What is the Register of Electors?
The Register of Electors is a list of all the residents of our borough who are eligible to vote in elections. It is compiled each year, following a canvass by post and personal visit of every household in the borough during September, October and November, and the new register is published on 1 December each year.
The register is not a static document as it is updated at the beginning of each month from January to September by adding the names of new applicants, removing names of electors who have died or moved away, and by altering names, for example, where electors have married.
Checking you are registered
If you live in St Edmundsbury and want to check that you are on the register please either call Electoral Services on 01284 757131 or email elections@stedsbc.gov.uk with details of your name and address and we will confirm whether or not you are registered.
Please note that while Electoral Services will respond to enquiries where a name and address is provided, staff will not search for a named person for whom the caller does not have an address. That information is not readily available from a visual inspection of the register and was not part of the purpose for which the information was supplied by the individual so it would contravene the data protection principles.
Inspecting either the edited or full register
The Electoral Registration Officer keeps two versions of the register.
The Full Register of Electors is a public document, but you can only inspect it as a paper copy under supervision at the Council offices at West Suffolk House, Bury St Edmunds. You will only be able to make hand-written notes of its contents which, by law, you will not be allowed to use for any direct marketing purposes. To ensure a member of staff is available to supervise your inspection please ring 01284 757131 or email elections@stebsbc.gov.uk in advance.
By law, there are strict restrictions on who we can supply the full register to, and, in turn, there are strict restrictions on the uses that they can make of it. The full register is available for electoral purposes (so to candidates and registered political parties) and to a range of government agencies and organisations involved in law and order and the prevention of fraud (including credit reference agencies).
The Edited Register of Electors version of the register is available to anyone and can be used for any purpose. It omits the names of those electors who have asked us to leave them out. To prevent your name appearing in the edited register, you should place a tick in the 'Edited Register' column when completing your registration form.
The full version is available for electoral purposes (so to candidates and registered political parties) and to a range of government agencies and organisations involved in law and order and the prevention of fraud. It can be inspected, but only under supervision, and the person inspecting it can only take hand-written notes.
The edited register is available for inspection at the reception desks of our council offices in Bury St Edmunds (West Suffolk House, Western Way, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 3YU) and Haverhilll (Lower Downs Slade, Haverhill, CB9 9EE) offices.
Buying the Register of Electors
Only the Edited Register of Electors of the register is available for general purchase. The cost is determined by the number of electors in the part you want to buy. To check the price for an individual section contact the Electoral Services office on 01284 757131 or email elections@stedsbc.gov.uk with details of the section you want to buy, whether you want it in paper or data format and to check the postage costs. The basic formula for the fee, which is set in legislation, is:
|
Data |
Paper |
| Administration charge per purchase |
£20.00 |
£10.00 |
| Per 1000 names (or part) |
£1.50 |
£5.00 |
Purchase of the Full Register of Electors is restricted to those bodies listed in the Representation of the People Regulations 2002. If you represent one of those bodies please contact Electoral Services in writing confirming under which regulation your organisation is applying to purchase a copy of the full register.
Are you entitled to a free copy of the register?
MPs, MEPs, councillors, registered political parties, candidates (or their agents) at elections and a range of government bodies are entitled to receive a copy of the register free. Contact Electoral Services on 01284 757131 or by emailing elections@stedsbc.gov.uk to be sent a form if you qualify for a free copy.
