Running electoral registration - England

Who should be invited to register to vote?

Any potential electors identified, for example by a successful response to a canvass communication, direct contact from individuals or by other local data matching, should be invited to make an application to register to vote. You should do this by sending an invitation to register (ITR) and an application form. 

The ITR must invite potential electors to make an application to register as soon as reasonably practicable and within 28 calendar days of the date that you identified that they may be entitled to be registered.  

Where the 28 day period ends on a weekend or bank holiday, the period is extended to the next working day.1

Your EMS should have a mechanism for keeping a record of the date on which you conclude that an individual may be entitled to be registered, which then starts the 28-day period. 

You should have a process in place to identify whether an application to register has been made before you give an invitation. You should not issue an ITR to an individual who has made an application to register, or if you identify that they are not eligible to register to vote. 

Your EMS may be able to automate a process to check for applications received through any allowed channels before you issue an ITR. 

Some manual checking of applications received against invitations issued may also be required, as the name on an application may not exactly match the name of the individual to whom you have given an invitation.

A manual check could be done by cross-checking the details on an application against your list of potential new electors to whom you have sent an ITR. On paper applications, this process could be facilitated by adding a barcode to the paper application form you are including alongside your ITR.

 

Last updated: 24 September 2024