Running electoral registration - Wales

Deleting an elector from the register

A person who is registered stays registered unless the ERO determines that:1  

  • the person was not entitled to be registered in respect of the address
  • the person has ceased to be resident at the address or has otherwise ceased to satisfy the conditions for registration
  • the person was registered as the result of an application for registration made by someone else (i.e. not the individual whose details are provided and who has declared that the information on the application is true) or the person’s entry has been altered as the result of an application for a change of name made by someone else

If you become aware of information that causes you to suspect that one of the conditions in the list above may be met, or if you receive a valid objection to a person’s registration,2  you must consider whether to remove a person’s entry on the register.

Where you have determined that someone is no longer entitled to be registered, they must be deleted from the register.3  

There may be circumstances where you determine that an elector is deleted from the parliamentary register but they can be retained on the local government register. For example, their nationality may not qualify them for the parliamentary register.

You should not retain any documents relating to a particular elector for more than 12 months after they have been removed from the register unless there is a legal challenge or investigation, as this is the usual time limit for any prosecutions.

Special provisions apply to special category electors

Last updated: 26 May 2021