Representation of the People Act 1985

7 Absent vote at a particular election and absent voters list

(1) Where a person applies to the registration officer to vote by post, or to vote by proxy, at a particular parliamentary or local government election, the registration officer shall grant the application (subject to subsection (5) below) if—

(a) he is satisfied that the applicant's circumstances on the date of the poll will be or are likely to be such that he cannot reasonably be expected to vote in person at the polling station allotted or likely to be allotted to him under the appropriate rules,

(b) he is satisfied that the applicant is or will be registered in the register of parliamentary or, as the case may be, local government electors, and

(c) the application meets the prescribed requirements.

(2) Subsection (1) above does not apply to a person who is included in the record kept under section 6 of this Act in respect of elections of the kind in question, but such a person may, in respect of a particular parliamentary or local government election, apply to the registration officer—

(a) for his ballot paper to be sent to a different address in the United Kingdom, or

(b) to vote by proxy,

if he is shown in the record so kept as voting by post at elections of the kind in question.

(3) The registration officer shall grant an application under subsection (2) above if it meets the prescribed requirements.

(4) The registration officer shall, in respect of each parliamentary or local government election, keep a special list (" the absent voters list ") consisting of—

(a) a list of—

(i) those whose applications under subsection (1) above to vote by post at the election have been granted, together with the addresses provided by them in their applications as the addresses to which their ballot papers are to be sent, and

(ii) those who are for the time being shown in the record kept under section 6 of this Act as voting by post at elections of the kind in question (excluding those so shown whose applications under subsection (2) above to vote by proxy at the election have been granted), together with the addresses provided by them in their applications under that section or, as the case may be, subsection (2) above as the addresses to which their ballot papers are to be sent, and

(b) a list (" the list of proxies ") of those whose applications under this section to vote by proxy at the election have been granted or who are for the time being shown in the record kept under section 6 of this Act as voting by proxy at elections of the kind in question, together with the names and addresses of those appointed as their proxies.

(5) A person applying to vote by post must provide an address in the United Kingdom as the address to which his ballot paper is to be sent.