Representation of the People Act 1983

[F1 9A Registration officers: duty to take necessary steps U.K.

(1) Each registration officer must take all steps that are necessary for the purpose of complying with his duty to maintain the registers under section 9 above [F2 and [F3 —

(a) in the case of a registration officer in Great Britain, for the purpose of securing that, so far as is reasonably practicable, persons who are entitled to be registered in a register (and no others) are registered in it, and

(b) in the case of the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland, for the purpose of meeting the relevant registration objectives].]

(2) The steps include—

[F4 (za) for the purposes of a register of parliamentary electors in Great Britain, or a register of local government electors in England [F5 or in Scotland] [F6 or Wales], sending to any address at least one communication to be used for the canvass under section 9D below;]

[F7 (zb) for the purposes of a register maintained by the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland under section 9—

(i) no earlier than 1 July in a year in which a canvass under section 10 is conducted, sending to any address a notice that includes the following information—

(aa) details of the canvass, including any time by which the form to be used for the purposes of the canvass is to be submitted,

(bb) an invitation to submit that form through the UK digital service, and

(cc) instructions on how to do so;

(ii) at any time after sending the notices under sub-paragraph (i), sending the form to be used for the purposes of the canvass to any non-responding registered person;]

F8 (a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(b) making on one or more occasions house to house inquiries under [F9 section 9D(5) or 10(5)];

[F10 (ba) for the purposes of a register of parliamentary electors in Great Britain, or a register of local government electors in England [F11 or in Scotland] [F12 or in Wales], making on one or more occasions contact with persons by telephone;]

(c) making contact by such other means as the registration officer thinks appropriate with persons who do not have an entry in a register;

(d) inspecting any records held by any person which he is permitted to inspect under or by virtue of any enactment or rule of law;

(e) providing training to persons under his direction or control in connection with the carrying out of the duty.

[F13 (2A) In relation to the registration of local government electors in Scotland, subsections (1) and (2)(b) do not require a registration officer to make house to house inquiries in relation to any person under the age of 16.]

[F14 (2A) In relation to the registration of local government electors in Wales, subsections (1) and (2)(b) do not require a registration officer to make house to house inquires in relation to any person under the age of 16.]

(3) Regulations made by the Secretary of State may amend subsection (2) by—

(a) varying any of the paragraphs in that subsection;

(b) inserting any paragraph;

(c) repealing any paragraph.]

[F15 (4) In this section—

• “non-responding registered person”, in relation to a canvass, means a person who—

  (a)

  is registered in a register in respect of an address in Northern Ireland, and

  (b)

  has not responded to the canvass;

• “the UK digital service” has the same meaning as in section 10ZF below, and references to submitting a form through the UK digital service shall be construed in accordance with subsection (4) of that section.]

Extent Information

E1 S. 9A extended (N.I.) (13.5.2014) by Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 (c. 13), ss. 18(1)(a), 28(4)

Textual Amendments

F1 S. 9A inserted (E.W.S.) (11.9.2006) by Electoral Administration Act 2006 (c. 22), ss. 9(1), 77; S.I. 2006/1972, art. 3, Sch. 1 para. 1 (subject to transitional provisions in art. 4, Sch. 2)

F2 Words in s. 9A(1) inserted (10.6.2014 for E.W., 15.9.2014 for N.I., 19.9.2014 for S.) by Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 (c. 6), s. 27(1), Sch. 4 para. 6(2) (with Sch. 5); S.I. 2014/414, art. 5(m); S.I. 2014/2439, art. 2(l)

F3 Words in s. 9A(1) substituted (10.6.2014 for E.W., 15.9.2014 for N.I., 19.9.2014 for S.) by Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 (c. 13), ss. 18(3)(a), 28(4)(5)

F4 S. 9A(2)(za) inserted (31.12.2019) by The Representation of the People (Annual Canvass) (Amendment) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/1451), regs. 1(3), 3(a)

F5 Words in s. 9A(2)(za) inserted (S.) (3.3.2020) by The Representation of the People (Annual Canvass) Amendment (Scotland) Order 2020 (S.S.I. 2020/62), arts. 1(1), 3(a)

F6 Words in s. 9A(2)(za) inserted (E.W.) (22.1.2020) by The Representation of the People (Annual Canvass) (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/50), regs. 2, 4(a)

F7 S. 9A(2)(zb) inserted (6.7.2020) by The Representation of the People (Electronic Communications and Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/581), regs. 1(2), 3(2)(a)

F8 S. 9A(2)(a) omitted (6.7.2020) by virtue of The Representation of the People (Electronic Communications and Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/581), regs. 1(2), 3(2)(b)

F9 Words in s. 9A(2)(b) substituted (10.6.2014 for E.W., 15.9.2014 for N.I., 19.9.2014 for S.) by Northern Ireland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 (c. 13), ss. 18(3)(c), 28(4)(5)

F10 S. 9A(2)(ba) inserted (31.12.2019) by The Representation of the People (Annual Canvass) (Amendment) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/1451), regs. 1(3), 3(c)

F11 Words in s. 9A(2)(ba) inserted (S.) (3.3.2020) by The Representation of the People (Annual Canvass) Amendment (Scotland) Order 2020 (S.S.I. 2020/62), arts. 1(1), 3(c)

F12 Words in s. 9A(2)(ba) inserted (E.W.) (22.1.2020) by The Representation of the People (Annual Canvass) (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/50), regs. 2, 4(c)

F13 S. 9A(2A) inserted (S.) (25.7.2015) by Scottish Elections (Reduction of Voting Age) Act 2015 (asp 7), ss. 2(1), 21

F14 S. 9A(2A) inserted (E.W.) (1.6.2020) by Senedd and Elections (Wales) Act 2020 (anaw 1), ss. 13(1), 42(3)(a)

F15 S. 9A(4) inserted (6.7.2020) by The Representation of the People (Electronic Communications and Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/581), regs. 1(2), 3(3)

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 9A applied (with modifications) (S.) (8.8.2013) by Scottish Independence Referendum (Franchise) Act 2013 (asp 13), ss. 6, 13(1), sch. 1 Pts. 1, 2 (with s. 13(2))