Representation of the People Bill 2026 in Northern Ireland

Entitlement to register before reaching voting age

With the voting age lowered to 16, 14-year-olds could be added to the electoral register as ‘attainers’. Young people added as ‘attainers’ are then entitled to vote when they reach voting age. Their entry on the register must indicate the date on which the person will attain voting age.

Prohibiting sharing information about people under 16

When the electoral register is published, the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland must not include information about anyone on the register who is under the age of 16.

Duty to raise awareness and provide assistance

For young people looked after by a Health and Social Care trust, the trusts would need to promote registration amongst the young people in their care. They would also need to help those young people register.

Power to amend duty to conduct canvass in Northern Ireland

The bill proposes that the Secretary of State can change the rules about how the Chief Electoral Officer carries out a canvass. They can do this by modifying section 10 of the Representation of the People Act 1983, which sets out the rules for the canvass. The bill does not include the power to abolish the canvass.

An electoral registration canvass must take place across Northern Ireland at least once every ten years. During the canvass period, every eligible elector is required to apply to register to vote – even if they have already registered. The canvass, in its current form, has limitations for maintaining an accurate and complete electoral register. There should be fundamental changes to modernise the registration system in Northern Ireland, including using data for more targeted canvassing, which could deliver a more cost-effective canvass and improve value for money.

Electoral Commission report on power to amend duty to conduct a canvass in Northern Ireland and power to pilot changes to the canvass

If the Secretary of State consults us under the power to amend the duty to conduct a canvass’, we must prepare a report assessing:

• how the canvass is meeting voter registration goals in Northern Ireland
• whether the proposed regulations would help the Chief Electoral Officer do their job
• whether there are other, more effective ways to help the Chief Electoral Officer 

The Bill provides a power to pilot changes to the canvass in Northern Ireland and requires the Electoral Commission to produce a report on any pilots. By evaluating and reporting on any pilots, we can ensure that the government and Parliament have access to robust data and analysis about the potential impact of any changes to the canvass before making permanent changes.

Removing the full date of birth from the Electoral Identity Card issued in Northern Ireland

The bill would remove the date of birth from the Northern Ireland Electoral Identity Card and replace it with only the month and year of birth. While this change will not reduce access to electoral identity cards, it could mean that people are less likely to apply for a card if they are unable to also use it to prove their date of birth. It would have no impact on the card's security when used as proof of ID at a polling station.

Calling out and completed corresponding number lists 

The bill would remove the requirement in Northern Ireland for a poll clerk to shout the name and number of everyone they give a ballot paper to. There is no evidence that the absence of this requirement in polling stations elsewhere in the UK has led to an increased risk of electoral fraud. This brings Northern Ireland in line with the rest of the UK.

Voter identification requirements

The bill does not propose any changes to voter identification in Northern Ireland. This also means that bank cards will not be accepted as voter ID in Northern Ireland. The rules on voter ID will remain different between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which could cause potential voter confusion.

Changes to political finance rules could improve transparency, protect the integrity of our elections and strengthen public confidence. But we have concerns about some of these measures, set out here.

We will continue to work with the UK government to provide our expert input to ensure that these provisions allow Irish citizens to participate in politics in Northern Ireland, in accordance with the terms of the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement.

Enforcement

The bill proposes:

• de-criminalising certain administrative offences
• making us responsible for enforcing candidate, non-party campaigner and recall petition campaigner political finance offences
• providing more proportionate regulatory tools, including increasing the maximum fine for political finance offences and improving how we share information.

Hostility towards candidates

The bill proposes several changes to address the growing problem of candidate security. These include:  

• adding a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing for certain election-related offences where they are motivated by hostility  
• removing the requirement for candidates’ home addresses to be published  
• extending disqualification orders to include offences against electoral staff.

While we welcome many of the changes outlined in the bill, we believe some areas need improvement. We would like to see:

• the government repeal the Strategy and Policy Statement for the Electoral Commission
• consolidation of complex electoral law to simplify and modernise the extensive patchwork of electoral legislation
• any automated forms of voter registration implemented and ready for the next UK Parliamentary general election
• profit used as a measure for how much money a company has made in the UK as a way to determine if they can donate to a party, candidate or campaigner
• changes to the electoral system to improve the experience voters, parties and campaigners.