Electoral registers and access to them

Electoral registration

To vote in an election someone must be on the electoral register.
The UK’s online registration portal is available at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.

Registration is the responsibility of each individual. Someone can apply to register to vote at any time but there are deadlines in advance of an election. The right to register is outlined in the Library briefing, Who can vote in UK elections?

The registers

Although there is a single online portal to register to vote there is no central UK-wide electoral register. Registers are maintained by local registration officers at councils across Great Britain. There is a single registration officer for Northern Ireland.

Electoral registration officers are data controllers under the requirements of data protection law and data must be processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner. The ‘right to be forgotten’ does not apply to being on the electoral register.

There are two versions of the electoral register:

• The full register contains the names and addresses of everyone who is registered to vote. Use of the full register is restricted.

• The open or edited register is a copy of the electoral register that is available for sale to anyone. Someone can opt out of the open register at any time. Those opted out will not appear on the open register but will appear on the full register.

  About 60% of registered electors are opted out of the open register. The Electoral Commission has called for the open register to be abolished.  

Access to the full register

There are strict rules on who has access to the full register and on what use can be made of the data. Breaches of the rules are a criminal offence.

• Public inspection: anyone can inspect the full register under supervision. They may make handwritten notes but cannot make any copies or use the information for marketing.

• Some organisations are entitled to a free copy of the full register on publication. These include:
  • the Office of National Statistics and National Records of Scotland
  • the British Library and national libraries in Scotland and Wales
  • the Electoral Commission and boundary commissions
  • Returning Officers running an election

• Those entitled to a free copy on request include elected representatives, political parties and candidates standing for election. This is so they can campaign and engage with voters. It also allows them to check donations are from registered voters. Donations over £500 are not permitted unless the individual is registered to vote.

The full register is also used for summoning juries

Credit reference agencies are entitled to buy copies of the full register. This allows businesses to carry out credit checks for people applying for credit and identity checks to help stop money laundering.

Full registers available for inspection or for supply will not include anonymous registration entries. The data of those under 16 who have registered in advance of reaching voting age (where the voting age is 16), is also protected and is only disclosed in very limited circumstances.

Accuracy of the full register

The accuracy and completeness of electoral registers have declined in recent years. It is estimated about 8 million eligible voters are not registered. Young people, renters and people who move frequently, and ethnic minorities are among those less likely to be registered.

Proposals for reform

The Electoral Commission has said improvements in the completeness and accuracy of electoral registers need new approaches. This can be achieved by better use of public data, and more automation in electoral registration processes. Recommendations to improve voter registration largely fall into two categories:

• Automation that makes more use of data held by government and public bodies to identify and contact people so they can be invited to register.

• Fully automated registration where public data is used to add people or update their information on the electoral register without them being required to take active steps

Public data that might be useful include National Insurance numbers, particularly when they are issued to people as they approach 16, or DVLA data when people apply for or update a driving licence.

The UK Government issued a policy paper on election and registration in July 2025. It committed the government to move to an automated registration system “over the coming years” saying:

As part of this work, we will look to build in essential safeguards so that anyone being registered in this way in the future is made aware of their registration status and can opt-out should they wish to.

The Representation of the People Bill 2024-26 was introduced in the House of Commons on 12 February 2026. It would allow for more automation of electoral registration. The bill would also allow for pilot schemes to test ways of achieving this. The intention is to learn from the pilots to create a permanent system of automatic registration. 

In 2025, a pilot automatic registration scheme authorised by the Welsh Government added 16,000 electors to the local government registers in three local authorities in Wales. The Electoral Commission evaluation said that automatic registration could have a positive impact on the completeness of the electoral registers but recommended that the Welsh Government consider the cost implications  and some technical aspects before rolling out a scheme across Wales.