Memorandum by the Ministry of Defence
(MoD) (VOT 44)
ELECTORAL REGISTRATION BY SERVICE PERSONNEL
In their letter of 20 December about the joint
inquiry into Electoral Registration, Alan Beith and Andrew Bennett
asked that we send you written evidence on the subject of registration
by Service personnel.
The Committees' terms of reference are broad,
and many of the issues they intend to examine are outside our
Defence interest. However, as Mr Caplin said in his reply to Andrew
Tyrie's adjournment debate in the Westminster Hall on 8 December,
we are committed to working with the Electoral Commission on encouraging
awareness among the Service community of their options to register
to vote.
The attached memorandum sets out the active
steps we are taking to achieve this and will, we hope, reassure
the Committees that we are fully seized of the issue.
1. The Ministry of Defence is committed
to make every effort to assist Service personnel to participate
in the electoral process.
2. Revised guidance to the Service community
providing full information and practical help on how to register
and explaining the various voting options available is due to
be published in late January 2005 as a Defence Council Instruction
(DCI). This will coincide with the Electoral Commission's national
publicity campaign on electoral registration. A copy of the revised
DCI, which was drafted with assistance from the Commission, is
attached for information.
3. In addition, a number of measures are
being taken to improve awareness amongst the Service community
of the options they have to register to vote. These are:
(a) Joint strategy for Information.
The Commission has developed a strategy, based on discussions
with the MOD on how it will work with us in the future to ensure
the dissemination of information about voting to Service personnel.
(b) Forms and leaflets. The Commission
is producing a specific (generic) form for Service voters which
will outline the registration options available to members of
the Armed Forces. The Service voter form will be clearly signposted
on the Commission's website. The Commission is also producing
a leaflet giving information to Service voters and details of
how (and where) to register and where to seek further advice.
MOD will publicise and assist with distribution.
(c) British Forces Broadcasting Service
(BFBS). BFBS covers the areas (by radio and television) with
the greatest concentration of Service personnel overseas and on
operations (Germany/Cyprus/ Gibraltar/Falkland lslands/Balkans/Middle
East), as well as other areas. The Commission did some work with
the BFBS during the 2004 annual canvass, and will build on this
to coincide with the January 2005 campaign.
(d) MOD In-house publications and websites.
Articles will be offered to the editors of in-house publications
(eg Soldier Magazine, Navy News and RAF News, as
well as the three Service Families magazines).
(e) New recruits. All new recruits
should be given advice on options to register to vote on joining
the Armed Forces. The initial training organisations will be provided
with Service voter leaflets for distribution to each recruit.
JSDCI 01/05 ELECTORAL REGISTRATION—MEMBERS
OF THE ARMED FORCES AND THEIR SPOUSES
INTRODUCTION
1. This DCI supersedes and updates DCI Gen
11/03. It explains the arrangements for electoral registration
and voting for members of the Armed Forces and their spouses,
which have been in place since the Representation of the People
Act 2000 (as amended) came into effect on 16 February 2001.
2. Registers of electors for Parliamentary,
European Parliament and Local Government elections are prepared
annually and are updated on a monthly basis, although individuals
are able to register anytime during the year. Only persons whose
names appear on the register are eligible to vote in an election
that occurs during the period of that register.
ELIGIBLE PERSONNEL
3. In order to register, personnel must
meet the following criteria:
(a) Be over 16 years of age (although an
individual cannot actually vote until his or her l8th birthday).
(b) Be a United Kingdom or Commonwealth citizen,
or a citizen of the Irish Republic or of another European Union
member state. However, citizens of European Union member states
other than the United Kingdom or Irish Republic are only eligible
to vote in Local Government elections and European Parliamentary
elections.
REGISTRATION OPTIONS
4. All Service personnel and their spouses
have the option to register as Service Voters by completing a
yearly service declaration form, which should be returned to the
relevant local council electoral registration office. When registering
this way, the Service Voter's qualifying address is the address
in the UK they would be living at if they were not in the Services.
The advantage of this option is that their registration remains
constant even if they are moved from one location to another.
5. Since 2001, Service personnel and their
spouses have also had the alternative option to register in the
same way as civilian electors. If they are living at a permanent
address in the UK, either at a private or other qualifying address,
Service Families Accommodation or Single Living Accommodation,
a Service person and/or spouse can choose to register as a conventional
voter.
6. For those service personnel and their
spouses who are posted abroad and who do not wish to register
as Service Voters, there is the option of registering as Overseas
Electors. This is a facility available to all British Citizens
who currently live abroad, but have been registered as electors
in Britain within the last 15 years. The disadvantage of this
option is that Overseas Electors can only vote in UK Parliamentary
and European Parliamentary elections, they do not qualify to vote
in British local elections.
RENEWAL OF
REGISTRATION
7. All households in the United Kingdom
receive an annual form from the local council Electoral Registration
Officer during September/October for confirmation and updating
of the following year's register of electors. Those registered,
as Service Voters or Overseas Electors will also receive an annual
renewal notification from the Electoral Registration Officer with
whom they are registered.
ROLLING REGISTRATION
8. In addition to the annual canvas, provision
is made for a system of rolling electoral registration. This allows
individuals to register at any time of year when they either move
properties within the same electoral registration area, or to
another electoral registration area within the United Kingdom.
PRIVACY OF
INFORMATION
9. There are two versions of the electoral
register, the full register and the edited register. By law, only
certain people and organisations can have copies of the full register
and they can only use it for specific purposes. These include
electoral purposes, the prevention and detection of crime and
checking identity when you have applied for credit. However, Electoral
Registration Officers also provide an edited version of the electoral
register available for sale or commercial use by anyone, who may
then use it for any purpose. Those wishing to have their name
left off the edited version must mark the appropriate box on the
registration application form.
ABSENT VOTING
10. Service personnel and their spouses
who are overseas or away from their UK residence during an election
may elect to vote either by post or proxy. Those who are disabled,
a remand prisoner, or a mental patient can also vote by post or
proxy. As postal ballot papers may not be distributed until one
week before the election, those overseas, if they choose to vote
by post, should bear in mind that they may not receive and return
their ballot papers in time. In these circumstances, they may
consider it best to elect to appoint a proxy rather than vote
by post.
VOTING BY
PROXY
11. The generally acceptable grounds for
voting by proxy are as follows:
(a) Physical incapacity or blindness.
(b) Occupation, service, employment or attendance
on a course.
(c) Where voting in person would require
a journey by sea or air (ie holiday or posted abroad).
However, registered Service Voters, overseas
voters, mental patients and remand prisoners do not need to meet
the above requirements as their particular circumstances automatically
entitle them to vote by proxy.
12. Proxy voters are not required to live
in the same area as the person who appointed them is registered,
and can apply to cast their proxy vote by post.
EUROPEAN UNION—CITIZENS
13. Citizens of countries in the European
Community may register and vote at both local government and European
Parliamentary elections, but not British Parliamentary elections.
UNIT PROCEDURES
14. All ships, units and stations are to
give personnel and their dependants (especially when overseas)
every reasonable assistance to register as voters. All new entrants
to the Armed Forces are to be made aware of the procedures and
options for registering as voters. Registration forms are available
from Electoral Registration Officers, although units may wish
to establish their own stocks. A list of Electoral Registration
Officers is to be held by all units.
ELECTION PROCEDURES
15. The following procedures are to be adopted:
(a) Parliamentary By Elections. On receipt
by the Services of notification that a by-election is pending,
a signal will be dispatched to all home commands giving the name
of the constituency and address of the Electoral Registration
Officer. COs should then ensure that Form F/Vote/36 (Notice of
Pending By-Election) is completed and posted in a prominent position
on notice boards.
(b) General Elections. The procedures as
above will apply, except that Form F/Vote/51 (Notice of General
Election) is to be posted on notice boards.
(c) Local Government Elections. Local government
elections in England, Scotland and Wales are normally held on
the first Thursday in May (there is no set date for Northern Ireland).
No notification is made. Personnel may vote using their preferred
voting option.
(d) European Parliamentary Elections. The
same procedures as for local government elections apply.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
16. Electoral Registration Officers are
able to provide additional information including specific details
for registration within their area. Lists of Electoral Registration
Officers can be found on the Internet as follows:
(a) England, Wales and Northern Ireland—www.dca.gov.uk/elections/officeraddress.
(b) Scotland—www.scotland.gov.uk/voting.
There are also links to the Electoral Commission's
websites giving information about electoral registration, elections
and voting which can be found on:
The Electoral Commission—www.electoralcommission.org.uk
and www.aboutmyvote.co.uk.
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