Running electoral registration - England

Approved applications

You must notify the applicant when you determine their application for a Voter Authority Certificate or Anonymous Elector’s Document as approved.1  

Where the Voter Authority Certificate will be sent by post from the central supplier, the covering letter that accompanies the Voter Authority Certificate satisfies the requirement to write to the applicant, and no additional notice is required to be sent.

The same applies where you produce and send the Anonymous Elector’s Document locally. Sending this document to an elector satisfies the requirement to write to them and no additional notice needs to be sent. Any communications to anonymous electors should be placed in a plain covering envelope to ensure the contents are secure. However, if the Voter Authority Certificate or Anonymous Elector’s Document is to be collected you must notify the applicant that their application has been approved. You can notify applicants by any method you choose, but you must also write to the applicant at the address provided in their application as soon as practicable.2  

Refused applications

You must notify the applicant when you refuse their application for a Voter Authority Certificate or Anonymous Elector’s Document.3  

The notification must include:4  

• the reason for refusal
• the right of appeal 
• the timescale for an appeal - notice of an appeal must be given within 14 days of the date of the notification of the refusal 

You may notify the applicant that their application has been refused by any method you choose, but you must also write to the applicant at the address provided in their application as soon as practicable.5  

There is nothing to prevent an applicant from making a fresh application following a refusal.