Voting

Full and Edited Register

The electoral registration officer produces and keeps two versions of the Electoral Register - the full register and the edited register.

The Full Register

The full register lists everyone who is entitled to vote. You can check it by contacting electoral services.

Only certain people and organisations can have copies of the full register, and they can only use it for specified purposes. These include electoral purposes, the prevention and detection of crime and checking your identity when you have applied for credit.

The law says who can have a copy of the full register and what they can use it for. The full list of such persons and purposes is given in the Representation of the People (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2006. It is a criminal offence for them to pass it on to anyone else or to use it for any other purpose.

The Edited Register

The edited register leaves out the names and addresses of people who have asked for them to be excluded from that version of the register. The edited register can be bought by anyone who asks for a copy and they may use it for any purpose. You can also also check the edited electoral register at any One Stop Services or library.