Electoral Services Privacy Notice

This privacy notice sets out how Electoral Services will use and process your information.

Who your information may be shared with

Information recorded on the electoral register (both full and open) can be accessed and shared with a wide range of people. Your information may be shared with the following organisations and individuals:

  • British Library
  • UK Statistics Authority
  • Electoral Commission
  • Boundary Commission for England
  • Jury Summoning Bureau
  • Elected Representatives (MP, MEPS, Local Councillors)
  • Police and Crime Commissioner
  • Candidates standing for elections
  • Local and National Political Parties and Registered Campaigners
  • The council
  • Parish and Community councils
  • Police Forces and the National Crime Agency
  • Public Library or local authority archive services
  • Government departments or bodies (including the cabinet office)
  • Credit Reference Agencies
  • National Fraud Initiative
  • Partner Electoral Registration and Returning Officers

We also have to disclose (share) your information with our software providers and contracted printers for the purposes of carrying out our duties of electoral registration and elections.

It is a crime for anyone who has a copy of the full register to pass information from this register on to others, if they do not have a lawful reason.

In addition to the above groups, the Electoral Register can be inspected for free by any member of the public. If you are concerned that having your name or address on the electoral register may affect your safety, there could be other options available to you, such as anonymous registration. In certain limited circumstances, you can register without your name and address showing on the register.

Copies of the open register (an edited copy of the electoral register) can be purchased from the Electoral Registration Officer. Your name and address will be included in the open register unless you ask for them to be removed. Removing your details from the open register does not affect your right to vote.

To verify your identity, the data you provide on any application form to register to vote will be processed by the Individual Electoral Registration Digital Service (IER-DS) managed by the Cabinet Office. As part of this process your data will be shared with the Department of Work and Pensions and the Cabinet Office suppliers that are data processors for the Individual Electoral Registration Digital Service. You can find more information about this at GOV.UK.

If you apply for a Voter Authority Certificate your data will be processed by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). Your data will be hosted and stored by Amazon Web Services as part of this process. Your data will be shared with HH Global for the purposes of preparing, printing and dissemination of your Voter Authority Certificate. 

Staffing data may be shared with other Returning Officers and Electoral Registration Officers as appropriate. All staff details will also be shared with our payroll team and/or external payroll service providers and HMRC to make payments.

Details of candidates, election agents, subscribers to nomination papers and other political campaigners may be published where the law requires.