Running electoral registration - Wales

How should an application and declaration from a Crown servant or British Council employee be processed?

Acknowledging applications

There is no legal requirement for an application to be acknowledged although you do have discretion to send an acknowledgement. In all cases, you are required to send a confirmation if the application is successful, as set out below.

Verifying applications

All applications and declarations should be processed and the applicant’s identity verified as soon as possible after receipt. 

If you receive an application where the qualifying address falls outside your area it should be forwarded to the relevant ERO without delay.

Potential Crown servants, British Council employees or their spouses or civil partners who fail the DWP match must provide documentary evidence in support of their application.  

You must write to the applicant informing them that it has not been possible to verify their identity and asking them to supply documentary evidence. This must be a copy of the information / photograph page of their passport or both sides of their EEA identity card, certified by a Crown servant or British Council employee who is not the applicant’s spouse or civil partner. 

Where an application as a service voter is made by a person under 18 years old for the purpose of registering in the local government register, and that person's identity cannot be verified by education records or other local data, you should ask them to supply a copy of the information / photograph page of their passport or both sides of their EEA identity card, certified by a Crown servant or British Council employee who is not the applicant's parent, guardian, spouse or civil partner.

You may wish to set a deadline date for the applicant to respond; this will be helpful when deciding to reject an application because no response has been received. The time given to applicants to respond is at the discretion of the ERO; however, it should allow the applicant reasonable time to source and return their attestation, bearing in mind that some electors may be deployed to overseas locations.

Declaration requirements

The declaration must contain all the required information for it to be considered duly made.1

If the declaration does not meet with the requirement, you shall return the declaration to the applicant and explain what information is missing.2

Confirming applications and declarations

If you have determined that an applicant is entitled to be registered, you must confirm to them in writing that their registration application has been successful.3   

You should also include, alongside the confirmation letter, information on any absent voting arrangements that are in place. If no arrangements are in place you should make clear what the options are. 

If you have rejected a registration application, you must notify the applicant and inform them of the reasons why.

Where an existing service voter has successfully renewed their declaration, there is no requirement to send a confirmation notice. You may, however, still decide to send them further information confirming that their renewal has been successful, which you could do by e-mail. This communication could also include information on when their declaration will expire, how and when they will next be reminded to renew it, what absent voting arrangements they have in place and, if they have none, information on absent voting options.

You should also make the elector aware of the general timings for dispatching postal votes ahead of an election and could advise the elector to appoint a proxy as an alternative if it is not realistic for their postal ballot pack to be dispatched, completed and returned before the close of poll. It is, of course, the elector’s choice as to which method of voting they prefer, but it is important that electors can make an informed decision. Further information can be found in our guidance on absent voting.