Guidance for (Acting) Returning Officers administering a UK Parliamentary election in Great Britain

The following documentation is not available for public inspection, except by court order:

• ballot papers
• completed corresponding number lists
• certificates of employment on duty on polling day
• the lists of rejected postal votes that have failed the identifier checks and postal votes rejected at the point it was handed in (or left behind) at a polling station or to the council offices1
• postal vote return forms2

These documents can only be accessed if the High Court or a county court in England and Wales, or the Court of Session or a sheriff in Scotland, is satisfied by evidence on oath that access is required for one of the following reasons:

• for instituting or maintaining a prosecution for an offence in relation to ballot papers
• for the purpose of an election petition

Access can also be ordered by the House of Commons or by an election court.

Applications do not have to be made in open court: they can be made by a judge from the relevant court either in open court or otherwise.

Nomination papers

Nomination papers can only be inspected by certain people until the deadline for objections has passed, as described in our guidance on Attendance at the delivery of nomination papers. 

Nomination papers cannot be inspected by anybody else at any time. Nomination papers may only be viewed and supplied to those who have a legal power to obtain documents. This may be a police officer using any powers they may have to take documents into their custody, or a court order.

With the exception of the home address form, you should store the nomination papers securely for one year after the election due to the time limit for prosecution in case of an election petition. If such legal proceedings are or are liable to take place, you should retain the nomination papers until the court has completed its process.

Home address forms 

You must keep home address forms securely stored for a period of 21 calendar days after you have returned the writ and securely destroyed on the next working day after the 21-day period.
 
If an election petition relating to the election is presented within the 21 calendar days, the home address forms must be kept securely until the conclusion of the petition proceedings (including any appeal from such proceedings). You must then securely destroy them on the next working day following the conclusion of the proceedings or appeal.

Ballot paper refusal lists (BPRLs)

In England and Wales, the Electoral Registration Officer is responsible for dealing with requests for disclosure of information from the BPRLs. More information can be found in our guidance for EROs in England and Wales.

In Scotland, the Returning Officer is responsible for dealing with requests for disclosure of information from the BPRLs. You may only disclose information from the BPRL to the elector, whose ballot paper was refused, or in the case of a proxy being refused a ballot paper, the person acting as proxy or the elector on whose behalf they were acting as a proxy.1

Voter identification evaluation form (VIDEF)

In England and Wales, the Electoral Registration Officer is responsible for of VIDEFs and the VIDEF notes sheets. Information regarding the VIDEF and the VIDEF notes sheet can be read in the guidance for EROs in England and Wales.

In Scotland, the Returning Officer is responsible for the VIDEFs and VIDEF notes sheets. For more information see our guidance on the Public inspection of election documentation in Scotland.