Running electoral registration - Wales

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

Proxy vote applications for Senedd and local government elections

Only electors who are, or will be registered, can apply for a proxy vote.1 You will therefore need to check that the applicant is or will be registered before granting a proxy 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.2  

Once the application has passed the registration check, it must be scrutinised to ensure that it satisfies the prescribed requirements.3 Where it does, you must confirm to the elector the outcome of the application.4  

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.

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

Proxy vote applications for UK Parliamentary elections and Police and Crime Commissioner elections

Only electors who are, or will be registered, can apply for a proxy vote. Applications to vote by proxy at UK Parliamentary elections and Police and Crime Commissioner elections will be processed in EROP (except for emergency proxy applications). A check of the relevant electoral register held in your EMS will be conducted for these applications and the result of this check will appear in the EROP to confirm whether or not a person who has applied for a proxy vote is a registered elector. 

Emergency proxy applications will be processed in the EMS and a manual check that the elector is or will be registered will need to be conducted.

Where an applicant is found to have an entry waiting to be added to the register, you can determine the application for a proxy 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 proxy 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 proxy 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 and their proxy the outcome of the application.6  

Our guidance on confirming the outcome of proxy vote applications contains more information. 

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