Representation of the People Act 1983

F1 10A Maintenance of the registers: registration of electors. U.K.

(1) A registration officer shall determine all applications for registration which are—

(a) made to him in accordance with the prescribed requirements, or

(b) treated as made to him by virtue of subsection (2) below.

[F2 (1A) Subject to subsection (1B) below, an application for registration in respect of an address in Northern Ireland shall include—

(a) the signature of each of the persons to whom the application relates;

(b) the date of birth of each such person; and

(c) in relation to each such person—

(i) his national insurance number or a statement that he does not have one,

(ii) a statement of whether or not he has been resident in Northern Ireland for the whole of the three-month period ending on the date of the application, and

(iii) any other address in the United Kingdom in respect of which he is or has applied to be registered,

and the power in subsection (1) above to prescribe requirements includes power to give effect to the requirements of this subsection.

(1B) The Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland may dispense with the requirement mentioned in subsection (1A)(a) above in relation to any person if he is satisfied that it is not reasonably practicable for that person to sign in a consistent and distinctive way because of [F3 blindness or any other disability] of his or because he is unable to read.]

(2) Where—

(a) in connection with a canvass under section 10 above, the form completed in respect of any address specifies any person as a person who is entitled to be registered in a register, and

(b) that person is not for the time being registered in the register in respect of that address,

he shall be treated as having madeF4 . . . an application for registration in the register in respect of that address.

[F5 (2A) The application referred to in subsection (2) above shall (subject to section 13BB(2)) be treated as made on the 15th October in the year in question.]

(3) A registration officer shall also determine all objections to a person’s registration made in accordance with the prescribed requirements by another person whose name appears in the register in question.

[F6 (3A) Subsection (3) above applies to an objection to a person's registration whether the objection is made before or after the person is registered in the register.]

[F7 (3B) No objection to a person's registration may be made if the person has an anonymous entry in the register.]

(4) Subsections (1) and (3) above apply to applications and objections asking—

(a) for the omission, insertion or alteration of a date as that on which a person will become of voting age and entitled to registration, or

(b) for the alteration of the qualifying address in respect of which a person is registered,

as they apply to applications for registration and objections to a person’s registration respectively.

(5) [F8 Subject to subsection (5A) below,] where [F9 the name of] a person (“the elector”) is F10 . . . entered in a register in respect of any address, the elector is entitled to remain registered in the register in respect of that address until such time as the registration officer concerned—

(a) determines, on the conclusion of a canvass under section 10 above, that the elector was not resident at that address on the 15th October in question, or that because—

(i) the form mentioned in section 10(4) above was not returned in respect of that address, or

(ii) for any other reason, insufficient information was obtained as to whether the elector was resident at that address on that date,

the registration officer is unable to satisfy himself that the elector was then so resident at that address, or

[F11 (b) determines that the elector was not entitled to be registered in respect of that address or that he has ceased to be resident at that address or has otherwise ceased to satisfy the conditions for registration set out in section 4 above.]

[F12 (5A) A person’s name is to be removed from the register in respect of any address if—

(a) the form mentioned in section 10(4) above in respect of that address does not include all the information relating to him required by virtue of section 10(4A) above; or

(b) the registration officer determines that he is not satisfied with the information relating to that person which was included in that form pursuant to that requirement.]

[F13 (5B) A registration officer may, for the purpose of obtaining any information relevant to a determination under subsection (5)(b) above, make such house to house inquiries as he thinks fit.]

(6) Where the entitlement of a person to remain registered in a register in respect of any address terminates by virtue of subsection (5) above, [F14 or his name is to be removed from it by virtue of subsection (5A) above,] the registration officer concerned shall remove that person’s entry from the register once the officer has satisfied any prescribed requirements applying in relation to the removal of that entry.

(7) Subsection (6) above does not apply if, or to the extent that, regulations so provide in relation to any prescribed circumstances; and regulations may, in particular, authorise a registration officer to retain entries in his registers for the prescribed period if he thinks fit in cases where the form mentioned in section 10(4) above has not been returned in respect of any address.

(8) Nothing in subsection (5)[F15 , (5A)] or (6) applies in relation to the registration of persons in pursuance of—

(a) applications for registration made by virtue of section 7(2) or 7A(2) above; or

(b) declarations falling within section 10(3)(b) above.

(9) In this section—

• “determines” means determines in accordance with regulations;

• “resident” means resident for the purposes of section 4 above.

Textual Amendments

F1 Ss. 10, 10A substituted (29.1.2001 for certain purposes and 16.2.2001 otherwise) for s. 10 by 2000 c. 2, s. 8(a), Sch. 1 para. 4; S.I. 2001/116, art. 2(1)(2) (with art. 2(4))

F2 S. 10A(1A)(1B) inserted (N.I.) (1.9.2002) by Electoral Fraud (Northern Ireland) Act 2002 (c. 13), s. 1(3)(a); S.I. 2002/1648, art. 3

F3 Words in s. 10A(1B) substituted (1.1.2007 for E.W.S. and 1.7.2008 for N.I.) by Electoral Administration Act 2006 (c. 22), ss. 74(1), 77, Sch. 1 para. 106; S.I. 2006/3412, art. 3, Sch. 1 para. 14(aa)(bb)(v) (subject to transitional provisions in art. 6, Sch. 2); S.I. 2008/1316, arts. 2, 4

F4 Words in s. 10A(2) repealed (4.9.2009) by virtue of Political Parties and Elections Act 2009 (c. 12), ss. 39, 43(1), Sch. 6 para. 1(2), Sch. 7; S.I. 2009/2395, art. 2 (with art. 3)

F5 S. 10A(2A) inserted (4.9.2009) by Political Parties and Elections Act 2009 (c. 12), ss. 39, 43(1), Sch. 6 para. 1(3); S.I. 2009/2395, art. 2 (with art. 3)

F6 S. 10A(3A) inserted (1.1.2007 for E.W.S. and 14.5.2008 for N.I.) by Electoral Administration Act 2006 (c. 22), ss. 12(4), 77; S.I. 2006/3412, art. 3, Sch. 1 para. 14(a) (subject to transitional provisions in art. 6, Sch. 2); S.I. 2008/1316, arts. 2, 3

F7 S. 10A(3B) inserted (E.W.S.) (1.1.2007) by Electoral Administration Act 2006 (c. 22), ss. 10, 77, Sch. 1 para. 6(2); S.I. 2006/3412, art. 3, Sch. 1 para. 1, 12(a) (subject to transitional provisions in art. 6, Sch. 2)

F8 Words in s. 10A(5) inserted (N.I.) (1.9.2002) by Electoral Fraud (Northern Ireland) Act 2002 (c. 13), s. 1(3)(b); S.I. 2002/1648, art. 3

F9 Words in s. 10A(5) repealed (E.W.S.) (1.1.2007) by Electoral Administration Act 2006 (c. 22), ss. 10, 77, Sch. 1 para. 6(3), Sch. 2; S.I. 2006/3412, art. 3, Sch. 1 paras. 1, 12(a), 13(a) (subject to transitional provisions in art. 6, Sch. 2)

F10 Word in s. 10A(5) repealed (1.1.2007) by Electoral Administration Act 2006 (c. 22), ss. 12(5)(a), 74(2), 77, Sch. 2; S.I. 2006/3412, art. 3, Sch. 1 paras. 13(a), 14(a) (subject to transitional provisions in art. 6, Sch. 2)

F11 S. 10A(5)(b) substituted (1.1.2007 for E.W.S. and 14.5.2008 for N.I.) by Electoral Administration Act 2006 (c. 22), ss. 12(5)(b), 77; S.I. 2006/3412, art. 3, Sch. 1 para. 14(a) (subject to transitional provisions in art. 6, Sch. 2); S.I. 2008/1316, arts. 2, 3

F12 S. 10A(5A) inserted (N.I.) (1.9.2002) by Electoral Fraud (Northern Ireland) Act 2002 (c. 13), s. 1(3)(c); S.I. 2002/1648, art. 3

F13 S. 10A(5B) inserted (1.1.2007 for E.W.S and 14.5.2008 for N.I.) by Electoral Administration Act 2006 (c. 22), ss. 12(6), 77; S.I. 2006/3412, art. 3, Sch. 1 para. 14(a) (subject to transitional provisions in art. 6, Sch. 2); S.I. 2008/1316, arts. 2, 3

F14 Words in s. 10A(6) inserted (N.I.) (1.9.2002) by Electoral Fraud (Northern Ireland) Act 2002 (c. 13), s. 1(3)(d); S.I. 2002/1648, art. 3

F15 Words in s. 10A(8) inserted (N.I.) (1.9.2002) by Electoral Fraud (Northern Ireland) Act 2002 (c. 13), s. 1(3)(e); S.I. 2002/1648, art. 3

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 10A extended (N.I.) (with modifications) by Elected Authorities (Northern Ireland) Act 1989 (c. 3), ss. 2, 13(6), Sch.1 Pt. I as amended (16.2.2001) by 2000 c. 2, s. 8, Sch. 3 para. 3(5); S.I. 2001/116, art. 2(1) (with art. 2(3)-(5))

C2 S. 10A applied (with modifications) by The European Parliamentary Elections (Franchise of Relevant Citizens of the Union) Regulations 2001 (S.I. 2001/1184), reg. 9, Sch. Pt. I (as substituted (17.3.2009) by S.I. 2009/726, regs. 1(1), 2(3)(4), Sch.)

C3 S. 10A(2A) applied (with modifications) (E.W.S.) (27.3.2013) by The Electoral Registration (Postponement of 2013 Annual Canvass) Order 2013 (S.I. 2013/794), arts. 1(1), 2(4)

C4 S. 10A(5)(a) applied (with modifications) (E.W.S.) (27.3.2013) by The Electoral Registration (Postponement of 2013 Annual Canvass) Order 2013 (S.I. 2013/794), arts. 1(1), 2(5)

C5 S. 10A(6) excluded by The Representation of the People (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/1741), reg. 46B (as inserted (N.I.) (18.7.2013) by S.I. 2013/1846, regs. 1(1), 3(1))