The Absent Voting at Scottish Local Government Elections (Provision of Personal Identifiers) Regulations 2009

Required information to be provided to existing absent voters

13.—(1) Where a registration officer sends to an existing absent voter a notice or a copy of a notice pursuant to regulation 12, the registration officer must also provide information–

(a) explaining how the required personal identifiers will be used and how the required personal identifiers will assist in deterring misuse of the entitlement to vote;

(b) explaining that, in the event of a failure or refusal to provide the required personal identifiers, the voter will lose the entitlement to vote by post, by proxy or by post as a proxy (as the case may be);

(c) explaining the circumstances in which a registration officer may dispense with the requirement to provide a signature; and

(d) explaining that loss of the entitlement to vote by post, or proxy or by post as a proxy (as the case may be) under this Part does not prevent the voter from making a fresh application under Schedule 4 to the 2000 Act to be entitled to vote by post, by proxy or by post as a proxy.

(2) The notice or copy of a notice sent to an existing absent voter pursuant to regulation 12 must specify the following matters–

(a) the types of elections in respect of which the absent voter would cease to be entitled to vote by post, by proxy or by post as a proxy (as the case may be) if the absent voter does not provide the required personal identifiers;

(b) whether the absent voter has an entry in the absent voting records as voting by post, by proxy or by post as a proxy or in more than one capacity;

(c) as regards an existing absent voter entitled to vote by post as a proxy, the name and address of each person for whom that person is entitled to vote; and

(d) the date (not less than 49 days from the sending of the initial notice) from which the absent voter will cease to be entitled to vote by post, by proxy or by post as a proxy (as the case may be) in the event of a failure or refusal to provide the required personal identifiers.