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United Kingdom Statutory Instruments
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URL: http://www.bailii.org/uk/legis/num_reg/2003/20031892.html

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STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS

2003 No. 1892 (S. 6)

REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE

The Representation of the People (Form of Canvass) (Scotland) Regulations 2003

  Made 16th July 2003 
  Coming into force 30th July 2003 

Whereas the Secretary of State has consulted the Electoral Commission in accordance with section 7(1) and (2) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000[1] about these Regulations;

     And whereas a draft of these Regulations has been laid before and approved by resolution of each House of Parliament;

     Now, therefore, the Secretary of State in exercise of the powers conferred on him by sections 10(4), 53 and 201(1) and (3) of, and paragraph 10(2) of Schedule 2 to, the Representation of the People Act 1983[2], having regard to the definition of "prescribed" in section 202(1) of that Act, and of all other powers enabling her in that behalf, hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation, commencement, interpretation and extent
     1.  - (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Representation of the People (Form of Canvass) (Scotland) Regulations 2003 and shall come into force on the expiry of 14 days beginning with the day on which they are made.

    (2) In these Regulations, "the 2001 Regulations" means the Representation of the People (Scotland) Regulations 2001[3].

    (3) These Regulations shall extend to Scotland only.

Revocation
     2. Regulation 4 of, and the Schedule to, the Representation of the People (Scotland) (Amendment) Regulations 2002[4] are hereby revoked.

Prescribed form
     3. The form set out in Part I of the Schedule to these Regulations is hereby prescribed for the purposes of the canvass which is required to be conducted by section 10 of the Representation of the People Act 1983.

Amendment of provision about applications
     4. In regulation 26(6) of the 2001 Regulations (applications for registration)[5] for "the Representation of the People (Scotland) (Amendment) Regulations 2002" substitute "the Representation of the People (Form of Canvass) (Scotland) Regulations 2003".


ALISTAIR DARLING
SECRETARY OF STATE FOR SCOTLAND

Scotland Office Dover House, London
16th July 2003



SCHEDULE
Regulation 3


Form of Canvass and Form of Words about the Two Versions of the Register




PART I

Form prescribed for the purposes of section 10(4) of the Representation of the People Act 1983 (as substituted by Schedule 1 to the Representation of the People Act 2000)

RETURN BY OCCUPIER AS TO RESIDENTS

Your Right to Vote

You can vote in elections only if your name appears in the register of electors. A new version of the register is published at least once a year following an annual canvass which takes place each autumn.

About this form

The law requires you to give the information requested in this form. So please fill it in, sign it and return it to the electoral registration officer as quickly as possible.

Remember to include the names of all those living in your household who will be eligible to vote - their right to vote is important too.

The form should include all those living in your household on 15th October 2003. But you need not wait until then to fill in the form.

If you do not return this form, your name may be left out of the new version of the register, even though it may already be included in the current one.

With this form there are notes about who is eligible to vote and instructions on how to fill it in.

If there is anything you don't understand, or if you would like more information, contact your electoral registration officer at the address - or on the telephone number - shown on the form. He will be pleased to help.

Checking the register

The new register is published on or shortly before 1st December and you can look at a copy of it at your local electoral registration offices. If for some reason your name has been missed off the register, or your details have changed since 15th October (for example, because you have changed your address) you should ask immediately to have your name added to the register or to have the register changed. The electoral registration officer will tell you what you have to do.

Would you prefer to vote by post?

Anyone on the electoral register can vote by post. You can have a postal vote for just one election, for all elections in a set period or for all elections indefinitely. Ask the electoral registration officer for further details.

ANNUAL CANVASS OF ELECTORS 2003

You must by law give the information requested in this form.

Be sure to include:-

British citizens, citizens of other Commonwealth countries or of the Irish Republic.

Citizens of other Member States of the European Union - you also need to include citizens of States who are expected to become members of the European Union in 2004. You should therefore include all citizens of the following States:

Austria Finland Ireland Poland*
Belgium France Latvia* Portugal
Cyprus* Germany Lithuania* Slovakia*
Czech Republic* Greece Luxembourg Slovenia*
Denmark Hungary* Malta* Spain
Estonia* Italy Netherlands Sweden

*States which are expected to join the European Union on 1st May 2004

These citizens will be registered as local government electors only and (unless they are also Commonwealth citizens such as citizens of Cyprus and Malta, or citizens of the Irish Republic, who can vote in all elections) able therefore also to vote in elections for the Scottish Parliament.

Those living in your household who are 16 and 17 years old - they can vote as soon as they are 18. Please give their dates of birth in Part 4.

Those who normally live in your household but are away for the time being - for example on holiday, as students, or in hospital (including voluntary patients in psychiatric hospitals).

Anyone who is away working, unless they are away for more than six months.

Any other residents, lodgers or guests (but not short-stay visitors) in your household, whether this is a private address, a hostel or a club; include merchant seamen who live there when not at sea.

Don't include

Foreign nationals - except for citizens of Member States of the European Union (including citizens of States which are expected to become members of the European Union in 2004) - see list of States above.

People under 16

Anybody who will be leaving your address before 15th October 2003.

European Parliamentary Elections, June 2004

If you are a citizen of a Member State of the European Union (or a citizen of a State which is expected to become a member of the European Union in 2004), you may be able to vote in the European Parliamentary Elections in June 2004 in this country if you wish, but you will need to fill in another form to allow you to do so. Ask the electoral registration officer for more details.

The two versions of the register

The electoral registration officer makes and keeps two versions of the electoral register - the full register and the edited register.

Please put a tick in Part 5 against anyone who wishes their name and address to be excluded from the edited register; you must ask each of them their preference before completing this form.

The full register

The full register lists everyone who is entitled to vote and includes their address. You can check it by calling at the council offices or at some local libraries. Only certain people and organisations can have copies of the full register, and they can only use it for specified purposes. The main use of the full register is for elections and referendums, but it can also be used for other purposes such as the prevention and detection of a crime and for checking your identity when you have applied for credit. Details of others who can have copies of the full register and what they can use it for are given in the Representation of the People (Scotland) (Amendment) Regulations 2002 (S.I. 2002 No. 1872). It is a criminal offence not to comply with the Regulations. For example, it is a criminal offence either to pass the full register on to anyone or to use it for any purpose, except as allowed by the Regulations. The Scottish Parliament (Elections etc.) Order 2002, Schedule 1 (S.I. 2002 No. 2779) also makes provision about those who can have copies of the full register and what they can use it for, in the context of elections to the Scottish Parliament. The Regulations and Order are available on the internet at www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/stat.htm or you can buy a copy from The Stationery Office Ltd.

The edited register

The edited register leaves out the names and addresses of people who have asked for them to be excluded from that version of the register. The edited register can be bought by anyone who asks for a copy and they may use it for any purpose.

How to return this form

First, please check that you have read and completed the form. Then return it in the envelope provided or fold the form up as the instructions tell you. Otherwise you can send it or take it to your local electoral registration office at the address shown on the form.

REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE ACTS

Electoral registration form - annual canvass

Please read the accompanying notes before filling in

Using BLOCK LETTERS

DON'T LOSE YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE X

1 Address     
No. of flat, bedsit or floor (where applicable) No. of house (or name if not numbered) followed by name of street, road, etc and remainder of address including postcode
2 Names      3 Citizens of Member States of the European Union 4 16/17 year olds 5 Persons not wishing to appear on the edited register
Please read the notes below about who to include and who not to include. Then write here the names of all those, including yourself, living in your household on 15th October 2003 who are British citizens or other Commonwealth citizens, or who are citizens of the Republic of Ireland or another Member State of the European Union (including States which are expected to join the EU in 2004) and are aged 16 or over on that date. If a European Union Citizen (other than British or Irish) or a Citizen of a State which is expected to join the EU in 2004, enter nationality below. Please give dates of birth of 16/17 year olds. If the person does not wish their name to appear on the edited register, enter X below. (See note on the two versions of the register).
Mr, Mrs, Ms, Miss, etc Surname (BLOCK LETTERS PLEASE) Full Forenames (BLOCK LETTERS PLEASE)      Day Month Year     
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
6 No one eligible

If no one (including yourself) in your household should be included in part 2 above, please write "NO ONE" in part 2 and give the reason here

 7 Other households

Is where you live part of a house or other property that has been converted into flats or bedsits? If so please state how many individual flats or bedsits there are so that the electoral registration officer can make sure that the people living there are given a form.

How many flats or bedsits?
8 Declaration

It is an offence to give false information in completing this form.

I declare that as far as I know, the details on this form are true and accurate and all whose names are entered are British citizens, other Commonwealth citizens, citizens of the Republic of Ireland, citizens of other Member States of the European Union, or citizens of States which are expected to join the European Union in 2004.

Signature      Date     

     



PART II

Form of words about the two versions of the register

The two versions of the register

The electoral registration officer makes and keeps two versions of the electoral register - the full register and the edited register.

Please say in your application if you wish your name and address to be excluded from the edited register.

The full register

The full register lists everyone who is entitled to vote and includes their address. You can check it by calling at the council offices or at some local libraries. Only certain people and organisations can have copies of the full register, and they can only use it for specified purposes. The main use of the full register is for elections and referendums, but it can also be used for other purposes such as the prevention and detection of crime and for checking your identity when you have applied for credit. Details of others who can have copies of the full register and what they can use it for are given in the Representation of the People (Scotland) (Amendment) Regulations 2002 (S.I. 2002 No. 1872). It is a criminal offence not to comply with the Regulations. For example, it is a criminal offence either to pass the full register on to anyone or to use it for any purpose, except as allowed by the Regulations. The Scottish Parliament (Elections etc.) Order 2002, Schedule 1 (S.I. 2002 No. 2779) also makes provision about those who can have copies of the full register and what they can use it for, in the context of elections to the Scottish Parliament. The Regulations and Order are available on the internet at www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/stat.htm or you can buy a copy from The Stationery Office Ltd.

The edited register

The edited register leaves out the names and addresses of people who have asked for them to be excluded from that version of the register. The edited register can be bought by anyone who asks for a copy and they may use it for any purpose.


EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)


Under section 10 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 (as substituted by Schedule 1 to the Representation of the People Act 2000) each registration officer is required to conduct an annual canvass (by reference to residence on 15th October in that year) in his registration area to ascertain the persons who are entitled to be or remain registered as parliamentary or local government electors in that area.

These Regulations prescribe a form for the purposes of that canvass for 2003. The form takes account of the fact that 10 new States are likely to accede to the European Union in 2004. It makes provision for their citizens (as well as citizens of other Member States) who reside in the registration area, to be included in the register of local government electors for that area.

In addition, regulation 4 and Part II of the Schedule to the Regulations prescribe a new form of words about the full and edited versions of the register, to be included as part of the application for registration form provided by registration officers. The Regulations revoke the provisions of the Representation of the People (Scotland) (Amendment) Regulations 2002 which had previously prescribed the form of canvass and the form of words, to be included with the canvass form, about the two versions of the register.

Notes:

 [1] 2000 c.41.back

[2] 1983 c.2; section 10 was substituted by Schedule 1 to the Representation of the People Act 2000 (c.2); section 53 was amended by that Act, Schedule 1, paragraph 13, section 201(3) was inserted by Schedule 1 to that Act; paragraph 10 of Schedule 2 was substituted by section 9(2) of that Act.back

[3] S.I. 2001/497.back

[4] S.I. 2002/1872.back

[5] Inserted by S.I. 2002/1872, regulation 7(6).back


ISBN 0 11062410 6


 
© Crown copyright 2003
Prepared 30 July 2003

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URL: http://www.bailii.org/uk/legis/num_reg/2003/20031892.html