Representation of the People Act 1983

[F1 10 Maintenance of registers: annual canvass. U.K.

(1) Each registration officer shall conduct an annual canvass in relation to the area for which he acts for the purpose of ascertaining the persons who are for the time being entitled to be, or to remain, registered in his registers.

(2) The canvass for any year shall be conducted by reference to residence on 15th October in that year.

(3) A canvass shall not, however, be concerned with—

(a) the registration of persons in respect of residence in penal institutions (within the meaning of section 3 above) or mental hospitals (within the meaning of section 7 above) or other places at which persons to whom section 7A above applies may be detained; or

(b) the registration of persons in pursuance of—

(i) declarations of local connection,

(ii) service declarations, or

(iii) overseas electors’ declarations.

(4) The form to be used for the purposes of a canvass shall be either a form prescribed for those purposes or a form to the same effect.

[F2 (4A) Subject to subsection (4B) below, the information to be obtained by the use of such a form for the purposes of a canvass in Northern Ireland shall include—

(a) the signature of each of the persons in relation to whom the form is completed;

(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 15th October in the year in question, and

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

and the power in subsection (4) above to prescribe a form includes power to give effect to the requirements of this subsection.

(4B) The Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland may dispense with the requirement mentioned in subsection (4A)(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 any incapacity of his or because he is unable to read.]

(5) In connection with a canvass a registration officer may, for the purpose of—

(a) supplementing the information obtained by the use of any such form, or

(b) where any such form has not been returned, obtaining any information designed to be obtained by the use of the form,

make such house to house inquiries as he thinks fit.

(6) On the conclusion of a canvass a registration officer shall make such alterations in his registers as fall to be made in accordance with section 10A below as a result of the canvass.

(7) In this section “residence” means residence 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. 10(4A)(4B) inserted (N.I.) (1.9.2002) by Electoral Fraud (Northern Ireland) Act 2002 (c. 13), s. 1(2); S.I. 2002/1648, art. 3

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 Ss. 10-11 extended (N.I.) (with modifications) by Elected Authorities (Northern Ireland) Act 1989 (c. 3, SIF 42), 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))