The Electoral Office maintains two versions of the electoral register - the full register and the edited register.
The full register
A revised version of the full register is published on 1 December each year and updates are issued on the first working day of each month. If an election is scheduled a revised version may be published before the election.
The full register lists the names and addresses of everyone entitled to vote. Only certain people and organisations are entitled to obtain copies of the full register and they may only use it for specified purposes. These include:
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Electoral purposes
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Crime prevention and detection
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Checking credit applications
The law specifies who may obtain a copy of the full register and for what purpose it may be used (The Representation of the People (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2008). It is a criminal offence for it to be passed on to anyone else or be used for any unauthorised purpose. The penalty is a fine of up to level 5 (Currently £5,000).
Issue of the full register free of charge on publication
The following automatically receive a copy of the full register when it is published:
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The British Library
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The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
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The Electoral Commission
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The Boundary Commission
Issue of the full register free of charge upon request
The following are entitled to receive a copy of the full register free of charge upon request:
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Elected representatives (MPs, MEPs, MLAs and Councillors)
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Holders of relevant elective offices and candidates
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Local constituency parties (must be requested by the party nominating officer)
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Registered political parties
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Candidates at elections
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Police forces
Sale of the full register
The following are entitled to purchase the full register:
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Government Departments
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Credit Reference Agencies
The cost of the register is calculated as follows:
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in data format - £20 fee plus £1.50 per 1,000 entries (or remaining part of 1,000 entries)
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in printed form - £10 fee plus £5 per 1,000 entries (or remaining part of 1,000 entries)
Criteria for full register requests
Requests for a full register must be made in writing and should:
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specify which area is required and if any other documents (overseas elector lists, monthly updates) are also required;
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specify whether only the current version is required or if subsequent versions will also be required;
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specify whether the documents are to be supplied in paper or data format (the register will automatically be issued in data format if paper format is not requested).
Requesting a copy of the Electoral Register
Inspection of the full register
Information about inspecting the full register is available here.
The edited register / open register
A revised version of the edited register (also known as the 'open register') is published on 1 December each year and may be published in advance of an election. Monthly updates to the edited register are not published.
The edited register omits the names and addresses of people who have asked to be excluded from that version of the register, either by ticking the Edited Register box on the registration form or opting out when registering online via www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.
If your details are included in the edited register they will be available to websites such as 192.com and other organisations for commercial purposes. You may receive more junk mail if your details are included in the edited register.
Sale of the edited register
The edited register is available for sale to any person or organisation for any purpose.
Requesting a copy of the Electoral Register
Inspection of the edited register
You can inspect the edited register in person at the Electoral Office (see the Contact Us page). Only the current register is available for inspection. Persons inspecting the edited register may copy it in any way they wish. Inspection of the edited register is not supervised. If you wish to inspect the edited register please contact us to make an appointment.
Edited registers are destroyed once a new version is published.
The marked register
The marked register is the polling station register on which a mark has been placed against the name of every person who was issued with a ballot paper.
Supply of the marked register
A copy of the marked register may be supplied free of charge to police forces and other law enforcement agencies but only if they have previously inspected the marked register. No other organisation is entitled to be supplied with a free copy of the marked register.
Sale of the marked register
The following are entitled to purchase a copy of the marked register:
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Electoral Commission
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elected representatives
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constituency parties
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registered political parties
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candidates
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police and law enforcement agencies (if they have not inspected the register – see above)
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government departments
The fee payable is the same as the fee for the full register. No other person or organisation is entitled to purchase the marked register. Anyone wishing to purchase a copy of the marked register should email info@eoni.org.uk.
Any purchased copies of the marked register may only be used for:
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the same purpose for which the full register would be used by the recipient
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archiving in the public interest, scientific or historical research and statistics
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electoral purposes
Any free copies provided to police forces and other law enforcement agencies can only be used for the purpose of the prevention and detection of crime and the enforcement of criminal law.
The restrictions on use of the full register apply equally to the marked register.
Absent voter lists
Regulation 66 of the Representation of the People (NI) Regulations 2008 requires the Electoral Office to publish, by making it available for inspection, a copy of the lists of permanent postal and proxy voters.
The Electoral Office is required, as soon as possible after the sixth day before polling day, to publish for inspection the lists of temporary postal and proxy voters.
Supply of the absent voter lists
The Electoral Office shall, on request, supply free of charge to each candidate at an election, or to their agent, a copy of both the permanent and temporary list of postal voters and list of proxies.
No other person or organisation is entitled to be supplied with a copy of any absent voters list.
Sale of the absent voter lists
No one is entitled to purchase a copy of the absent voters list.
Marked copy of the absent voter lists
The provisions in relation to the marked register apply equally to the marked absent voters list.