The Electoral Register

The Full Electoral Register and open register

The electoral register

There are two versions of the electoral register - the full electoral register and the open register.

The Full Electoral Register

The Full Electoral Register (sometimes called the 'electoral roll') lists the names and addresses of everyone registered to vote.

Circulation of the full register is strictly limited to individuals and organisations listed in the Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001.

Recipients of the electoral register may only use it for the purposes specified by the regulations, which are for electoral purposes, the prevention and detection of crime, safeguarding national security or checking the identities of individuals who have applied for financial services.

It is a criminal offence for any recipient to disclose information from the full register or to use it for any other purposes than those set out above.

The full register is updated monthly between January and September through rolling registration.

Information for residents: Electoral Commission Cyber Attack

On Tuesday 8 August, the Electoral Commission announced that it had experienced a cyber attack and data breach, first identified in October 2022.

The electoral registers held by the Electoral Commission at the time of the cyber attack include the name and address of anyone in the UK who was registered to vote between 2014 and 2022, as well as the names of those registered as overseas voters. The registers did not include the details of anonymous voters, who are not named on the electoral register due to personal safety concerns.

No council-held data was compromised. The attack has not affected your right to vote or whether you are registered to vote. Council services remain unaffected.

The Information Commissioner is currently investigating what happened.

Further information and FAQs are available on the Electoral Commission’s website.

If you have concerns over any personal data the Electoral Commission may hold about you, please contact the Electoral Commission’s Data Protection Officer, Andrew Simpson, Head of Digital, Data, Technology and Facilities at: The Electoral Commission, 3 Bunhill Row, London EC1Y 8YZ or via email: dataprotection@electoralcommission.org.uk

Read statement from the Information Commissioner.

The open register

The open register is an extract of the electoral register, but is not used for elections. This version of the register can be brought by anyone who asks for a copy and can used for any purpose.

If you do not want your details sold on to anyone else, you can ask for your name and address to be excluded from this version.

Opt out of the open register

If you do not opt out your details will be shown on the open register which can be sold to direct marketing companies and anyone else who wants to buy it.

Inspection of the register

The full current register is held at the Electoral Services office at the Brent Civic Centre. The full register must be viewed under the supervision of a member of the Electoral Services team and only hand written notes can be made. Photocopying, photographing or other forms of electronic recording of the register are not permitted by law.

The register is published in alphabetical road order within Polling Districts and Borough Wards because it is a list of borough addresses where there is anyone currently registered to vote. It only contains the name and elector number, not other details such as contact numbers or forwarding addresses.

Due to the Covid-19 guidance about social distancing, we are currently unable to book any appointments to inspect the register until further notice.

It is an offence to make copies other than by hand written notes and there are strict restrictions on what the information can be used for. Misuse of data from the full register could lead to a fine of up to £5,000.

Please note, only the current register is available for inspection. If you wish to view historic copies of the register please contact the British Library.

Use of the register

The electoral register is used by:

election staff, political parties, candidates and holders of elected office for electoral purposes
the council for duties relating to security, enforcing the law and preventing crime - the police and the security services can also use it for law enforcement
the HM Courts and Tribunals Service to call people up for jury service.

Credit reference agencies

The full register of electors can legally be sold to registered credit reference agencies. They help other organisations to check the names and addresses of people applying for credit. They also use it to carry out identity checks when trying to prevent and detect money laundering.

To find out what these credit reference agencies use your data for, visit their websites:

TransUnion
Experian
Equifax
Crediva
Aristotle - although a registered credit reference agency they deal directly with companies and not members of the public.

Buying the open register

There is legislation which outlines the charges that all council's must make for requests for data from the open electoral register, these are:

in data form, the fee is £20 plus £1.50 for each 1,000 entries (or remaining part of 1,000 entries) in it
in printed form, the fee is £10 plus £5 for each 1,000 entries (or remaining part of 1,000 entries) in it.

The cost of collating the register is in excess of £200,000 each year. We do not make money from selling the open register.

Anyone wishing to opt their details out of the open register may do so when they register to vote or by filling in the opt out form

Direct mail

If you do not want direct or junk mail sent to your home, register with the Mailing Preference Service.