.4
Y Ffurflen Ganfasio:
- Ffurflen bapur
- Rhaid cynnwys amlen ymateb ragdaledig5
- Rhaid iddi gael ei dosbarthu i eiddo rywbryd yn ystod proses gysylltu Llwybr 2, oni bai eich bod eisoes wedi cael ymateb gan yr eiddo
- Mae'n annog etholwyr i ymateb gyda manylion diweddaraf y preswylwyr yn yr eiddo
- Mae'n gofyn am ymateb hyd yn oes os nad oes angen gwneud unrhyw newidiadau ar gyfer yr eiddo
- Mae'n gofyn am gamau dilynol os na cheir ymateb o fewn cyfnod rhesymol o amser
Ceir rhagor o arweiniad i'ch helpu i lunio'r CCA yn ein canllawiau ar ffurflenni a llythyrau
- 1. Rheoliad 32ZBD(1) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
- 2. Rheoliad 32ZBD(1) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 2
- 3. 32ZBD(1)(a) a (10) a 32ZBG(1)(a)(iii) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 3
- 4. Rheoliad 32ZBG(1) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 4
- 5. Rheoliad 32ZBD(9)(b) o Reoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 5
What constitutes a visit to a property?
What constitutes a visit to a property?
A visit to a property:
- Involves a canvasser attempting to gather the information required by the Canvass Form or CCB in person from a resident of the property
- Does not require a response to be received on the doorstep, or the door to be answered
- Can involve hand delivering either a CCB or Canvass Form when no response is received on the doorstep, which would meet both the personal contact and the property contact requirements of a Route 2 canvass at the same time
Sut y dylwn wneud yr ymgais gyntaf i gysylltu?
Sut y dylwn wneud yr ymgais gyntaf i gysylltu?
Bydd angen i chi benderfynu sut y byddwch yn gwneud yr ymgais gyntaf i gysylltu. Dyma rai cwestiynau i chi eu hystyried:
- A fyddwch yn anfon gohebiaeth bapur ac, os felly, pa fath?
- Gall CCB annog unigolion i ddefnyddio'r sianeli ymateb eraill sydd gennych ar waith. Gall cynnydd yn y defnydd o'r sianeli hyn arbed costau a lleihau'r adnoddau sydd eu hangen arnoch i brosesu ymatebion. Dylid hefyd ystyried demograffeg eich etholwyr a pha mor debygol y maent o allu defnyddio'r sianeli ymateb gwahanol.
- Mae'n bosibl y bydd etholwyr yn gyfarwydd â Ffurflen Ganfasio ragnodedig, a all annog unigolion i ymateb i'r ymgais gyntaf i gysylltu. Cofiwch os na chewch ymateb i'r ymgais gyntaf i gysylltu, os byddwch wedi anfon Ffurflen Ganfasio fel rhan o'r ymgais honno, ni fydd angen i chi anfon Ffurflen Ganfasio arall fel rhan o unrhyw ymgais ddilynol i gysylltu.
- Sut y byddwch yn dosbarthu'r ohebiaeth bapur – yn bersonol neu drwy'r post?
- Bydd angen i chi ystyried y gofynion o ran costau ac adnoddau sy'n gysylltiedig â chynhyrchu a dosbarthu pob opsiwn.
- Os byddwch yn ei dosbarthu'n bersonol, a fyddwch yn cyfuno hynny ag ymweliad personol?
- Os byddwch yn dosbarthu gohebiaeth ganfasio yn bersonol, gallech geisio ymweld â'r eiddo yn bersonol (curo ar y drws) gyntaf. Bydd yr ymgais hon i wneud cyswllt personol ag unigolyn yn yr eiddo yn bodloni gofyniad Llwybr 2 mewn perthynas â gwneud o leiaf un ymgais i wneud cyswllt personol. Os na fydd ateb yn yr eiddo, gallech wedyn ddosbarthu'r ohebiaeth ganfasio.
- Bydd angen i chi sicrhau eich bod yn nodi, yn recriwtio ac yn hyfforddi digon o ganfaswyr ar gyfer lledaeniad daearyddol a nifer yr eiddo y mae angen dosbarthu gohebiaeth ganfasio Llwybr 2 iddynt).
Pa sianeli ymateb y gellir eu defnyddio ar gyfer Llwybr 2?
Pa sianeli ymateb y gellir eu defnyddio ar gyfer Llwybr 2?
Y tu hwnt i'r gofyniad i gynnwys amlen ymateb ragdaledig gyda Ffurflen Ganfasio, mater i chi fydd penderfynu pa sianeli ymateb i'w cynnig ar gyfer ymateb i ohebiaeth ganfasio, boed yn Ffurflen Ganfasio neu'n CCB. Bydd angen i chi adlewyrchu'r opsiynau posibl ar gyfer ymateb yn eich gohebiaeth ganfasio ar bob cam o broses Llwybr 2.
Gall y math o ddull ymateb y gallwch fod am ei gynnig gynnwys:
- Galwad ffôn (naill ai â chanolfan galwadau neu'n uniongyrchol â'ch tîm)
- Ar-lein drwy system rheoli ymateb ar-lein awtomataidd
- Neges destun SMS
- E-bost (naill ai i wasanaeth ymateb a reolir neu'n uniongyrchol i’ch tîm)
- Yn bersonol
- Drwy'r post (noder – nid oes gofyniad cyfreithiol i gynnwys amlen ymateb ragdaledig gyda CCB, gan adlewyrchu na fwriedir i'r llythyr ei hun gael ei ddychwelyd drwy'r post)
Pan fyddwch yn penderfynu pa sianeli ymateb i'w cynnwys, bydd angen i chi ystyried y canlynol:
- Os dychwelir ymateb drwy'r post sy'n dynodi newidiadau i eiddo, sut y byddwch yn sicrhau eich bod yn fodlon bod y wybodaeth a roddir yn gywir i'ch galluogi i brosesu'r newidiadau?
- Demograffeg eich ardal ganfasio – er enghraifft os gwyddoch fod gennych boblogaeth uchel o bobl hŷn, ardaloedd â mynediad cyfyngedig i'r rhyngrwyd neu lefelau uchel o amddifadedd economaidd-gymdeithasol, bydd angen i chi ystyried pa ddulliau ymateb a fyddai'n fwyaf priodol i ddiwallu'r anghenion hyn.
- A fydd y dulliau ymateb y byddwch yn eu cynnig yn galluogi unigolion i roi manylion am unrhyw newidiadau i chi mewn ffordd hygyrch
- A fydd y dulliau ymateb y byddwch yn eu cynnig hefyd yn annog darpar etholwyr newydd i gofrestru drwy'r gofrestr i bleidleisio ar-lein
- Sut y byddwch yn rheoli'r gwaith o brosesu ymatebion drwy sianeli gwahanol – er enghraifft os ydych yn ystyried defnyddio sianel nad ydych wedi ei defnyddio o'r blaen, bydd angen i chi sicrhau bod gennych y prosesau cywir ar waith i reoli ymatebion drwy'r sianel hon, gan gynnwys ystyried sut y bydd pob sianel yn rhyngweithio â'ch System Rheoli Etholiad. Dylech hefyd ystyried unrhyw oblygiadau ychwanegol o ran adnoddau os byddwch yn defnyddio dulliau ymateb gwahanol.
Os na chewch ymateb i ohebiaeth Llwybr 2, hyd yn oed os nad oes unrhyw newidiadau i'w cofnodi, rhaid i chi geisio cysylltu eto hyd nes y byddwch wedi bodloni'r meini prawf gofynnol o ran cysylltu.1
- 1. Rheoliad 32ZBD(2) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
What are the communication options for the second contact attempt?
What are the communication options for the second contact attempt?
If you do not get a successful response within a reasonable period of time following the first contact, a second contact attempt must be made.1
While a reasonable period of time is not defined in legislation, in our view this should be no longer than 28 days and may, in some circumstances, be shorter (for example, where you are approaching the conclusion of the canvass or where there is an election due to take place).
You can choose to make either:
- a property contact (i.e. Canvass Form, CCB, visit to the property), or
- an individual contact (i.e. email, SMS, telephone or any other electronic communication method), if you hold contact details for any matched individual(s) (aged 18 or over) at the property
Electronic communications (e-communications) are designed to encourage a response to be made by channels other than by post.
Your e-communication must inform the recipient that they are required to respond and should also:
- Provide the recipient with a deadline for response
- Include information on the response channels available to them and instructions on how to use them
- Include a link to the UK Government’s registration website (gov.uk/register-to-vote)
- Inform the recipient how you obtained their contact details and give them the opportunity to opt-out of further e-communications
Whilst the e-communication you send must inform the recipient of the requirement to respond, you need only receive a response from one recipient of an e-communication within a household to meet the response requirement for that property and prevent the need for follow up. You can find out more information on e-communications in the forms and letters guidance.
- 1. Regulation 32ZBD (2) The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
Sut y dylwn wneud yr ail ymgais i gysylltu?
Sut y dylwn wneud yr ail ymgais i gysylltu?
Bydd angen i chi benderfynu sut i wneud yr ail ymgais i gysylltu â phob eiddo nad yw wedi rhoi'r wybodaeth sydd ei hangen i roi ymateb llwyddiannus i'r ymgais gyntaf i gysylltu.
Dyma rai cwestiynau i chi eu hystyried:
- A fyddwch yn rhoi cynnig arall ar gysylltu â'r eiddo gan ddefnyddio gohebiaeth ganfasio bapur? Os felly, pa un?
- Os gwnaethoch ddefnyddio CCB ar gyfer yr ymgais gyntaf i gysylltu, gallech benderfynu defnyddio Ffurflen Ganfasio ar gyfer yr ail ymgais er mwyn bodloni'r gofyniad o ran proses Llwybr 2 y dylid anfon Ffurflen Ganfasio fel un o'r tair ymgais ofynnol i gysylltu os na cheir ymateb. Gallech hefyd ystyried cyfuno dosbarthu gohebiaeth bapur â chyswllt personol â'r eiddo.
- A fyddwch yn penderfynu cysylltu ag unigolyn?
- Sut y byddwch yn prosesu ymatebion a geir drwy ddulliau cyfathrebu gwahanol, yn cynnwys ymholiadau gan etholwyr?
Bydd angen i chi gymryd camau i sicrhau bod unrhyw sianeli cyfathrebu y byddwch yn eu defnyddio yn ddiogel a bod unrhyw gamau y byddwch yn eu cymryd yn cydymffurfio â deddfwriaeth diogelu data, er mwyn sicrhau y bydd yr etholwyr yn gwybod bod yr ohebiaeth gyfathrebu unigol y byddwch yn ei hanfon yn ddilys, ac y gallant fod yn hyderus wrth ymateb iddi briodol
Pan fyddwch yn penderfynu cysylltu ag unigolyn fel rhan o Lwybr 2, rhaid i chi geisio cysylltu â phob unigolyn a barwyd yn yr eiddo y mae gennych wybodaeth gyswllt ar ei gyfer.1
Gallwch anfon cymysgedd o e-ohebiaeth
Gallwch ddewis anfon cymysgedd o e-ohebiaeth o fewn aelwyd. Fodd bynnag, nid oes gofyniad i ddefnyddio mwy nag un math o e-ohebiaeth er mwyn cysylltu ag eiddo felly, er enghraifft, os bydd gennych gyfeiriadau e-bost ar gyfer rhai unigolion a rhifau ffôn symudol ar gyfer rhai eraill, gallech benderfynu defnyddio cyswllt e-bost yn unig, ac os felly dim ond at yr unigolion hynny sydd â chyfeiriadau e-bost y byddai angen i chi anfon yr e-ohebiaeth.
Fodd bynnag, os bydd y wybodaeth gyswllt ar gyfer un etholwr a barwyd yr un peth a'r wybodaeth gyswllt ar gyfer unigolyn arall yn yr un eiddo, a'ch bod eisoes wedi ceisio cysylltu gan ddefnyddio'r wybodaeth honno, er enghraifft oes bydd mwy nag un deiliad wedi darparu'r un rhif ffôn neu gyfeiriad e-bost, ni fydd angen i chi wneud mwy nag un ymgais i gysylltu gan ddefnyddio'r un manylion.
Os byddwch yn penderfynu ceisio cysylltu ag unigolion dros y ffôn, mae'n bwysig eich bod yn cadw trywydd archwilio clir o'r ymgais honno, er enghraifft dyddiad ac amser yr alwad, manylion yr unigolyn y gwnaethoch siarad ag ef, a'r manylion (os o gwbl) a gadarnhawyd neu a roddwyd.
Gall unrhyw un yn yr eiddo ddarparu'r ymateb: gall unrhyw unigolyn, gan gynnwys y rhai hynny na chawsant eu paru, ateb yr alwad a rhoi ymateb.
- 1. Rheoliad 32ZBD(4)(b) ac (c) a 32ZBD(8)(b) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
Sut y dylwn wneud y drydedd ymgais i gysylltu?
Sut y dylwn wneud y drydedd ymgais i gysylltu?
Rhaid i chi wneud o leiaf dair ymgais i gysylltu os na chewch ymateb.1
Er mwyn gallu cau proses Llwybr 2 ar ôl tair ymgais i gysylltu, bydd angen i chi sicrhau bod y dull cysylltu y byddwch yn ei ddewis ar gyfer y cam hwn yn eich galluogi i gydymffurfio â'r rheolau o ran cysylltu ar gyfer Llwybr 2.
Wrth benderfynu pa opsiynau cysylltu i'w defnyddio ar gyfer y drydedd ymgais i gysylltu, dylech ofyn y ddau gwestiwn canlynol:
- A ydych eisoes wedi ceisio cysylltu'n bersonol ag unigolyn mewn eiddo – naill ai dros y ffôn neu drwy ymweld â'r eiddo?
- A ydych eisoes wedi anfon Ffurflen Ganfasio ragnodedig fel rhan o'r cam cysylltu blaenorol? Mae'n bwysig cofio nad yw anfon CCB yn bodloni'r gofyniad hwn.
Os mai 'do' yw'r ateb i'r ddau gwestiwn, gallwch ddewis unrhyw un o'r dulliau cysylltu ag eiddo neu unigolyn sydd ar gael i chi (fel y'u hamlinellir yn y cam cysylltu cyntaf a'r ail gam cysylltu).
Os mai 'na' yw'r ateb i'r naill gwestiwn neu'r llall, a'ch bod yn dymuno cwblhau cylch Llwybr 2 drwy'r nifer gofynnol o gynigion i gysylltu, dylech fodloni pa ofynion bynnag sy'n weddill fel rhan o'r ymgais hwn i gysylltu.
Os byddwch yn dewis dull cysylltu ar gyfer eich trydedd ymgais na fyddai'n eich galluogi i fodloni'r gofynion sylfaenol o ran cysylltu, bydd angen i chi geisio cysylltu eto nes y byddwch wedi bodloni'r gofynion sylfaenol o ran cysylltu neu wedi cael ymateb.
- 1. Rheoliad 32ZBD (3) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
Ymatebion Llwybr 2
Ymatebion Llwybr 2
Os na chewch ymateb i ohebiaeth Llwybr 2, hyd yn oed os nad oes unrhyw newidiadau i'w cofnodi, rhaid i chi geisio cysylltu eto hyd nes y byddwch wedi bodloni'r meini prawf gofynnol o ran cysylltu.1
Bydd angen i chi gadarnhau bod unrhyw ymateb a gewch yn cynnwys yr holl wybodaeth sydd ei hangen arnoch er mwyn prosesu'r ymateb. Er enghraifft, a oes gennych ddigon o wybodaeth i ddechrau'r Gwahoddiad i Gofrestru (ITR) neu broses adolygu?
Dim ond gan un unigolyn y mae angen i chi gael ymateb er mwyn bod yn fodlon eich bod wedi cael ymateb ar gyfer yr eiddo hwnnw.
Os byddwch yn cael ymateb sy'n cadarnhau bod yr holl wybodaeth sydd gennych ar gyfer eiddo yn gyflawn ac yn gywir, gallwch gau Llwybr 2 ar gyfer yr eiddo hwnnw pan fyddwch wedi prosesu'r ymateb.
Rheoli ymatebion anghyflawn neu sy'n gwrthdaro
Os byddwch yn cael ymateb sy'n dangos y gallai fod rhywbeth wedi newid yn yr eiddo, bydd angen i chi gadarnhau bod yr ymateb yn cynnwys yr holl wybodaeth sydd ei hangen arnoch i'w brosesu'n llawn. Gallwch wneud ymholiadau ychwanegol os na fydd yr ymateb yn cynnwys digon o wybodaeth i gau Llwybr 2. Er enghraifft, os byddwch wedi cael enw llawn darpar etholwr newydd ond nid ei genedligrwydd, gallech wneud ymholiadau ychwanegol cyn anfon ITR ato.
Ar ôl gwneud ymholiadau ychwanegol, os byddwch yn llwyddo i gael y wybodaeth sydd ei hangen i roi ymateb llwyddiannus, gallwch gau Llwybr 2 a pharhau â'r ITR neu'r broses adolygu fel sy'n briodol ar gyfer yr eiddo.
Os byddwch yn cael gwybodaeth wahanol gan eiddo bydd angen i chi benderfynu pa gamau i'w cymryd. Er enghraifft, os byddwch yn cael ymateb gan un etholwr yn cadarnhau bod yr holl wybodaeth yn gywir a'ch bod yn cael ymateb gan un arall yn nodi bod angen tynnu enw rhywun oddi ar y gofrestr yn yr eiddo, bydd angen i chi wneud ymholiadau pellach er mwyn cadarnhau manylion yr eiddo.
Fodd bynnag, os byddwch wedi cael gwybodaeth i awgrymu y gallai fod rhywbeth wedi newid yn yr eiddo, ond na allwch gael y wybodaeth sydd ei hangen i roi ymateb llwyddiannus drwy'r nifer gofynnol o gynigion i gysylltu fel rhan o Lwybr 2, dylech barhau i geisio cysylltu er mwyn cael y wybodaeth goll sydd ei hangen i roi ymateb llwyddiannus.
Rheoli newidiadau i eiddo
Pan fyddwch yn cael ymateb i ohebiaeth Llwybr 2 sy'n dynodi y gall rhywbeth fod wedi newid yn yr eiddo, bydd angen i chi gadarnhau bod yr ymateb yn cynnwys yr holl wybodaeth sydd ei hangen arnoch i'w brosesu'n llawn ac yna dylech gymryd camau i brosesu'r wybodaeth yn yr ymateb fel sydd ei angen.
- 1. Rheoliad 32ZBD(2) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
Route 3 - the defined property route
Route 3 - the defined property route
As part of your planning for the canvass you should already have undertaken an exercise to identify Route 3 properties for your area and made initial contact with the responsible person for those properties.
This section provides guidance on what communications you can use for this route and how to process responses for those properties you have allocated to Route 3.
Beth yw Llwybr 3 a phryd y gallaf ei ddefnyddio?
Beth yw Llwybr 3 a phryd y gallaf ei ddefnyddio?
Mae Llwybr 3, sef y llwybr eiddo diffiniedig, yn eich galluogi i gasglu'r wybodaeth sydd ei hangen ar gyfer y canfasiad ar gyfer mathau penodol o eiddo gan unigolyn cyfrifol, lle y gellir nodi un.
Rhaid i eiddo Llwybr 3 fodloni meini prawf penodol a nodir yn y gyfraith. Gallwch gael rhagor o wybodaeth am y mathau o eiddo y gellir eu hystyried ar gyfer canfasio drwy Lwybr 3, ynghyd ag esboniad o bwy y gellir ei ystyried yn unigolyn cyfrifol, yma – pa fathau o eiddo yw eiddo Llwybr 3 a sut y gallaf eu nodi?
Mae'n bosibl y byddwch yn penderfynu defnyddio Llwybr 3 ar gyfer mathau penodol o eiddo os credwch eich bod yn fwy tebygol o gael ymateb gan unigolyn cyfrifol1
yn hytrach nag unigolyn sy'n byw yn yr eiddo.
Fodd bynnag, cyn dechrau proses Llwybr 3, os bydd canlyniad y gwaith paru data ar gyfer unrhyw eiddo yn dangos bod unigolion sy'n byw yn yr eiddo wedi'u paru a'ch bod yn fodlon nad oes unrhyw newidiadau i'w cofnodi ar gyfer yr eiddo hwnnw, gallech benderfynu ei bod yn fwy priodol canfasio'r eiddo hwn drwy Lwybr 1 – y llwybr eiddo wedi'i baru.
Ni ellir defnyddio Llwybr 3 os bydd canlyniadau'r gwaith paru data neu wybodaeth arall sydd gennych yn dangos mai dim ond unigolion dan 18 oed sydd wedi'u cofrestru yn yr eiddo.2
- 1. Rheoliadau 32ZBA(3) a (5) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
- 2. Rheoliadau 32ZBA(6) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 2
Developing positive relationships with responsible persons
Developing positive relationships with responsible persons
It is important that you develop and maintain positive relationships with responsible persons to ensure that your Route 3 canvass activity is successful.
You should consider how best to contact responsible persons in your area to ensure that the information is received, understood and acted upon in a timely way. For example, you may wish to make an informal phone call to your contact at the beginning of your Route 3 canvass to highlight that a formal request for information is forthcoming.
You should be prepared to offer personal visits to Route 3 properties early in the canvass process if you consider that face to face communication is most appropriate for dealing with concerns or questions. In some instances, this may be the best way of engaging with responsible persons and gathering the information required.
Setting timescales
You should ask for the information to be provided within a reasonable period of time.1
When setting deadlines for the provision of the required information, you should ensure that they are realistic and achievable, and you should understand the different conditions in which your responsible persons are operating. For example, universities may not be able to provide information about students until the beginning of term.
Once you have agreed your deadline for responses, you should communicate how you will issue reminders or follow up with visits as necessary, to help manage expectations.
Issues with the supply of information
Some responsible persons, for example care home staff, may have concerns about supplying information about residents who may not have the mental capacity to vote. Ensuring that your communications with them are clear and comprehensive will help provide them with the confidence they need to work with you effectively.
You should point out that the purpose of the annual canvass is simply to capture information on who lives at the property to establish who should be invited to register, and identifying people who are no longer resident.
Occasionally, responsible persons may have concerns about supplying the required information because they have doubts about sharing personal data. In these cases you should remind them of your right to request information and reassure them that providing the required information does not breach data protection legislation.
- 1. Regulation 32ZBF(7) Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
Right to request information
Right to request information
As Electoral Registration Officer, you have a duty to maintain an accurate and complete register. UK law enables you to require anyone to provide information required for the purposes of your registration duties.
In particular, Regulation 23 of the Representation of the People Regulations 20011
states that: A registration officer may require any person to give information required for the purposes of that officer's duties in maintaining registers of electors.
The required information for the Route 3 canvass is set out in what should a Route 3 communication include.
Under data protection principles the ERO is entitled to collect the required information as there is a lawful basis for its processing; the performance of a public task in the public interest, as provided for in electoral law.
If any additional optional information, for example email addresses and phone numbers, is requested, this may be shared if a data sharing agreement is in place between you and the responsible person or organisation, and they have informed individuals about the potential sharing of such information through their privacy notice.
Our data protection guidance for EROs and ROs provides further guidance on complying with data protection legislation.
There is a criminal penalty of a fine up to a maximum £1,000 for failing to provide the information required.2
- 1. Regulation 23 (1) Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 (RPR (E&W) 2001) ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
- 2. Regulation 23 (3) RPR (E&W) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 2
Pa ohebiaeth y dylid ei defnyddio ar gyfer eiddo Llwybr 3?
Pa ohebiaeth y dylid ei defnyddio ar gyfer eiddo Llwybr 3?
Wrth ganfasio unrhyw eiddo drwy Lwybr 3, rhaid i chi gyfathrebu â'r unigolyn cyfrifol a nodwyd gennych ar gyfer yr eiddo hwnnw fel rhan o'ch gwaith cynllunio.
Nid oes dull cyfathrebu penodol wedi'i nodi ar gyfer Llwybr 3 felly mae gennych yr hyblygrwydd i benderfynu beth yw'r ffordd orau o gyfathrebu â'r unigolyn cyfrifol ar gyfer pob eiddo Llwybr 3 yn eich ardal.
Gallwch gysylltu â'r unigolyn cyfrifol ar gyfer eiddo Llwybr 3 drwy unrhyw ddull sy'n briodol yn eich barn chi, gan gynnwys, ond heb fod yn gyfyngedig i'r canlynol:1
- Anfon gohebiaeth bapur – nid oes ffurflen ragnodedig i'w defnyddio ar gyfer Llwybr 3, ond gallai'r ohebiaeth ganfasio ragnodedig fod yn dempled defnyddiol ar gyfer y wybodaeth y mae angen i chi ei chasglu
- Gohebiaeth electronig – gallai hyn gynnwys anfon e-bost os oes gennych gyfeiriad e-bost ar gyfer yr unigolyn cyfrifol
- Ymweld â'r eiddo Llwybr 3 neu swyddfa'r unigolyn cyfrifol
- Dros y ffôn – gallech benderfynu cysylltu â'r unigolyn cyfrifol dros y ffôn os oes gennych rif cyswllt ar ei gyfer
Pa ddull bynnag y byddwch yn ei ddewis i gyfathrebu â'r unigolyn cyfrifol ym mhob eiddo Llwybr 3, dylech sicrhau eich bod yn cadw trywydd archwilio clir o'r cyswllt y byddwch yn ei wneud.
Dylech o leiaf gofnodi'r camau a gymerwyd gennych i gasglu'r wybodaeth sydd ei hangen ar gyfer y canfasiad gan yr unigolyn cyfrifol, er enghraifft drwy gofnodi enw'r unigolyn y cysylltwyd ag ef, dyddiad ac amser y cyswllt hwnnw, a manylion unrhyw ymateb a gafwyd gan y person cyfrifol.
- 1. Rheoliad 32ZBF(6) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
What should a Route 3 communication include?
What should a Route 3 communication include?
As part of your planning for canvassing Route 3 properties you should have already considered when and how to make initial contact with a responsible person for Route 3 properties.
After this initial contact, you will need to contact them again when you are requesting the information required by the canvass and potentially to follow up with reminder requests. You should ensure that any follow up activity allows time to switch properties to a Route 2 canvass if necessary.
As a minimum, any communication must ask the responsible person to provide the following for each person who is aged 16 or over, eligible to register to vote and resident at the property:1
- Full name
- Nationality
- An indication of whether that person is aged 76 or over
You should also request the contact details (telephone number and/or email address) for each eligible resident for future contact purposes, but you should make it clear in any communication that the provision of these is optional.
You should also consider how to communicate any relevant data protection information, such as a privacy statement setting out how you will process the information and what it will be used for. You can find more information on this in our guidance on Planning for canvass communications.
What else should I consider when making contact with a responsible person?
Whether you contact the responsible person by email, phone, letter or by making a personal visit, you should ensure that your communications are clear and complete.
There is no prescribed form to be used for Route 3, but the prescribed Canvass Form could be useful as a template for the information you need to collect, and could be sent to the responsible person with a covering letter. Information received this way could be scanned and input into your EMS in a similar way to processing other forms.
We have produced a resource to support you with key messaging for Route 3 communications.
You could also consider whether collecting the information in another format, for example a spreadsheet, would allow for the data to be imported directly into your EMS system. This could be particularly useful when asking for information from universities, for example, where there is a high volume of information to collect.
As with your initial contact, you should ensure that you record the steps you have taken to make contact and request the information. Further guidance on how to communicate with Route 3 properties is given in what communications should be used for Route 3 properties.
- 1. Regulation 32ZBF(5) The Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
Ymatebion Llwybr 3
Ymatebion Llwybr 3
Bydd angen i chi gadarnhau bod unrhyw ymateb a gewch yn cynnwys y wybodaeth sydd ei hangen am bob unigolyn 16 oed neu hŷn sy'n byw yn yr eiddo ac yn gymwys i gofrestru.1
Os byddwch yn fodlon eich bod wedi cael ymateb gan unigolyn cyfrifol eiddo sy'n cynnwys y wybodaeth sydd ei hangen arnoch, dylid cau proses Llwybr 3.
Pan fyddwch yn cael ymateb sy'n dynodi y gall rhywbeth fod wedi newid yn yr eiddo, bydd angen i chi gadarnhau bod yr ymateb yn cynnwys yr holl wybodaeth sydd ei hangen arnoch i'w brosesu'n llawn a dylech gymryd camau i brosesu'r wybodaeth yn yr ymateb fel sydd ei angen.
A ddylwn anfon negeseuon atgoffa i eiddo Llwybr 3?
Os byddwch wedi gofyn am y wybodaeth ofynnol gan unigolyn cyfrifol ar gyfer eiddo Llwybr 3 ac na fyddwch wedi cael ymateb eto, gallwch ei atgoffa i ymateb os byddwch yn dymuno gwneud hynny.
Gallech wneud hyn drwy ddull cyfathrebu gwahanol, neu gallech ddefnyddio'r un dull cyfathrebu ag y gwnaethoch ei ddefnyddio ar gyfer eich cyswllt cyntaf. Pa ddull bynnag y byddwch yn ei ddewis, dylech gofnodi'r camau a gymerwyd i atgoffa'r unigolyn cyfrifol i ymateb, er enghraifft drwy gofnodi'r dyddiad a'r amser a'r dull cyfathrebu a ddefnyddiwyd.
Mater i chi fydd penderfynu pryd i anfon unrhyw negeseuon atgoffa. Os byddwch yn penderfynu peidio ag anfon neges atgoffa neu os na fydd neges atgoffa wedi arwain at gael y wybodaeth gan yr unigolyn cyfrifol o fewn cyfnod rhesymol, rhaid trosglwyddo'r eiddo i Lwybr 2 a chynnal canfasiad Llwybr 2 llawn o'r eiddo hwnnw.2
- 1. Rheoliad 32ZBF(5) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
- 2. Rheoliad 32ZBF(7) Rheoliadau Cynrychiolaeth y Bobl (Cymru a Lloegr) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 2
Maintaining regular contact with responsible persons
Maintaining regular contact with responsible persons
You should make regular contact with responsible persons both during and outside of the canvass as part of your work to maintain the register.
Monitoring the progress of the Route 3 canvass
You should remain in regular contact with responsible persons during the canvass to check their progress in providing the required information, assist with any queries they may have, and to avoid delaying you from taking the necessary subsequent actions. You should consider how you will monitor the progress of the Route 3 process as part of your planning for the annual canvass.
When making contact with responsible persons, you should set timescales for receiving the required information. You should put a process in place to check that the information has been provided by your deadline. Your EMS system should be able to assist with this, and diaries, electronic calendars or project planning tools may also be useful.
You should monitor responses from Route 3 properties during the canvass to identify which properties you:
- have received the required information from, so the Route 3 process can be closed
- have received some of the required information from, and need to ask for further information
- have received no information from within a reasonable period of time, and need to follow up with a reminder or personal visit
- may need to transfer to a Route 2 canvass
Further guidance on dealing with canvass returns is found in Route 3 responses.
Maintaining contact with responsible persons outside the canvass
It is important to maintain contact with responsible persons throughout the year as part of your activity to maintain the register outside of the canvass period.
As well as ensuring that your contact details for the responsible person at each Route 3 property remain correct in advance of the next canvass you should also ask them to provide updates on residents who have moved in or out during the year. This could be requested on a monthly basis, for example, or in the run up to an electoral event. This would be particularly useful for properties where there are likely to have been a number of changes outside of the canvass period due to the nature of the property, such as care homes or student accommodation. Keeping in touch will also help to build a long-term relationship with responsible persons, and help ensure that the provision of the information you need as part of the canvass takes place as smoothly as possible.
Our guidance on public engagement and registration planning includes further advice on planning for registration outside the canvass, including what records you can inspect throughout the year to identify potential new electors.
The section on maintaining the register throughout the year contains additional guidance on registration activity outside the canvass, for example through sending registration enquiry forms or discretionary communications.
Processing canvass responses
This section of the guidance covers how to process canvass responses. Your registration plans should address how you will deal with each type of canvass response and any follow-up activity that you will need to take.
Responses to canvass communications will fall into the following broad categories:
- all of the information is complete and accurate
- provides new information regarding who is resident at the property
- provides new information regarding changes required to an elector’s details
- provides new information indicating an existing elector is no longer resident at the property
- a combination of the above
- information that the property has no residents who are eligible to be registered
What action should you take when you receive a successful canvass response?
What action should you take when you receive a successful canvass response?
Canvass response indicates all of the information is complete and accurate | You should record that a response has been received to stop reminders from being sent and close the canvass route for the property. |
---|---|
Canvass response indicates an existing elector is no longer resident at the property | You must not automatically delete the elector from the register. You must instead either obtain a second source of evidence or conduct a registration review before you can remove the elector. You can find more information on both in our guidance - deleting an elector from the register |
Canvass response indicates an existing elector is now deceased | You may automatically delete the elector from the register if a response indicates that an elector is deceased, and you are satisfied that the information is correct. |
Canvass response indicates there are new resident(s) at the property |
You must invite potential eligible electors to register within 28 calendar days of receipt unless, in the meantime, they have made an application to register. You do not need to know the full or exact name of a potential elector in order to give them an invitation to register. You do, however, need to have enough information about their name to be able to identify them as an individual. You can find more information in our guidance - inviting individuals to register to vote |
Canvass response indicates an elector's name has changed | You should send a change of name form to the elector. If an elector has changed their name they must complete a change of name form and provide supporting evidence of the change for the electoral register to be updated. You can find more information in our guidance - processing a change to an elector's name |
Canvass response indicates an elector's nationality has changed |
You should send an invitation to register to an elector whose nationality has changed. An elector who was previously registered only in the register of local government electors must make a new application if they become a British citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Ireland or a citizen of another Commonwealth country, so that they can be added to the register of UK Parliamentary electors. The new application will need to go through the application, verification and determination process again. You can find more information in our guidance - processing a change to an elector's nationality |
Canvass response indicates a change to the 76 or over indicator | You should add a relevant marker on the register to any individual if a response to a canvass communication indicates that they are (or are not) aged 76 or over |
Canvass response indicates a change to an elector’s open (edited) register preference |
Where the canvass response clearly indicates that a person wishes to opt out of the open register (for example, if only one elector resides at the address and they have indicated they wish to be removed from the open register), you should treat the canvass response as a notice under Article 21 of the GDPR and amend their open register preference in line with their request. If you are in any doubt as to whether the request comes from an individual elector (for example, if there are multiple electors at the address) or as to their intentions, you should contact the elector(s) to explain what the process is for changing their open register preference, and ask for confirmation before processing the request. This includes if you receive a response from one person that seems to make a request on behalf of everyone listed on the form. You can find more information in our guidance – processing a change to an elector’s open register preference |
What are the penalties for failing to respond to a canvass communication or providing false information?
What are the penalties for failing to respond to a canvass communication or providing false information?
With the exception of a Canvass Communication A, a person who has received a canvass communication must provide the information that it requires to the ERO, but there is no requirement for the form itself to be returned.1
There is a criminal penalty of a fine up to a maximum of £1,000 for failing to provide the information required to the ERO.2
The penalty for providing false information to an ERO is up to six months imprisonment or an unlimited fine.3
- 1. Regulation 23(1) 2001 The Representation of the people regulations (England and Wales) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
- 2. Regulation 23(3) 2001 The Representation of the people regulations (England and Wales) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 2
- 3. Sections 13D(6) The Representation of the people act 1983 ↩ Back to content at footnote 3
Elections during the annual canvass
Elections during the annual canvass
This section of the guidance covers the areas you will need to consider and decisions you will need to take in relation to both the delivery of the canvass and the management of electoral registration for the poll, if an election is held during the canvass period.
What do I need to consider if an election is held during the annual canvass?
What do I need to consider if an election is held during the annual canvass?
An election during the canvass period may reduce the amount of time you have for follow-up activities for both canvass communications and ITRs.
Your canvass plan and risk register should include details of how you will redeploy resources to target registration in any areas in which an election takes place.
If any of the elections listed below, including general or by elections, are held between 1 July and 1 December, you will need to make a decision whether to delay publication of the revised register and, if so, by how much.
In these circumstances publication of the revised register can be postponed up to 1 February the following year.
- UK Parliamentary elections
- Local government – unitary, county, county borough, district, metropolitan borough, London borough and directly elected mayoral elections
- Local government – parish elections
- Greater London Authority elections
- Police and Crime Commissioner elections
- Neighbourhood planning referendums
The impact of any election may depend on which stage of the canvass you are at and how many polling districts are affected by the election.
You will need to be satisfied that you will have sufficient time to take all necessary steps to ensure your registers are as accurate and complete as possible by the time of publication.
In reaching your decision you should consider the impact that postponing the publication of the revised register may have on canvass processes.
For example, where publication of the revised register is postponed, personal canvassing may take place later in the year where reduced daylight hours may impact on the willingness of canvassers to knock on, and non-responders to open, their doors. Inclement weather may also impact a later canvass, and response rates may reduce over the festive period.
Where you decide to postpone publication due to an election, you should take steps to make local political parties and elected representatives aware of the changed register publication date at an early stage.
As detailed in the guidance for monthly notices of alteration during the canvass period, there is no requirement to publish a monthly notice of alteration in the month you are publishing the revised register or in the two months before that day, but you may do so if you wish.
Therefore if publication of the revised register has been postponed to, for example, 1 February, you will publish a monthly notice of alteration in October and November; you are not required to publish one in December or January, but you may do so if you wish.
How can I target new electors if an election is held during the canvass?
How can I target new electors if an election is held during the canvass?
If an election is to be held during the canvass, your focus will need to be on any new potential electors identified who have not yet registered.
You should consider how best to use your resources to target these individuals and to chase up responses to any Route 2 or 3 canvass communications, so that as many eligible electors as possible are registered in time for the election.
Your plan should address such things as:
- what canvassers will have to do differently
- how canvass staff will be informed of an election and given their revised instructions
- what you will do to maximise returns in the affected area(s) to reduce potential disenfranchisement
- how you will identify and prioritise the processing of canvass communications and ITRs for the affected area(s)
- how the canvass will resume after the election
- when you will publish the revised register and what factors will be considered in making the decision
- how you will communicate decisions to local political parties, elected representatives and other interested individuals and groups
Printing polling districts on canvass communications and ITRs will enable you to quickly identify and prioritise these forms where an election is in only part of the registration area.
You can include other registration-related information in the same envelope as an ITR, such as information about the registration deadline for a forthcoming poll.
If the election affects the whole of the registration area, it will be particularly important that your resources are targeted to maximise the number of eligible electors registered in time to participate in the election.
Every effort should be made to conclude all visits well in advance of the registration deadline, but, given the time constraints and depending on the timing of the election, this might not always be feasible.
You should use local data records and your knowledge about your local area to identify any new electors, and any properties where there are likely to have been changes. These could then be prioritised for personal visits.
You could also consider amending your approach to follow up activities for any non-responding Route 2 or Route 3 properties in the area affected by the election. For example, you might choose to send additional e-comms reminders or make personal contact by phone instead of face to face visit where possible.
The local authority that appointed you as ERO must, by law, provide you with the resources you need to discharge your statutory functions.
Use local media and public awareness exercises to set out to residents how they can register to vote in time to be included on the register for use at the election.
In the event of any UK-wide poll during the canvass, it will be important to link your local messaging with any communication activity by the Commission in order to maximise its impact.
Where the election crosses local council boundaries, you should liaise with the ERO in the other local council(s) to ensure a consistent approach and messaging across the electoral area.
How can I use my canvassers to target new electors if an election is held during the canvass?
Your plans should be flexible enough to allow you to re-allocate staff resources to ensure as many responses as possible are collected and returned to the electoral registration office from the relevant the area(s) in time to be processed and determined for the final election notice of alteration.
As a minimum, canvassers working in the area(s) affected by an election should return any voter registration forms that they have collected as soon as possible, and by the registration application deadline for that election.
You should provide details in instructions to canvassers on how often forms should be returned to the registration office if an election occurs.
Registration application forms collected by canvassers by the registration deadline, are deemed to have met the registration deadline even if not brought to the office of the Electoral Registration Officer until after the registration deadline. Canvassing only needs to pause in the area(s) affected by the election.
Canvassers in the electoral area(s) affected by the election should, if they are not already, encourage occupiers who are not registered to do so online (or by telephone if you offer this service), and highlight the registration application deadline. They could have blank registration forms available for potential electors to complete where they do not have access to the internet.
To ensure that only forms received before the registration deadline will be processed canvassers should be instructed to suspend personal visits by the end of the twelfth day before the poll.
Which register should I use for an election taking place during the canvass?
Which register should I use for an election taking place during the canvass?
The register to be used for an election taking place during the canvass will be the revised register published on the 1 December the previous year, and amended by subsequent monthly and election notices of alteration.
In the area where any election is taking place, you must publish two interim election notices of alteration before publishing the final election notice of alteration on the fifth working day before the poll.1
Subscribers to a candidate’s nomination must appear as electors on the register which is in force on the last day for publication of the notice of election for the election taking place.
- 1. Section 13AB and 13B RPA 1983 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
Publication of the revised register
Publication of the revised register
This section of the guidance covers the practical management of the publication of the revised register following the canvass, including timing, content and layout of the register, and guidance on access and supply to the register post publication.
When should I publish the revised register following the annual canvass?
When should I publish the revised register following the annual canvass?
Unless there has been an election during the canvass you must publish the revised register by 1 December.1
Dies non do not apply to the requirement to publish by 1 December which means you can publish the register on a Saturday, Sunday or bank holiday if you choose to do so. You also have discretion to publish before this date, however doing so will have an impact on the cut off dates for registration applications.
Publishing on 1 December will help to ensure that the revised register is as accurate and complete as it can be and will maximise opportunities for potential electors to be included.
Publishing in November means the revised register would not reflect any new electors who had applied to register after 23 October, nor would it reflect any amendments or deletions determined after 31 October.
While the registration process continues throughout the year, the publication of the revised register is a key milestone. Whenever you decide to publish, you should be able to explain the reasons for your decision. See the table below.
Event | Dates if the revised register is published on 1 December | Dates if the register is published in November |
---|---|---|
Last day for receipt of new applications to register | 22 November 2024 | 23 October 2024 (6 working days before the determination deadline) |
Determination deadline | 30 November 2024* | 31 October 2024 (last working day of the month prior to the month when the revised register is published) |
Anonymous registration application and determination deadline | 30 November 2024 | 31 October 2024 (last working day of the month prior to the month when the revised register is published) |
Deadline for amendments to and removal of register entries | 30 November 2024 | 31 October 2024 (last working day of the month prior to the month when the revised register is published) |
Publication | By 1 December 2024 | Any date during November |
*as 30 November is a non-working day, therefore you could use the 29 November as the determination deadline for publication of the revised register on 1 December.
As a result of the ECR process you may wish to delay register publication until 1 February 2025:
Event | Dates if the revised register is published on 1 February |
---|---|
Last day for receipt of new applications to register | 23 January 2025 (6 working days before the determination deadline) |
Determination deadline | 31 January 2025 |
Anonymous registration application and determination deadline | 31 January 2025 |
Deadline for amendments to and removal of register entries | 31 January 2025 |
Publication | 1 February 2025 |
Monthly notices of alteration
Updates to the register must be published on the first working day of each month, however you are not required to issue a monthly notice of alteration in the month you are publishing the revised register or in the two months before that day, but may do so if you wish. If the register is published in November this means you are not required to publish a monthly notice of alteration in September, October and November. If it is published in December, you are not required to publish a monthly notice of alteration in October, November and December.
If you decide to publish the register on 1 February 2025, you are not required to publish a monthly notice of alteration in December, January or February.
- 1. Section 13(1) Representation of the People Act 1983 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
What does the revised register contain when published?
What does the revised register contain when published?
The full register
You must publish a full register of electors combined as far as possible into one register for all election types, and containing the appropriate franchise markers.
The format of the register is not prescribed but must contain, with the exception of certain special category electors, the name, address and elector number of every eligible elector whose application to register has been determined by the relevant deadline.1
Where an individual will only attain voting age at some point during the period of 12 months following the 1 December, the elector's entry in the register must give the date on which they will attain the age of 18 and until that date the individual shall not be treated as an elector for any purpose unless an election takes place on or after the date given as being the date the individual turns 18.2
Your revised register must include all additions and amendments to the register which you have determined by the relevant deadline.3
Only when an application has been made and successfully determined can an individual be added to the register. Information provided in response to a canvass communication and any names identified through checking local records cannot be treated as an application to register or be added to the register.
You should also ensure you action any deletions that you have determined since the publication of the last notice of alteration in the revised register.
The edited register
An elector’s name and address will be included in the edited register unless they ask for them to be removed.
You must publish a revised edited register which is an exact copy of the full register, but excludes those who have opted out of their details appearing, at the same time as you publish the revised full register.4
In addition you must continue to publish the edited register on the first working day of every month. This duty applies all year, including during the canvass period, and any requests from existing electors to change their opt-out status will need to be reflected.
However, if you choose not to publish notices of alteration in the 2 months preceding the publication of the full register following the annual canvass, any monthly revised edited register must not include or remove any details of any electors that are not already existing electors previously included on the full register or any alteration notice.5
You are required to publish a fully integrated updated version of the edited register rather than a notice setting out the changes.6
However, you do not have to print a full edited register every month, only if you are producing one for somebody who has requested it.
For more information see our guidance on processing a change to an elector’s edited (open) register preference.
Describing the full and edited registers
The terms ‘full register’ and ‘edited register’ are the technical terms used in the legislation. The terms ‘electoral register’ and ‘open register’ have to be used to describe the full and edited register to members of the public, to make it easier to understand the purpose of each register and how it is used. In specific instances where we mention the edited register in the guidance in this context, we refer to the edited register as the ‘open register’. Otherwise we use the term ‘edited register’.
List of overseas electors
You must keep a separate list or lists of overseas electors.7
You must publish this and make it available for inspection and supply when you publish the revised register.8
The list must be compiled in alphabetical order by surname within each constituency or part of a constituency within your area.9
It must specify both the qualifying address and the full address outside the UK of each overseas elector.
- 1. Section 9(2) Representation of the People Act (RPA) 1983 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
- 2. Section 4(5) RPA 1983 ↩ Back to content at footnote 2
- 3. Section 13(2) RPA 1983 ↩ Back to content at footnote 3
- 4. Regulation 93(1) Representation of the People Regulations (England and Wales) (RPR) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 4
- 5. Regulation 93(2) RPR 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 5
- 6. Regulation 93 RPR 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 6
- 7. Regulation 45(1) RPR 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 7
- 8. Regulation 45(3) RPR 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 8
- 9. Regulation 45(2) RPR 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 9
Format of the revised register
Format of the revised register
When creating the layout of the register you must:
- divide the register into polling districts
- give each polling district a unique set of letters1
- give a number to each elector2
The elector numbers should be allocated sequentially in each part of the register. The polling district letters and the number together are known as the elector number.
We have produced separate guidance on undertaking reviews of polling districts, polling places and polling stations.
Entries in the register for each ordinary elector must be arranged in street order and may only be arranged in alphabetical order by name or a mix of the two where it is not reasonably practicable to list them in street order.3
Franchise markers
Some electors may only vote in certain types of elections and their names must be prefixed in the register with certain letters:4
Letter | Elector |
---|---|
F | is an overseas elector who is only entitled to vote at UK Parliamentary elections. |
B | is an elector who is either a
who is only entitled to vote at local government elections. |
G | is a citizen of a member state of the European Union (except a Commonwealth country or the Republic of Ireland) who is only entitled to vote at local government elections. This apply only to electors for whom you have not yet made a determination as to their eligibility under the new criteria. |
L | is a peer eligible to vote in the House of Lords who is entitled to vote at local government elections. |
Attainers
Some electors added to the register will be known as attainers. These electors are individuals who have not yet reached voting age but will do so before the next expected publication of the full register. A date will be given after these electors’ names to indicate when they will have attained the age where they can vote.
Other electors
There must be a section after the ordinary electors in any polling district marked 'other electors', containing any special category electors who are not listed in the main body of the register listed by surname in alphabetical order without an address, followed by any anonymously registered electors.5
Our guidance on special category electors sets out in detail how special category electors should be included on the register.
We have produced a resource showing an example of how the register should be formatted.
- 1. Regulations 38 and 39 Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations (RPR) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
- 2. Section 9(3) Representation of the People Act 1983 ↩ Back to content at footnote 2
- 3. Regulations 41(1) and (2) RPR 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 3
- 4. Regulation 42 RPR 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 4
- 5. Regulation 41(3) RPR 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 5
Communication activity following the publication of the revised register
Communication activity following the publication of the revised register
Publication of the revised register could prompt enquiries to you, which you should be prepared to respond to.
You should consult with your local authority press or communications teams if you haven’t already done so to ensure that you are able to react quickly to any local stories that may emerge, particularly if there has already been local coverage on any electoral registration issues in your area.
You should consider issuing a press release announcing the total number of people registered in your area, highlighting the work you have done and any additional work you have planned to get people registered.
You should point out that there is still an opportunity to register in time for the next scheduled elections, using it as a call to action for anyone in your area who is not yet registered to do so.
Given the continued media focus on the registration rates of students and attainers, you might find it helpful to highlight the work you are doing with schools, colleges, universities or any relevant voluntary groups to encourage registration.
Your press team can get further advice by contacting the Electoral Commission press office on 020 7271 0704, or by emailing [email protected].
What data will I need to collect and share following the annual canvass?
What data will I need to collect and share following the annual canvass?
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government may request management information each year following the annual canvass; the required information may also change from year to year, however your EMS should be able to produce reports to support these requests.
Electoral Commission Canvass Data Collection
Each year the Electoral Commission will request data following the publication of the annual register. The data to be provided will be contained in reports which will be generated fully populated in your EMS system. The Research Team at the Commission will work with your EMS provider to specify the reports ahead of the data collection and your EMS supplier should let you know how to generate the correct report from the system.
Once you have generated the report in your EMS system and reviewed the data, please submit it to [email protected] as soon as possible after the publication of the annual revised register. Deadlines for submission and further information will be communicated via an EA bulletin.
Performance standards
While we will still want to collect data from all EROs to help us understand the state of the electoral registers across Great Britain, we are not proposing that EROs would routinely collate and provide us with all the information listed within the standards. You should however use the data and qualitative information set out in the standards to help understand the impact of your activities to identify what works and what doesn’t and where improvements can be made. The framework and supporting tools and templates are designed to support this analysis and focuses on the key data and information that will indicate what is working well and what is not working so well.
RPF 29
Each year the Office for National Statistics (ONS) will issue an RPF29 form to EROs which you are required to supply to the Secretary of State setting out certain prescribed information relating to the revised register.1
You are required to submit this information as soon as possible after publication of the revised register.2
- 1. Regulation 44 Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations (RPR) 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
- 2. Regulation 44(1) RPR 2001 ↩ Back to content at footnote 2
Who can be supplied with the register?
Who can be supplied with the register?
Access to and supply of the full electoral register is limited to those prescribed in legislation.
You have a duty to supply free copies of the register of electors to various organisations and individuals, and legislation imposes restrictions on how this is done. In some cases, registers have to be supplied on publication and in others the register is only supplied on request.
The timing of receipt of the register is particularly important to some recipients. For example, political parties need the electoral register to fulfil their statutory obligations in relation to the checking of donations, in addition to using it for campaigning purposes. It is important that the register is supplied promptly and you should, therefore, supply the register to anyone who is entitled to receive it on publication as soon as possible and in any case, within 5 working days.
You should ensure that every person/organisation that receives the register, whether on publication, by sale, or on request, is aware that:
- they must only use the register for the permitted purpose(s) specified in the Regulations
- once the purpose for which the register has been supplied has expired, they must securely destroy the register
- they understand the penalty for misuse of the register
You should not provide any advice in response to questions about whether a recipient’s proposed usage of register data is in accordance with the law. It is for the recipient of the register to be satisfied that their use of the register is in accordance with what the law sets out. If they are not certain they should speak to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) or seek their own legal advice.
We have made cover sheets available, which set out how the register may be used and the penalty for misuse, for the sale and supply on request and inspection of the electoral register.
We have also produced a list of people entitled to be supplied with the electoral register.
There are different provisions that apply in respect of the edited register and the marked register.
To demonstrate that you are complying with the principles of processing personal data, ensuring that it is processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner you should maintain records of every person and organisation you supply with the register.
We have produced further detailed guidance on access and supply of the electoral register throughout the year.
Notifying anonymous electors about replacement Anonymous Elector's Documents
The elector number of an anonymous elector may change when you republish the electoral register following the conclusion of the annual canvass.
If an anonymous elector’s electoral number has changed and they have an Anonymous Elector’s Document, you must notify them that their electoral number has changed, that their Anonymous Elector's Document is no longer valid and that you will issue them with a new Anonymous Elector's Document.
For more information see our guidance on Replacement of an Anonymous Elector's Document where the elector number has changed.
Elections immediately following the canvass
Elections immediately following the canvass
This section of the guidance covers considerations for an election held in December following the conclusion of the canvass and the publication of the revised register. It includes guidance on which register you should use for a December election and how this will impact on candidates and political parties and on the production of poll cards.
Which register should I use for an election in December following the publication of the revised register?
Which register should I use for an election in December following the publication of the revised register?
There is no provision to postpone publication of the revised register as a result of an election that will take place after the 1 December.
The revised register has immediate effect on publication for all elections, this is unlike a notice of alteration which only has effect at an election if published on or before the fifth working day before the poll.
Once you have published the revised register it will be used for polling purposes for any election with a polling day on or after the date of publication, although you are also required to publish two interim election notices of alteration and a final notice of alteration on the fifth working day before the poll.1
The nomination of candidates will be based on the register in force on the last date for publication of the notice of election.
- 1. Sections 13AB and 13B Representation of the People Act 1983 ↩ Back to content at footnote 1
What do I need to consider for a December election?
What do I need to consider for a December election?
For any election held in December, the notice of election will be published before the deadline for publishing the revised register.
Impact on candidates and political parties
The nomination of candidates is based on the register in force on the last date for publication of the notice of election. If you have published your revised register by the last date for publication of the notice of election, this will be the register candidates and agents need to use for collecting subscribers. If not, it will be your last published notice of alteration.
You should ensure that candidates and their agents are aware of which register to use when collecting subscribers for the purpose of completing their nomination papers.
It is particularly important that candidates and parties who have requested a copy of the revised register and election notices of alteration are provided with copies as soon as possible after publication. This will assist candidates and political parties to engage with electors and campaign effectively where the publication of the revised register takes place during an election period.
Poll cards
Returning Officers (ROs) must send poll cards to electors entitled to vote at the election as soon as practicable after publication of the notice of election.
You may wish to take this into consideration when deciding whether or not to publish the monthly notices of alteration during the annual canvass period. If you are the ERO for an electoral area that crosses local authority boundaries, you should liaise with the other ERO(s) and RO in reaching your decision.
Choosing to publish these additional notices may help to mitigate any renumbering issues caused by the publication of revised registers after poll cards and postal votes have been issued.
If you choose not to publish the monthly notices of alteration during the canvass period, poll cards sent before the publication of the first interim election notice of alteration will be based on data which would not reflect any additions or deletions determined after the deadline for the September monthly update.
In these circumstances there is an argument that the earliest point it would be practicable to issue poll cards would be immediately following the publication of the first interim election notice of alteration so that the data used reflects additions and deletions determined during the canvass period.
If you are not also the RO, you should work with them to put mechanisms in place to ensure that poll cards can be sent to electors as soon as possible after the first interim notice has been published. See our guidance on election notices of alteration and the deadlines for applications to be made for inclusion on those notices.
ROs need to make clear in polling station staff training that the elector numbers on poll cards may be different to the numbers allocated to electors when the register is revised. They should explain that this does not affect a person’s entitlement to vote and that they should not refer to the elector number printed on the poll card when marking the register and completing the corresponding number list.
Instead, when the elector provides confirmation of their name and address, use the number as it appears against the elector’s details in the polling station register for completing the corresponding number list.
Polling station staff should be briefed so they are able to respond to any queries from electors who may question why the number being read out and written on the corresponding number list is different to the one which is printed on their poll card.
What is the impact on a December election if the final election notice of alteration is published before the revised register?
What is the impact on a December election if the final election notice of alteration is published before the revised register?
In some cases an election in early December will require the final election notice of alteration to be published before the revised register.
Where this is the case the registration application deadline will be the deadline for applications for inclusion on the revised register. This is because the revised register has immediate effect and will apply to any poll on or after publication.
While the registration application deadline for inclusion on the final election notice of alteration will be twelve working days before the poll, where the revised register is published after the final election notice of alteration potential new electors will be able to submit a registration application until the deadline for inclusion on the revised register (six working days before the determination deadline).
Provided their application is determined by the determination deadline for the revised register (which is the working day before publication) they will be entitled to vote in the poll.
However, potential new electors wishing to vote by post will need to have applied to be registered by the postal vote application deadline which is 5pm eleven working days before the poll as they must state an address at which they are or have applied to be registered in their postal vote application.
Potential new electors who wish to vote by proxy will have the same registration application deadline as those voting in person. This is because the deadline for registration applications to be made in time to be included on the 1 December register will be before the ordinary proxy application deadline (5pm six working days before the poll).
These circumstances will present a number of administrative challenges for EROs and ROs. If you are not also the RO, you will need to liaise with them to:
- discuss any practical implications, including the timely transfer of data
- supply candidates and agents with copies of relevant electoral registers for nomination and campaigning purposes in a timely way
- make arrangements to supply the first interim notice of alteration and any subsequent updates to candidates and agents as soon as possible once published
- produce polling station registers after publication of the revised register
- make arrangements for registers to be printed and collated in a limited time - ROs will need to consider how to manage the preparation of ballot boxes to facilitate this
The specific challenges and solutions will vary depending on local circumstances. If you would like any further guidance or would like to discuss your particular situation, please contact your local Commission team.
How should I evaluate the success of the annual canvass?
How should I evaluate the success of the annual canvass?
As part of your planning for delivery of the canvass, you will have established how you will evaluate the overall success of the canvass to inform your plans for future canvasses. Over time, your evaluation and refinement of your plans should ensure that your canvass processes make the best use of resources, are successful in encouraging households and individuals to take the necessary action, provide the best service for electors and reduce the administrative burden on your service.
Your evaluation should utilise the metrics available to you via your EMS system. The performance standards for EROs, and the tools and templates available to support them, will assist you in understanding the impact of your activities, help identify where improvements can be made and support you to report on your own performance locally.
You should use the data and qualitative information set out in the standards to help understand the impact of your activities, both throughout and at the end of the canvass, to identify what works and what doesn’t and where you can make improvements. The framework is designed to support this analysis and focuses on the key data and information that will indicate what is working well and where improvements could be made.
What are the data protection considerations for an Electoral Registration Officer?
What are the data protection considerations for an Electoral Registration Officer?
Electoral Registration Officers must consider data protection issues in many aspects of their work.
Our guidance covers your role as a data controller, how you should protect the personal data you hold, how long you should retain it for, and where you can find more information and guidance on data protection legislation.
Who is a data controller?
Who is a data controller?
As ERO, you are a data controller with a statutory duty to process certain personal data to maintain the electoral register. Under data protection legislation you need to be able to demonstrate that you comply with the principles of processing personal data, ensuring that it is processed lawfully, fairly and transparently.
Advice from the ICO is that all data controllers need to ensure that they are registered with the ICO. This means that EROs and ROs must be registered separately to their council.
Under the data protection legislation, a public authority must appoint a data protection officer (DPO) to advise on data protection issues. As ERO or RO, you are not included in the definition of a public authority contained in Schedule 1 to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and are not required to appoint a DPO for the conduct of your duties. However, your appointing council must have a DPO in place and you should liaise with them over good practice in relation to data protection.
A key element of data protection legislation is the increased focus on accountability and transparency when processing personal data. You must be able to demonstrate that you comply with your obligations under data protection legislation. The key to achieving this is to have and maintain written plans and records to provide an audit trail.
Our resource on data protection legislation details how you can put measures in place to meet the requirement to demonstrate compliance and to ensure that data protection is integral to all you do.
You need to ensure that you are complying with your responsibilities under data protection legislation. In particular, you should ensure that you:
- are registered with the ICO as a data controller
- have appropriate privacy notices in place
- are retaining documents in accordance with your document retention policy
- ensure that data protection is integral to any contracts where personal data is processed
- have a policy document in place to process special categories of personal data
- maintain records and plans to demonstrate that you are processing personal data lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner
- in your plans and risk register, highlight the safeguards you have in place to avoid a personal data breach
Guidance on demonstrating compliance with data protection legislation is contained throughout our data protection guidance for EROs and ROs.
How should I protect the personal data I hold and how long should I retain it for?
How should I protect the personal data I hold and how long should I retain it for?
You will need to check that appropriate security measures are in place to protect personal data. You should review your processes with your data protection officer and information management/IT departments to help identify any risks to the security of the data you hold, whether on paper or stored electronically.
You need to maintain a document retention policy, which will help demonstrate that you are complying with the principles of processing personal data, ensuring that it is processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner.
Your document retention policy should set out the following for all documents you receive and hold:
- whether the document contains personal data
- the lawful basis on which any personal data was collected
- your retention period
- your rationale for the retention period (which might relate to a requirement in electoral law)
Our data protection guidance for EROs and ROs contains further guidance on the retention and storage of documents, including what information your document retention policy should contain.
You will be collecting personal data from residents such as date of birth, nationality and their National Insurance Number. Your council will have corporate standards and processes for handling data and security. You should seek advice from your Data Protection Officer and IT about maintaining effective data handling. They will be able to help you identify any risks to the security of the data you hold, whether on paper forms or stored electronically on your systems.
You will need to ensure that your procedures and storage arrangements are compliant with data protection legislation. Good data handling practices need to be part of your day-to-day business processes. For example, you will need to keep under review how you are managing the security of personal data.
What do I need to consider when storing email addresses and phone numbers
Where a response to a canvass communication contains individuals’ email addresses and/or telephone numbers you should ensure that these are recorded, in accordance with data protection legislation requirements, and that this information is only used for the purpose for which it was collected.
If you have existing records of email addresses or phone numbers, at the time that you next use that information, you should ensure the data subject is aware of how you will continue to process this data such by:
- explaining the data subjects right to object to further processing
- providing a link to your privacy notice
- including an unsubscribe option
More information on the provision of an unsubscribe option can be found in our data protection guidance for EROs and ROs.
Where can I find more information and guidance on data protection legislation?
Where can I find more information and guidance on data protection legislation?
You can find guidance on data protection on the Information Commissioner’s website, or if you have any specific questions you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office directly.
The Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
Tel: 0303 123 1113
Fax: 01625 524510
Email: [email protected]
The Local Government Association/ SOCITM have also produced guidance for local authorities on data handling (although it should be noted that the ERO is a separate data controller from the local authority). It recommends that you consider the following factors when developing your approach to data handling:
- Policy: comprehensive policies (including business continuity, and home and mobile working) should form the information governance regime. The policies should be monitored and audited to ensure they are being effectively enacted
- People: including staff awareness and training, users’ access, and mechanisms for managing information risks
- Places: including risk assessments, security of buildings and premises, the disposal of information, and use of removable media
- Processes: including who can access data, system security, transfer of data, and supplier and contractor data processes
- Procedures: including risk reporting, auditing procedures, and documented policies and procedures
Resources for Electoral Registration Officers
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government resources for Electoral Registration Officers