CABINET OFFICE ELECTORAL REGISTRATION UNIT HOW TO REGISTER TO VOTE

Transcription

1 CABINET OFFICE ELECTORAL REGISTRATION UNIT HOW TO REGISTER TO VOTE Guidance for Voters Issued April 2015

2 INDEX 1. Introduction 2. Qualifying to Register 3. Completing the Registration Form 4. Versions of the Register 5. Jury service 6. Places of Inspection of the Register

3 HOW TO REGISTER 1. Introduction. In order to be eligible to vote at a House of Keys election or a local authority election your name must appear on the current electoral register. The Electoral Registration Unit of the Government s Cabinet Office undertakes an annual postal canvass of households and the information collected is used to create registers for each island constituency. When completing the registration form every eligible member of the household can be included but any member can request another form for his or her personal registration. The Isle of Man has a system of rolling registration and this allows residents to register, or alter, their details for the register on an ongoing basis. The dates when such additions and changes to the registers take effect are known as the relevant registration date and usually occur on the 1 st day of October (when the registers are consolidated and renumbered) then on the first day of January, April and July. Please note that registration is not for life and so you should ensure that you complete a registration form every year to be sure that you are included in the register. 2. Qualifying to Register. In order to be included in the register of a Polling District you must: - on the relevant registration date have had your usual place of abode in the electoral area, and have, during the whole of the preceding 12 months, had your usual place of abode in the Island. - reach the age of 16 before the next relevant registration date. This means that if you are 15 years old but will become 16 years old before the date of the next quarterly revision of the register then your name can appear on the register and you will be eligible to vote from the date of your 16 th birthday. - not register in more than one Polling District within the Island.

4 3. Completing the Registration Form. Completing the Registration form is very straightforward. Details to be included or amended where necessary are your full name, date of birth and title. You may nominate a Head of Household to whom all future correspondence can be addressed by marking an X in the box provided. It helps the administrative procedure if the form is completed in block capitals. When completing the registration form you can opt out of the edited version of the register (see note 4 below) by placing an X against your entry in the space provided. There is also a box on the form to be marked with an X should you not be eligible for jury service (see note 5 below). At the foot of the registration form there is a space to leave a contact telephone number; this is optional. The form must be signed by a householder before returning it to the Registration Officer, Crown & Elections, Cabinet Office, 3 rd Floor Government Office, Bucks Road, Douglas, IM1 3PN. If you need to obtain a registration form or require any further help with registration please call the Electoral Registration Unit general enquiry line on or call in person at the office or voters@gov.im 4. Versions of the Register. The Registration Officer produces two versions of the register of electors they are the full register and the edited register. (i) (ii) A full register for a constituency lists everyone who is entitled to vote there. The law says who can have a copy of the full register, and what they can use it for. The full list of these persons and purposes is given in the Registration of Electors Regulations It is a criminal offence for anyone who holds a copy of a full register to pass it on to anyone else or to use it for any other purpose. These purposes include electoral purposes, the prevention and detection of crime and for checking identities when credit is applied for. An edited register. When completing the registration form you can, if you wish, opt out of the edited version of the register by placing an X

5 against your entry in the space provided. This means that your name will not appear on the edited register which can be bought by anyone at the General Registry, Isle of Man Courts of Justice, Deemsters Walk, Douglas and they may use it for any purpose. 5. Jury Service. If your name appears on the register and you are between 18 years of age and 65 years of age, then, unless you are exempt or disqualified, your name will appear on the list of jurors. The back of the registration form details the categories of persons who may be either exempt from jury service due to the nature of their occupation or disqualified from jury service. A full list of the occupations which are exempt from Jury Service is available at 6. Places of Inspection of the Register. Current full registers are available for inspection at local authority offices around the Island as well as the General Registry, Isle of Man Courts of Justice, Deemsters Walk, Douglas and the Electoral Registration Unit, Crown & Elections, Cabinet Office, 3 rd Floor Government Office, Bucks Road, Douglas, IM1 3PN. A copy of the register may also be viewed at the Tynwald Library, Legislative Buildings, Finch Road, Douglas.