Running electoral registration - Scotland

The way you will determine postal vote applications will depend on the type of poll the application is for.

Postal vote applications for Scottish Parliament and local council elections

Only electors who are, or will be registered, can apply for a postal vote. You will therefore need to check that the applicant is or will be registered before granting a postal vote application.

For someone to meet the ‘will be registered’ criteria, the five day objection period must have passed and you must have positively determined their registration application, which means they will be added to the register on publication of the next notice of alteration or on publication of the revised register, whichever is first.1  

Once the application has passed the registration check, it must be scrutinised to ensure that it satisfies the prescribed requirements.2  Where it does, you must confirm to the elector the outcome of the application.3  You should ensure that the confirmation letter sets out which polls the postal vote application relates to, particularly if the postal vote is not for a specific poll. If they have not applied for a postal vote for all polls, you should advise them how they can apply for a postal vote for any other polls and any relevant application deadlines.

If applications are incomplete, you should, where possible, make enquiries to obtain the missing information. If the missing information is not submitted, the application must not be allowed.4

Where it appears that the elector has made a mistake when completing their postal vote application (for example, where they have transposed their date of birth figures), you should contact the elector and ask them to resupply the information. You should take extra steps to contact the elector where possible by email or by phone, if it is close to the postal voting deadline before a poll. 

Where you have any integrity concerns, you should contact your SPOC for advice and handle the application form in accordance with any instructions provided by them on evidence handling.

Postal vote applications for UK Parliamentary elections

Only electors who are, or will be registered, can apply for a postal vote. A check of the relevant electoral register held in your electoral management system will be conducted.

The result of this check will appear in the EROP to confirm whether or not a person who has applied for a postal vote is a registered elector. 

Where an applicant is found to be a registered elector, the EROP will indicate that the information matches a register entry, and you will be able to consider the rest of the application details.

Where an applicant is found to have an entry waiting to be added to the register, you can determine the application for a postal vote once the five day objection period has passed.

You will need to ensure that you return to the EROP to process the applications of those waiting to be added following the objection period.

If the results show an applicant is not included on a relevant electoral register or has not applied to be included on a relevant electoral register, you should decide whether to reject the application at this point, wait and check again at a later date, or make such other manual check as may be helpful. 

This could be to see if the applicant has made an application to register at the same time as they made an application for a postal vote and the data check from the registration process has not yet been returned, or may be to establish if the reason a match cannot be found is due to a minor difference. For example, an elector’s name may have been misspelt or may have legally changed since they applied to register. You should contact the elector to make any enquires necessary so that you can be satisfied that the entry on the register is the same person who has made the application for a postal vote.

Once the application has passed the registration check, it must be scrutinised to ensure that it satisfies the prescribed requirements.5  Where it does, you must confirm to the elector the outcome of the application.6  Whatever determination decision you make, you must write to the elector to notify them.7  Our guidance on confirming the outcome of postal vote applications contains more information.  

Where it appears that the elector has made a mistake when completing their postal vote application (for example, where they have transposed their date of birth figures), you should contact the elector and ask them to resupply the application. You should take extra steps to contact the elector where possible by email or by phone, if it is close to the postal voting deadline before a poll. 

Where you have any integrity concerns, you should contact your SPOC for advice and handle the application form in accordance with any instructions provided by them on evidence handling.

Guidance on how to access and use the EROP will be provided by DLUHC.