Elections Act 2022

Representation of the People Act 1985

6 (1) Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act 1985 (proxies at parliamentary elections in Northern Ireland) is amended as follows.

(2) After subsection (2) insert—

“(2A) A person is not capable of being appointed to vote, or voting, as proxy at a parliamentary election unless the person is or will be registered in a register of parliamentary electors in Great Britain or Northern Ireland.”

(3) In subsection (3)—

(a) omit the “or” at the end of paragraph (a);

(b) omit paragraph (b).

(4) For subsection (5) substitute—

“(5) A person—

(a) is not entitled to vote as proxy at a parliamentary election on behalf of more than two electors who do not fall within subsection (5A), but

(b) subject to paragraph (a), is entitled to vote as proxy at a parliamentary election on behalf of up to four electors.

(5A) An elector falls within this subsection if the elector is registered in a register of parliamentary electors in pursuance of an overseas elector’s declaration or a service declaration.

(5B) Where the polls for two or more parliamentary elections are held on the same day, references in subsection (5A) to a parliamentary election are to all of those elections taken together.”

(5) After subsection (7) insert—

“(7A) The requirements prescribed under subsections (6) and (7) must include a requirement for an application to contain the proxy’s date of birth.”