Data protection guidance for Electoral Registration Officers and Returning Officers

Data protection legislation provides an exemption to data processing rules for the purposes of crime prevention.1 Where you receive a request for information that you hold you will therefore need to consider: 

• the person or organisation making the request, 
• the purpose of the request, and 
• the enactment quoted requesting access

If you are satisfied that the request is for the purposes of:

• the prevention or detection of crime, or
• the apprehension or prosecution of offenders 

then you should supply the data.

The ERO must supply the full register to the council that appointed them.2  

An employee or councillor of that council may, disclose or make use of information contained in in the full register, where necessary for the discharge of a statutory function of the council relating to security, law enforcement and crime prevention (or, in England and Wales, any other local authority). 

If a request relates to the council’s copy of the register, you should direct the request to your council’s Monitoring Officer.